Sophie Mac, a singer-songwriter from Liverpool, has opened up about how her previous experiences have shaped her as an artist. After a difficult time during her teenage years, music became an outlet for Sophie to express herself. Now, she is ready to hit the Primal Live stage at Manchester’s Band on the Wall on Sunday 21st September.
Music and writing have always been outlets for Sophie. Having grown up without a secure support system and experiencing severe bullying in school, Sophie started to write poetry at the age of 11 to express her emotions. This poetry eventually blossomed into songwriting, but, at the time, the talented songwriter lacked the confidence to go up on stage and perform her handwritten songs.
Although she was still penning songs as a way to express her emotions, the Liverpudlian refused to believe that music was her true escape, continually turning to other methods of escapism. As her lyrics detailed her inner emotions and experiences, Sophie never intended for the world to hear her music. However, after slowly growing the confidence to get up on stage, Sophie started to take part in open mic nights and share her music. And people began to listen.
Music is a true outlet for Sophie; every word that she writes is raw and comes from a place of pain. Although now, as she has taken the leap to share her music, the artist uses her pain from previous experiences to help others feel seen. Her listeners can relate to the stories that the singer-songwriter tells through her masterful lyricism, and feel less alone.
Additionally, as Sophie’s music is an outlet where she can truly be herself without boundaries, her tracks do not fit into one genre. As she is writing for herself, the artist does not need a label to feel secure. “I am who I am!” declares the performer.
As she continues to gain the courage to get up on stage and perform her songs, another door has opened up for her: a spot at the Primal Live song contest. Sophie heard about the song contest through Thrive — a mental health and wellness movement helping people improve their mental health.
After taking Liverpool by storm, Primal Live has become something truly special — a song contest featuring top talent that raises money for charity at the same time. Due to its success in Liverpool, Primal Live is now extending to Manchester, and it promises to be a spectacular event, showcasing some of the best talent that the city has to offer.
Sophie is no stranger to competitions either. You may have seen the talented musician on Channel 4’s ‘The Piano’, where she played her original song, ‘Redemption’. Sophie’s appearance on the show is the first time that she has ever sung or rapped on TV, and since then, her confidence has skyrocketed!
For the Primal Live contestant, the competition is all about learning how to come out of her shell and making relationships with other artists who are starting out in the music business. She hopes that she will be able to inspire others through her lyrics and make them feel seen, also.
Speaking candidly about her journey as a musician, Sophie said: “The only thing that has stood by me is music. It sounds cliché, but music really did save my life. I do not know where I would be if I didn’t have this outlet to express myself.”
She continues: “That being said, I can’t write a happy song! My therapy sessions involve writing songs about my own experiences. Performing them is like reading my diary out loud on stage. I want to use what I’ve been through to help others see the beauty in their authentic selves. We don’t need the world to see us to feel validated; we only need to see ourselves.”
Sophie is now ready to share her music with the world and inspire others through her masterful lyricism. You can see Sophie Mac perform at Primal Live at Manchester’s Band on the Wall on Sunday 21st September.
Primal Live Manchester / Sun 21st Sept, 3pm-8pm / Band On The Wall, Northern Quarter, Manchester
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