About Sofia (2 of 2)

he taste of magic helped Sofia commit herself fully to music. Again at the urging of her teacher, she agreed to take part in a Swedish pop music competition. Inspired by the musicians with whom she performed, and especially by a pianist whose jazz background expanded her ideas about harmony and song structure, she moved past her concentration on writing ballads. Her experience up to that point gave Sofia a fresh perspective on the more dance-oriented material she now wanted to explore: "It helped me to think more melodically. I had learned a certain kind of groove in the ballads, which I just turned into an upbeat thing. For me, an upbeat song is not just a fast song; it's a good song with a nice groove."

er explorations had not gone unnoticed. In 1997 scouts from the Swedish Pama label caught one of her performances and invited her to record. Working with Maxe, president of Pama, and his producer Johan Glössner, the seventeen-year-old singer began polishing her songs and writing new ones. A few years later, Janett Jensen from Warner Chappell Scandinavia AB visited the States with a six-song demo, which quickly prompted contacts at Curb to sign Sofia to a distribution deal.

he Sofia Loell tapes were mastered at Portland, Maine's Gateway Mastering Studios by Bob Ludwig, described by music technology writer Paul Verna as "hands-down the most in-demand mastering engineer on the planet," with a client list that includes Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Nirvana, and U2. Late in 2001 the

first single, "Right Up Your Face," made its appearance; based on an incident involving a close friend who had dumped an oppressive boyfriend, the song is, according to Sofia, "a nice way of saying -- pardon me -- 'Up yours.'"

t is also evidence of an important truth about the music on Sofia Loell: All of it stems from the young artist's experiences or insights into real life. "Music is just one of my interests", she explains. "The other one is people. I'm interested in how people act and react, and how things can affect how you live or what you think. Just to watch people, that's my second big interest. Through the eyes of other people, you learn about yourself as well. That's why I'm not just writing when I make my songs; hopefully, I'm giving something to people too".