Fresh off the back of a string of singles including the hard-hitting ‘Chief O’Kief’ and her latest single ‘Lingo’, rising Melbourne rapper Sophiya has just dropped her debut EP, Overdue. The culmination of years of self-discovery, hard work and relentless ambition, Sophiya has cemented her claim as one to watch in the ever-evolving Australian rap scene.
Overdue EP marks the first chapter of Sophiya’s journey so far. Coming a long way from her first foray into music with ‘White Ivory’, Overdue has been in the works for a hot minute. Serving not only as a snapshot of all she’s achieved so far as well as an indicator of where she is still headed, Overdue marks the evolution from bedroom rapper to star on the rise. In celebration of her debut project, we caught up with the ‘burn city spitter to hear about some of the music that inspired the new project.
ROSIE influenced by Ski Mask The Slump God – Faucet Failure
“This song really helped shape the production of ‘ROSIE’. I originally had a similar dark, multi-layered, lo-fi intro which I later simplified. ‘Faucet Failure’ was the initial, fundamental reference for the song; produced by ChaseTheMoney and Cubeatz.”
DAMN GIRL influenced by Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody
“The night after I watched the movie Bohemian Rhapsody I was feeling extremely inspired by Freddy Mercury’s unique songwriting ability. ‘DAMN GIRL’ pays a lot of lyrical homage to ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ with lyrics like “do the fandango” and “thunder, lightning, very very frightening”.”
LINGO influenced by Azealea Banks – L8r
“‘L8r’ really helped inspire ‘LINGO’ with the line, “If it ain’t about a dollar ima holla at you later,” which I adapted to, “If it ain’t about the mula, I’m a holla at you later.” I’m also a huge Lil Wayne fan which is why I used “Mula” and merged the line “need a new house and elevator” from Lil Wayne’s line, “got a big house, came with an elevator.”
OVERDUE influenced by Young M.A – Herstory in the Making (Album)
“During the time that I wrote ‘Overdue’, my writing style and flow were heavily influenced by Young M.A’s fiery, masculine energy. The album is filled with bad-ass bars and boss energy which infiltrated into this song.”
FRANÇAIS influenced by Gemitaiz – Toradol
“I remember discovering the playlist “Cloud Rap” on Spotify which was full of Euro Trap-Rap which I instantly fell in love with. This Italian song took me down a rabbit hole and led me to discover French Trap-Rap. This inspired me to write a song paying homage to the French, using designer brands, sayings and words. The melody was heavily inspired by ‘Money in The Grave’ produced by Lil CC”
Follow Sophiya here for more and stream the full EP Overdue below.