Sofia Machray on her debut EP ‘Language of Flowers’
Enter Sofia Machray’s world of magical indie dream-rock with her debut EP ‘Language of Flowers’ - a masterful, hypnotic tapestry of emotions. The blend of introspective feelings of melancholy and solitude with bold, anthemic sounds guarantee to take you on a mesmerising journey.
Hey Sofia, thanks so much for taking the time to chat to us! First of all, wow - we are so in love with your new EP "Language of Flowers". How did you land on the name of it and what are the central themes you delve into lyrically?
I was in the process of writing 'Crumbs' and a lyric came to mind which was ‘it's the language of flowers, I spend countless hours chasing days away'. That line sparked the whole concept of the EP and everything fell into place from there. I've always been quite an observant person and have had a fascination with flowers/nature for a long time. The outdoor world has been another outlet for me as well as music. Throughout the record I toy with the comparisons between humans and flowers, how we cycle through the seasons and with that comes new life, learnings and experiences. I loved this idea of how humans use flowers as a tool in day-to-day life to communicate with one another without any need for expression, they speak for themselves, I wanted this record to do the same thing.
You've impressively solidified your artistic identity, being considerably new to the industry! What were your main artistic influences going into this EP?
I think a lot of things were indirectly influencing me at the time, obviously drawing from the concept and linking that back to what I was going through was a major. I didn't really have specific artistic influences in mind going into this EP as I really wanted the music to come through as the strongest representation of my artistry. However, some artists I've always been fond of growing up are the likes of Hope Sandoval, Daughter, Amy Winehouse, Ben Howard, Adrianne Lenker, Fenne Lily and Paramore.
"Petals In The Rain" is a spectacular song - can you tell us a little bit about the concept of this track and what inspired you to write it?
When writing this song I was processing some of my first losses, heartbreak, and letting go of old friendships that were no longer serving me whilst navigating adulthood. I’m only 23, so I barely feel like an adult. But there was a lot to learn through these experiences in terms of self-discovery - I felt I’ve learned more about myself in the last year than I have in my whole life. As much as these things were proven confronting and some of the most challenging experiences I’ve had, on the other hand, it was extremely liberating to come out of the other side with a sense of clarity and peace of mind. I now realise that sometimes a bad thing later on down the line can turn out not to be bad at all, even though at the time you wouldn’t have known it. ‘Petals In The Rain’ is almost like a nod of a hat to myself for overcoming those moments and seeing the beauty in them instead of dwelling on the negative things. It’s a reminder to be kind to yourself, embrace the people you have around you and celebrate the small wins, whatever they may be!
Totally! "Foundations" is another captivating tune - we adore the build-up to the anthemic ending and how you're able to capture the beautifully raw, live element in the recording/mix & master. When you're writing songs, do you think about how it's going to be performed live, or just letting the inspiration flow naturally?
It changes each time I approach a new song - most of the time the inspiration is flowing naturally, although sometimes I get carried away with ideas of how things might look live later on in the process of writing a song. At times I will approach a writing session with a particular live aspect in mind, for example sometimes I will want to capture a kind of energy I feel I haven't delved into enough and that is lacking from a set but for the most part I follow the natural flow of things and figure out the live aspect later.
What were your main highlights working across the EP?
There were so many highlights across this project, I think the main one for me was how it brought so many people together in different capacities to help see my vision out and connect with one another over something we love doing. Aside from that a song I’m super proud sonically of would have to be ‘Crumbs’ I pushed myself a bit more outside of my comfort zone during the writing process for this one, the song builds through lots of distinctive sections and morphs into one big beautiful mess! I wouldn’t usually push myself to sing in a high register so deciding to showcase my vocal range in the chorus was a bit challenging as well as using various guitar tones and showcasing my guitar playing. All those decisions made for a big obstacle to overcome when it came to live performance but it definitely paid off.
Who are some of your favourite NZ artists right now and are there any songs in particular that you especially love?
I'm really loving Erny Belle at the moment - anything from her album 'Venus Is Home’. Other NZ artists that I'm loving are Nadia Reid, Aldous Harding and Molly Payton.
What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learnt in your career so far, and what advice do you have for other artists out there?
* Be kind to yourself and one another
* Be open
* Celebrate the small wins
* Learn you boundaries and honor them
Amazing! Lastly, we end every interview with this question - if you could say one thing to every person in the world, what would it be?
Follow your heart, once your there keep going deeper and trust your gut feelings <3
Thanks so much Sofia! Make sure to keep up with her on Instagram, Facebook, Spotify or Apple Music.
