The Sheffield stars on the rise talk their empowering pop sound and introduce their new single – “Right Now”.
It’s been an odd few months for those in the music industry, odder still when you think most of us haven’t attended any shows in almost a year. With the live scene totally ravaged across the globe; be it through cancelled tours or festivals alike, Sheffield-helmed dance-poppers Sophie and the Giants have still managed to make huge waves with fans old and new, even snagging a lockdown-friendly gig at The Colosseum, you know, that big crumbly amphitheatre in Rome that’s a world-renowned landmark – no biggie.
Sporadically releasing a slew of vibrant singles over the past few years, things really came to ahead with the triumphant rumbles of “Hypnotize” back in 2020, a song made in collaboration with Purple Disco Machine that’s garnered the group over 110 million streams. “To have had that success with ‘Hypnotized’ during a standstill year has been a blessing for us,” says Sophie. Thanking not only PDM, the band also hope it’s given people some positivity during a difficult time, just like it has for them.
That brings us up to speed to today’s release, “Right Now”. Frontwoman Sophie and her dark red bob are at the centre of the action, calling all us bedbound slobs to get up and dance. Through boogie laden melodies and thrill-seeking choruses, the group want to make us forget our winter blues, put on our glad rags and just feel invincible for a moment, so that’s exactly what we plan on doing.
We caught up with the foursome below, talking their empowering pop sound, Northern inspirations and plans for life post lockdown. Take a look…
Hi guys – how have you been during this uncertain time? How has it impacted your music and creativity?
Some days are harder than others to stay creative when we feel overwhelmed by everything! It’s been difficult for a lot of people’s mental health and it’s hard to feel inspired when we’re not experiencing a lot from our bedrooms. On the other hand, there’s been a lot of time to experiment with our creativity and try out some of our wildest ideas! Apart from writing, myself (Sophie) and my housemate Bri who is a photographer, have had our green screen up in our living room most days! I can’t count the amount of shoots we’ve done here now in our tiny apartment, but every single one has been about trying out new things, and if it doesn’t work for us, it’s okay, we had fun doing it and the world never has to know!
We have made some really incredible stuff by ourselves though and it’s really helped me continue developing as an artist in ways that I wouldn’t have been able to without this time.
How has Sheffield influenced you sonically? Who were your musical heroes?
I have always loved Arctic Monkeys, Richard Hawley and Reverend and the Makers! I started writing with Jon McClure when the band first started out and coming up here to write with him every so often was actually what made me want to move up here in the first place! For some reason, it has always felt like home and I’m constantly inspired by the music and energy that has come out of Sheffield.
How would you describe your sound?
Power-pop with a bite.
Congratulations on your new track – “Right Now” – what was it inspired by?
Our new track “Right Now’”was inspired by being stuck in my bedroom, missing my family, my friends, my job, my life! I felt like I was at breaking point a few months ago when I decided, what people need right now is a voice telling them to keep going, you got this… (I know I definitely need that) So I wrote “Right Now”.
Your collaboration with Purple Disco Machine “Hypnotized” received rave reviews – did you expect such a reaction? And how was it hitting those levels of fame during lockdown?
Not at all! It’s been a massive shock to the system. I knew it was an amazing opportunity to be writing with Purple Disco Machine and it’s a brilliant song, I knew it would do great things, but not on this scale.
I’ve been experiencing most of this success from my bedroom, it sometimes doesn’t feel real at all! The only time it has was last year, when, between lockdowns, we made a trip to Italy to play in a huge but empty colosseum recorded live to millions of people. I had fans waiting in the street to greet and take pictures with me, I was recognised by everyone, even the security at the airport congratulated me on my performance! After 24 hours of living the dream, I had to hop back on a plane, back to my bedroom! It was incredible and completely bizarre.
“Right Now” has such an optimistic, triumphant sound – how does it feel releasing new music when most of the world is in lockdown/everything feels so uncertain – what do you hope your music will bring?
I hope it’ll bring people hope and strength. I love to imagine it helping people forget about their worries and even if it’s just or a minute, letting everything go, getting up and dancing wherever they may be!
What’s next for you? What are you looking forward to in 2021?
Who’s to say what could happen? Hopefully a tour soon as it’s safe to do so but definitely a lot more music from us!! We’ve developed so much in the past year and we’re on a roll, writing music we absolutely love and we’re so excited for everyone to hear what we’ve been working on. We have a really good feeling about it!!
