Grammy-nominated artist Sophie B. Hawkins chatted about her music inspirations and her upcoming concert at City Winery in New York on May 28.
City Winery show
“I am very excited about my City Winery show in New York,” she said. “I am completely excited. I love this show that we are doing. I honestly love it. I’ve taken full advantage of so many colliding events such as the 20th anniversary of ‘Whaler’.”
“We’ve completely torn this album apart and we started from the actual scratch of the melody and the lyrics, and I love how some of the songs are coming out. It has been wonderful to perform them. They are extremely poetic and romantic,” she explained.
“This is a show not to miss,” she noted. “They will get such a dose of ‘Whaler,’ and that is very joyous. Of course, I will play the hits. I hope they come down and celebrate.”
Music and songwriting inspirations
Hawkins revealed that her music is “inspired by painful events” or “passionately strong events.” “It is like a musical, where there are some things that you can’t say. You have to sing them,” she said.
“Basically, my songs come from needing to say something that otherwise can’t be said,” she added.
The digital age
On being an artist in the digital age, she acknowledged, “It is not as fun. I was lucky that I got to experience life before the digital age. I had a sense of my privacy, sovereignty and just my passion for being able to be alone and be private in writing songs.”
“I think the digital age might have gotten worse for artists in the sense that it’s hard to survive for not being paid for your songwriting,” she said.
“It is hard to survive on streaming. What they pay for streaming, I think, should be illegal,” she added.
Advice for young and aspiring artists
For young and aspiring artists, she said, “What I really learned through all these years is to not take yourself too seriously.”
“Also, to really have the most fun possible, which is about trying to lighten your load and being extremely content with what you have no matter what it is,” she said.
“You are an artist not to make money and be famous, you are an artist because it’s the noblest thing one can do, besides saving people, animals, and the planet,” she added.
Dream duet choices
She listed Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, J. Cole, and Harry Styles as her dream duet choices in music.
Stage of her life
On the title of the current chapter of her life, she responded, “Gratitude and Answered Prayers.” “It’s true,” she admitted.
Success
Regarding her definition of success, she concluded, “Success means that you feel like you are living an answered prayer.”
To learn more about Sophie B. Hawkins, check out her official website, and follow her on Instagram.
