Sophie Li On the Making Of “Billboards”
What inspired you to write the lyrics/music for "Billboards?"
I met someone a few years back who was the first person who had ever 100% believed in me, in terms of my music career. I've always had doubts about how successful I'll be as a musician but this person's faith in me never wavered, so I think the song is about me wanting to do better, both for myself and for them.
Were there any challenges or obstacles you faced while creating "Billboards?"
So many! I had to do two separate sessions recording my vocals because the first session I was in a really bad headspace and felt like a complete fraud for singing a song about having confidence in yourself when my self-esteem was so low at the time. The second session was the day after my 21st birthday and after a heavy night of drinking I still have yet to experience a hangover as bad as the one I had that day! I think the vocals ended up being a comp of both mid-meltdown and hungover vocals but I think they turned out okay!
Were there any memorable or standout moments during the recording sessions for this song?
I've spoken about the bad parts of the recording sessions but there are definitely plenty of good moments too. The producer for “Billboards,” Sam, is one of my best friends and my band and I are constantly laughing and joking so studio days are always very fun.
Can you tell us more about you as an artist?
I'd say if there's one thing to know about my music, it's that I always try to write songs with big choruses. I love bands like Catfish and the Bottlemen that have that big 'arena' sound so I try to incorporate that into my music as much as I can. I try to be as real and open as I can in hopes that I can help others who have been in similar situations to me.
What do you enjoy most about performing live and connecting with your audience?
Seeing people sing my lyrics back to me. There was a time that I was too scared to show my songs to anyone so I think if younger me knew that people actually knew the lyrics to my songs, she would be very proud.