By Molly Lee
Sofia Gillani grew up surrounded by music. The conservatory in her London childhood home was filled to the brim with various instruments. She would always hear her father play or sing songs from various genres.
Her expressive energy, loudness and boldness makes creating music second nature to her. She was inspired by her surroundings to experiment musically at a very young age.
“It’s just been an incredible journey with loads of small victories – I love it,” says Sofia, with a beaming smile.
Sofia Gillani, now 17 years old, is one to watch out for, especially with her new single, Chains, releasing today [MAY 30].
Before she was even a teenager, she starred as a lead in the musical Evita, where she sang the song Don’t Cry For Me Argentina. It was a vocally challenging song for her, especially at such a young age, but it helped her gain confidence massively. She performed it multiple nights in front of a large audience.
“It’s one of my first achievements as a singer because it kind of reinforced why I love music,” says Sofia. “And that’s to perform and to express and to really put meaning into music.”
More than a year later, at the age of 12, she released her first single – and the rest is history. She hasn’t stopped creating music since.
Currently, she is in her final year of her A-Levels and preparing for the future, as she likes to have some academic study outside of her music career.
She’s still working on her music as she strives for a full-time career in the industry. This was reinforced by seeing her CD, Pieces of Me, on display in her local HMV Record store. The album was a compilation of her unreleased songs.
Alongside the release of the CD, she did a few in-store performances.
“When you look back on it and you’re like, oh my goodness, this is all that hard work put into something I can physically show people,” says Sofia, fondly remembering the experience. “I put my blood, sweat and tears into it.”
Sofia’s newest single, Chains, is somewhat different from her previous pop and soul songs. The song means a lot to her personally as it represents her releasing all of her doubts she ever had about being authentic in the music industry.
Despite her doubts, she has never wanted to quit.
“I kind of released those chains that I self-imposed onto myself, when I pretended music wasn’t everything to me
“Music has always been an extension of me, it would be very difficult for me to let go of music,” says Sofia.
For her, the song is all about hope, vulnerability and a bit of fun because of how much she values sticking true to herself.
She is looking forward to the upcoming summer, where she will be performing at several gigs and festivals, thanks to the hard work she has put into her career.
“I think one of my biggest tips for anyone who would be starting in music is to just try everything you want to try now.
“Because if you say you want to try it later, it’s always going to be in the back of your mind.
“Putting actual action into words, you really give yourself that incentive,” says Sofia. “It’s why I’m in the position I am in now – releasing more singles and doing more things with my music.”
If you would like to follow Sofia on her journey in the music industry, you can follow her on Instagram.
