Sophiegrophy is one of Australia’s hidden gems on the rise – and her catalog speaks for itself.

The Nigerian-born, New Zealand-raised, Australia-based rapper is a badass female emcee with a keen fashion sense and ear for music. Naturally, Sophie’s multicultural background has greatly influenced the aesthetic attached to her rhythmic soundscape. “I still remember a lot of my early childhood in Nigeria, but moving to New Zealand really shaped who I am, because during that developmental stage, that’s when I basically discovered my identity, who I was and everything,” she shares.

Labeled as Australia’s First Trap Star, as mentioned during a featured article via VICE (2018), Sophie’s narrative in song is best expressed through layered beat patterns and raw emotion, but interestingly enough, she’s never been in love before. “I throw my hands in the air, I admit it (haha). I’ve had relationships, but nothing too serious, something when I was younger,” Sophie admits.

But just because Sophie chooses to shy away from entanglements, that doesn’t mean she has an unpracticed eye for affection. Melodic earworms like ‘Boii’, a fan-favorite bop from the Melbourne rapper’s latest EP, Bold, cite an emotive appeal that supersedes mere intimacy – a common case of the right person, wrong time.

Sonically, Sophie’s flair for inventive wordplay and acoustic versatility is both welcomed and appreciated. She’s ushering in a new wave of sound that blends together elements of Hip-hop, Afrobeat and House music.

With a self-assured demeanor and killer style to match, Dirty Glove Bastard had the chance to speak with Australia’s budding star to talk about life overseas, her latest EP release and more.

Our conversation, lightly edited for context and clarity, follows below.

When and why did you start making music?

I started making music when I was like 13. This was during the teach me how to jerk era. 

I remember just dancing and stuff and thinking to myself that it would be nice to create my own song to dance to. I don’t know what it is, it was just like a thought that came to my mind. 

I decided to write a short verse – took it to school and showed it to my friends and they were all like, “You didn’t write that!” 

Ever since that day, I’ve just been writing yeah. 

How has your multicultural upbringing played a role in developing your sound as an artist?

It really has a lot. 

I spent my toddler years in Nigeria, but then I spent the majority of my late childhood and teenage years in New Zealand.

I still remember a lot of my early childhood in Nigeria, but moving to New Zealand really shaped who I am, because during that developmental stage, that’s when I basically discovered my identity, who I was and everything. 

That was during a time where I found out I was different.

Experiencing bullying and all that, it didn’t change me for the worst, it  honestly just made me discover myself even more. 

Coming to Australia, I spent the majority of my teenage years and adult years here, which has really moved me into becoming an adult. Bringing all those different backgrounds together, and just looking back on my different experiences, everything I’ve encountered – it’s really just opened my eyes to the world around me and has helped me with my writing process. 

When it comes to music, writing comes with experience ya know. 

Experience is the best teacher. With having all of that experience from my younger days to now, it’s really helped me with divulging everything into my music. 

Your most recent EP Bold introduces listeners to a badass, self-assured emcee. What was your headspace like with curating this project? 

I think the title in itself is quite self explanatory. When I started the whole process, I didn’t have an initial sense of direction. 

I’m a free individual. I like to plan things, but at the same time, I like to go with where my mind tells me to go and what my instincts are. It was a moment of me just writing and writing, and just became a project with different sounds. 

I didn’t want this EP to be strictly Hip-hop. I really wanted to showcase who I am as an artist and what I can deliver. My producer sent me a few 90’s-inspired type of beats. I threw some House music in there, some Afrobeats ya know, it just became a mix of different genres. 

I don’t really discriminate when it comes to music. I don’t like being placed in a box. I feel like sometimes when you put yourself in a box, then it’s hard to get out because a lot of people are so used to you doing that particular type of sound.

It’s important to have your lane and show people who you are before it’s too late and they get used to one specific sound. 

“Boii” is full of so much raw emotion. When’s the last time you were in-love and how did that situation pan out?

You know what’s crazy, I’ve actually never been in love before. 

I throw my hands in the air, I admit it (haha). I’ve had relationships, but nothing too serious, something when I was younger. 

With ‘Boii’, it’s like a situation we’ve all been in. You meet the right person, but it’s the wrong time.

