With a voice that can flit from an angelic high through to a raw rush-hour rage, Sophie Kilburn is an artist that strips music and life back to its emotional core. Playful dynamics, with a genuine warmth and almost haunting quality infuse her soul-pop-folk acoustics that truly captures the ear of the beholder.
Her time-travelling influences scope from Dire Straits, Tracey Chapman and Sarah McLachlan to London Grammar, Paolo Nutini, Lana Del Rey, Laurel and Childish Gambino, with Busted chucked in for eclectic measure. On a universal scope her aim is simple, to make people feel something, by voicing the parts of life that she finds hard to understand and not sugar-coat the struggles that people all go through. It is this adult angst fused with a vulnerable strength that adds layers to her sound.
After graduating from the prestigious Amy Winehouse Foundation’s Artist Development Programme, Amy’s Yard, sponsored by Metropolis Music and Island Records, she has been working with the industry’s finest to cement her sound. The result is bringing music that acts as a release, a comfort and as a conversation starter.
Over the past two and half years Sophie has been relentlessly gigging the London circuit and has played iconic venues like Notting Hill Arts Club (Razorlight, Mark Ronson, George Ezra), Proud Camden (Ed Sheeran), The Bedford Balham (Paolo Nutini, Katie Tunstall, Newton Faulker) and The Lock Tavern (Adele) to name a few.
Sophie is also heavily involved with The Roundhouse Camden, where she has worked with Universal Records and top industry professionals like Eska Mtungwazi (Independent Artist and Mercury Prize Shortlist Album of the Year Winner) and Producer, Writer and music guru Spider J (Bob Marley, Prince) to hone her skills as a performer and artist. Sophie is now a Resident Artist at The Roundhouse, Camden, where she has the opportunities to flex her creative muscles in one of the world's iconic music venues. Her involvement has led to her being selected as the Young Trustee at The Roundhouse, helping to initiate and integrate artist well-being into the young creative programmes. This stems from her drive to help other young artists manage the anxieties and struggles that face them in pursuing their creative dreams.
In Spring 2017 Sophie was runner up at Archer’s Street Got Talent, an Emerging Artist Competition, where the previous winner was Alex Francis (James Bay’s brother) who has gone on to support artists like Stereophonics and Sting. From the competition Sophie is currently back in the studio recording her debut EP Blind by Daffodils set for release later in the year, in loving memory of her mother. The EP explores losing your senses, regaining strength and deals with love and loneliness from a millennial woman’s mind.
Sophie is definitely on the artist to watch list, especially live as she brings nothing but love, energy and honesty to every performance. That added with her raspy tender voice, frizzy hair and infectious smile has the mesmerising effect of turning tables as well as heads.
Visit her website http://www.sophiekilburn.com.