Sophie Hutchings interview

Sophie Hutchings is an Australian composer who thrives in the outdoors, amidst the calm and sometimes chaotic nature of the ocean. Her new single, Not Alone, is her first release of 2021 and the principal segment from her upcoming Love & Keep EP. Not Alone is a soft inward reflection, a beautifully comforting effort that looks at the longevity and significance of friendships in times of uncertainty and struggle.

Instead of leaning towards the (arguably) traditional outlets of a teenager, Sophie grew up organically drawing on the mindful, meditative benefits of the ocean. It then came naturally to Sophie to weave elements of this medicinal effect through her work. When she wasn’t riding the waves, or absorbing the changing scenes of the horizon, Sophie was thrown into her Father’s vast jazz collection or her older brothers’ and their love of heavy indie rock until she found her own unique soundscape.

Read our exclusive interview further below and listen to NOT ALONE: Which music journalist Mark Boardman describes as:

“A sublime melody which is so wildly beautiful”

Classical music is in your blood. What were the last 3 songs besides your own that you listened to?

Ooohhh that’s a hard one as I’m always listening to music but the last 3 that come to mind are:

M. Ward – “I Get Along Without You Very Well” From Think Of Spring 

Susumu Yakota  – “Long long silk bridge” From Symbol

Francis Bebey  “Sanza Tristesse” From Psychedelic Sanza

Do you have any advice for anyone trying to learn the piano?

Learning piano can be frustrating if you’re continually focusing on your weaknesses so just be yourself and embrace your strengths to make it more enjoyable.

Which artist would you most like to collaborate with?

I’ve been asked this question before and I’m never able to answer it because I  have such a broad range of taste in music. I think there are lots of artists in various genres that it would be really nice to collaborate with. 

What would be your dream show / venue to perform at? 

A venue with real people in it! I haven’t performed in such a long time due to Covid that at this point in time I’d just be happy to be back in Europe in front of real people. That’s my dream venue at the moment.  

Your social media profiles have the most amazing photos of you and landscapes, how would you describe your style? 

Oh thank you!!  I do love gregarious colour combinations. When I was a kid I used to be obsessed with colour coordination. A bright purple striped t-shirt meant I had to wear matching bright purple socks and on it went.  I really love spending time outdoors. I also love fashion but to me it should always be fun and comfortable too, so I would most likely say I have a scandi sensibility when it comes to functionality but with more airy colours and accessories…  

How long was the process to write your EP ‘Love & Keep’ and what inspired the songs?   

After I write a fuller, more involved album I always like to follow it up with an intimate, sleepy late-night recording as it’s a form and style that reflects another part of who I am and something that involves simply the piano and myself which makes it very intimate. So, after Scattered On The Wind was released and life was in lockdown I was casually enjoying writing solo pieces here and there. I selected a bunch to record for Love & Keep which I guess is a bit of an inward reflection on how volatile life can be but how resilient our human nature can be also which drew me towards the importance of how our connection to each other helps the process along with  the longevity and significance of friendships…

Which track was the hardest to finish?  

Hmmmm I don’t remember if there was one. The recording is a bit of a blur really.  I think the hardest thing was more so staying up to finish all the tracks. I don’t think I finished till about 4.30am and I nearly didn’t lay down the last track on the EP (which you’ll hear later on)  as I was getting so tired. This was a last-minute kind of improvised piece.  I was about to pack up but then  I could hear all the birds starting to wake and sing and it was so pretty that it felt right to put one small closing piece to the evening session down before I went to sleep… It was just the birds and me which was a really lovely closure to the recording.…

From your new EP name a track you would play on:

– holiday A Sense Of Nearing 

 – on the commute  Not Alone

–  on a plane, Go To Sleep Now

– to your friends and family Love & Keep 

‘NOT ALONE‘ IS out now

MarkMeets Media “Sophie Hutchings delivers an intimate and dreamy rippling piano composition with an soothing effect”

Although creating, crafting and tweaking her music comes naturally, Sophie prefers to work internally, immersing herself in sound, rather than launching herself into the world of the stage. Her piano-led music has been described by The Guardian as holding “an intimate contemplative quality; sometimes melancholic, often with an exhilarating beauty.” Having amassed over 80 million streams on Spotify alone, Sophie has crafted her trademark sound and has collected accolades that include a nomination for …., a play on Jorja Smith’s most recent Tearjerker podcast as well as heavy support from 6 Music in the UK and ABC in her home country, Australia.

Love & Keep is a body of work that exposes a journey of connection, embracing the unpredictable, sometimes volatile, nature of the world, and how sleep is fundamentally intertwined in everything we do. Recorded in the dead of night, this six-track EP looks at the sometimes expanse of sleep as a quiet, reflective beauty, through the unique lens of the insomniac, Sophie. Not Alone specifically is a single that calls to the bigger picture. It’s a confession that even as an introvert, in times of enforced isolation, one recognises a need for those around you. Sophie’s creation holds a reminiscent feeling, a longing for the support of your loved ones, rather than another soulless, endless, scroll through the social universe.