You take the situation for granted, but then it’s too late to come back or go back to how things were. 

How would you best describe your growth as an artist since your debut effort “PURPULARITY”, what has changed? 

Musically, when I listen to PURPULARITY, sometimes I try to replicate the mood that I was in, because during that time, that time was so different. 

The mood and vibe I was in, I just can’t get it back now. 

I’ve grown so much that it’s insane. My encounters and experiences over the past few years have really shaped how I want my music to be displayed. 

Being a female emcee, it’s a lot harder in the industry. A lot of people always ask me “would you ever talk about sexual content in your music”, or have you ever thought about dressing more sexually. And it’s like, I’ve realized that’s not who I am. 

I’ve come to terms with that and the realization that as an artist, you can be yourself and still do well. You don’t have to change yourself. The only thing you need to do is continue being yourself and stay true to who you are. 

I feel like when you change your morals to fit into the majority, to fit into the social standard, you struggle with yourself mentally – because you’ve compromised who you are just to be someone else. 

Is there any unwarranted pressure behind being a woman in today’s music industry? 

100% yeah.

It’s crazy, because it’s like, when it comes to music, females are put on a different pedestal. It’s like there can only be one female artist. You have to look a certain way, and then there’s ageism as well, there’s just so much unwanted pressure. 

When it comes to female artists, there’s always going to be tension – and it’s not even necessarily tension, I don’t like to use that word. It’s not even something that you think about. It’s just automatic pressure that makes you protective of your art, your position, because you know how hard you’ve worked to get to where you are. 

In 2018, VICE referred to you as “Australia’s First Trap Star”. Does your creativity ever run dry or how do you stray away from recreating the same type content? 

You know what, the crazy part is that a couple of weeks ago, I had writer’s block. I wasn’t finding it hard to write, but it was hard to have thoughts and put it down on paper. 

The worst part about me is that I’m such a perfectionist, that’s the most challenging part for me. 

As soon as I write something, I’m like, “yeah, no”, then I’m repeating the process. Minutes have gone by and I’m still sitting there, because I’m trying to make things so perfect. 

Are there any challenges associated with crossing over to a U.S based audience? 

With music in general, America is the golden country to go for that. Australia, we’re just getting started with hip-hop. We’re getting the recognition, but crossing over into America, it will be difficult. 

There’s artists here struggling to make it. Then going to America where there are so many people doing the same thing you’re doing, only makes it harder.

And then, it’s all about who you know and who knows you, and that in itself will play a big role. I think that’s how people end up getting recognized.  

But yea, I’ve never been to America before, so that’s why I don’t really have much to say at the moment. 

With touring accounting for more than half an artist’s income, how have you managed to account for  lost revenue as a result of COVID-19?

It’s been a tough, crazy time ya know. When I started making music, I made sure that I went to school and graduated. 

Back in 2015, when I was still in Uni (University), I was talking to another artist, and he was basically like, “why are going to school, just focus on your music.”  It’s always good to have a plan B. 

Life is not guaranteed. Even though I hate planning things, I like to have a vision, something that I can always fall back on. 

What really helped me so far during the quarantine is that I’m still working. 

I remember when the whole COVID-19 thing happened, one of the first things that came to my mind was to imagine if I wasn’t working. 

Obviously, with music and such, I’m not touring right now, so things are a bit slow on that side. 

I’m just grateful that the work I was doing on the side is helping me. That’s what’s really keeping me going right now. 

You have to have at least different streams, another source of income. There’s nothing wrong with not focusing on one thing. Life is all about being smart. You can’t live life based on your emotions. 

I love music, music is my life, but you also have to be realistic about life and what’s going on. 

Finally, how does Sophie define happiness? 

Honestly, when it comes to happiness, that’s what we all dream of, that’s we want. 

It’s weird, because the most simplest questions are always the hardest ones to answer. 

I think happiness is accepting yourself, your flaws, and not having regrets. It’s so easy to live in the past and judge yourself. It’s easy to look at other people’s lives and adore, wishing you were living their life. 

I reckon everything comes down to satisfaction.

Appreciate where you are today. 

You should always look back and be satisfied with what you have done. 

Satisfaction is what we lack a lot, because nothing is enough.