We were lucky to catch up with Sophia Rankin recently and have shared our conversation below.
Sophia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?
“Never stop writing and putting your original music out there – you have to start somewhere.” These were the words Cameron Hood, half of the internationally touring duo Ryanhood, told me at my first public performance at the 2015 Tucson Folk Festival. I was fifteen, had been teaching myself guitar for a few months, and had never played in front of a crowd like that other than in classical piano recitals. I played just one original song in my set of six at that festival, yet that was the song that stuck with people because it best represented who I was. To have someone talented and highly respected in our local music scene encourage me as a songwriter absolutely changed my life. From that moment on, I have always written my own music and made it a priority to perform it live. Because of this, I have connected with strangers through my own words, and found my voice through the melodies I make. Allowing myself to be vulnerable introduced me to new ways of expressing my music, and it guided me to the incredible band members I play with today.
I was an acoustic singer/songwriter for most of my musical career through the remainder of high school and college, playing occasionally with friends around Tucson as my sound developed over the years. I gained some local recognition for being an original songwriter in a town that welcomed music in all shapes and sizes. Connor Rankin (drums, synth, and percussion) joined me onstage in 2019 and introduced a new way of approaching songwriting when it came to an entire band arrangement. We started crafting rock, pop, and indie-like songs that stemmed from my folk background and his love of alternative rock. We played covers that inspired us and wrote songs that showcased our evolving sound and songwriting. As we harnessed our sound over the next year, we met band members Noah Weig-Pickering (lead guitar) and Eli Leki-Albano (bass and vocals) who helped us develop the sound we expand upon today. By the end of 2020, we were booked for shows that primarily requested cover songs from us, I remembered Cameron’s words about pushing my original music no matter the situation. The band and I were in agreement that our originals deserved just as much limelight as the covers we chose, and that we would only play covers that emphasized the original music we were creating. By the end of 2021, I had three completely original albums: “Reverie” (2016) and “Solace” (2018) as a solo artist, and my first full-band album “Too Close to the Riptide” (2021) with Sophia Rankin & The Sound (SRS).
Cameron’s encouragement was the first spark in my songwriting journey. I won the 2018 Stefan George Memorial Songwriting competition as well as the 2017 Tucson Desert Song Festival songwriting competition for my original music. The band and I have been covered by press across Arizona and have performed numerous headlining shows around Tucson. We are now composed of members Connor Rankin (synth, percussion, and drums), Ben Arthur Mortensen (bass and vocals), Noah Weig-Pickering (lead guitar), and myself (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keys). We continue to prioritize writing, releasing, and performing original music wherever we go and constantly developing new ways to express ourselves through our unique sound and share stories through our original music. SRS is currently back in the studio recording new music that highlights who we are today and the styles that best define us. Cameron’s words were a first step to showing me what songwriting could do, and the encouragement and support from my Tucson community as well as my bandmates has continued to feed that flame over the years.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Sophia Rankin, I am a 23-year-old award-winning singer/songwriter from Tucson, Arizona. I have been performing since I was fifteen-years-old, and now play with my band Sophia Rankin & The Sound (SRS). I have original music available on all streaming and purchasing platforms, and am in the process with SRS to record and release more soon. We are a performing band that currently travels all over Arizona, and we have headlined venues such as Hotel Congress and 191 Toole, as well as perform at the Rialto Theatre, Dusk Music Festival, Tucson Folk Festival, Circus Mexicus, and more. We have opened for acts such as Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers, The Black Moods, Jake Owen, Diamond Rio, Carlos Arzate, and Ryanhood. We are an Indie/Alternative Folk Rock band that focuses on original music releases and engaging live performances. All of our upcoming shows and information can be found at https://www.sophiarankin.com.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I fully believe music is one of the most connective forces in our world. We use it in almost everything we do: movies, gatherings, presentations, driving, celebrating, mourning, teaching, learning, welcoming, studying, etcetera. Music has been my outlet for expression and understanding, but it has also connected me to complete strangers through common experience and feeling. As an artist that strives to deliver quality original music, it is my constant goal to create something that will stay with people after the show is over and the song has changed. As much as music helps me, I want my music to help others when they need it most.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I believe we are in an age where the common question is whether all artists should be content creators in order to make their music successful. I do believe that visual content creation- social media outlets such as TikTok and Instagram Reels – is an incredible way to engage people and promote music. However, most artists, myself included, are independent artists that have to do every job themselves or with a limited team in order to promote their music. We have to do everything from merchandise to design, sales, sound tech, finances, booking, management, networking, and to social media presence on our own. Becoming a full-time visual content creator on top of a full-time music creator can be a high demand for some people. If the music stands on its own, I do believe that fan support should shine through whether or not the artist is also a virtuosic content creator. In all this, I hope non-creatives can understand the amount of work that goes into everything independent musicians do in order to even get their music off the ground, let alone the additional work of adapting to a visual media-focused world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sophiarankin.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophiarankinandthesound/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sophiarankinmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsLTIFuMlF0euquu_F5e37A
- Other: https://linktr.ee/sophiarankin https://open.spotify.com/artist/0seG8UNFuOHGS6gnDbHrBB?si=zirzm5KRQAyjrQqsYVEO0w&nd=1
Image Credits
Kerry Whelan Forsythe Imaging Rex Scofield Phil Kelly Photography Lady Hush Photography