PREMIERE: Sophie Strauss Makes You Cry Into Your Coffee With “Seven”
☆ BY KAITLYN CAMPBELL ☆
CAPTIVATINGLY INTIMATE WITH THE PROMISE OF LOVE AND NEW BEGINNINGS- Sophie Strauss invites us into her home to share the magic of her latest track “Seven”, out today. Her vocals bring the whimsical sound we’ve come to cherish in her work, and the song feels like both a celebration of the divine feminine and an intimate meeting with a friend.
Blooming with change and fragility, “Seven” couldn’t have been born at a more perfect time. The song, produced by Kevin Kim, mixed and mastered”by Grant Cornish, and accompanied by Eli Flower, packs a punch to your heartstrings as Sophie embraces motherhood while asking her partner if they're along for the ride. Directed by Greg Kasunich, the upcoming music video, out Oct. 25th, shares an intimate look into a life thrown by the waves of uncertainty but finding a safe harbor in opportunity.
Sophie Strauss is an absolute icon - not only does she find time to be creatively motivated while being nine months pregnant, but she makes authentic and personable art which resonates loudly and unapologetically. We were lucky enough to get to talk to Strauss about all things autumn and her creative process for “Seven”.
LUNA: How is this fall season treating you?
STRAUSS: It's not fall-y enough! Every morning I put on a truly embarrassing "fall playlist" on youtube that's basically elevator music "autumnal coffee house jazz" because I want to feel like the weather is at least somewhat fall-ish. It helps.
LUNA: Congrats on the release of “Seven”! Can you share a bit more about the making of the track?
STRAUSS:Thank you! This has been a long-time in the making and I'm so excited it's finally out. This is one of the only songs I wrote during the pandemic that felt like it came together organically and without being forced. The pandemic overall was not a creatively productive time for me and the pressure to use the "free time" productively was a lot. But I found it very hard to be creative when I wasn't really doing much except sitting inside all day. So this song is like my one real creative thing I did. After I wrote it I brought it to my friend Kevin Kim who produced the shit out of it, and we really took our time doing that. A lot of the early stuff was done over Zoom which was always technically complicated, and then when we were both vaccinated we were able to start recording the live elements like vocals and cello. The drums are by the incomparable Eli Fowler and the track was mixed and mastered by my long-time friend and collaborator Grant Cornish.
I think it's also kind of serendipitous that this song is coming out when I'm 9 months pregnant. Not that a song is the same as a literal human baby but the poetic timing is nice!
LUNA: Which set of lyrics are you most proud of from this track?
STRAUSS: Hmm, well as immature as it may be I like the line with the swear. "The tide came in and took our shit." There's something about punctuating an otherwise pretty folky, delicate, and ethereal song with a swear word, especially one as harsh and gross as "shit."
LUNA: What, if anything, do you want your listeners to take away from “Seven”?
STRAUSS: I want them to cry.
LUNA: On the visual end of things, the music video for the song is beautiful and really matches the feel of the track. What role did you play in the creative process for this one?
STRAUSS: Making this video was really fun and also a real test of pandemic-era patience and limitations. It was directed by my pal Greg Kasunich who has directed several of my videos and, as always when we work together, it was a super collaborative process. I came to him with the song and a relatively clear idea of the kind of imagery I wanted to see and feel I wanted it to have and then he just really took it to this new place and brought in so many ideas that never would've occured to me but make it so much better. I also think this is such an intimate and personal song, so being able to shoot it with just me and Greg or me, Greg, and our DP meant it never felt like a huge production. It always felt like friends who got together to make something and see what happens.
LUNA: You’re nine months pregnant and still going full force with your music, so major props for that. Do you have any words of wisdom for young parents or soon to be parents when it comes to balancing their creative career and their family?
STRAUSS: I've got absolutely nothing and have no idea what I'm doing and will likely burn out and drive myself crazy so if any of them have advice for me I'm all ears!
LUNA: As the year winds down, what do you hope the upcoming months have in store for you?
STRAUSS: I am desperately looking forward to holding my baby in my arms and not my uterus.
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weekly tunes playlist has been updated! new tracks from @furtradeband, @pecqband, @garryfool & more! check it out! https://t.co/ToFU0R6YGo -
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RT @oliviaborch: new @LunaCollective out todayyy shot by @alltookev ✨ @P1H_official editorial design by me ! https://t.co/cvSCKsWB5D
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RT @rlyblonde: @AnnieDirusso for @LunaCollective shot by me #35mm #portra800 https://t.co/0UUJSCBGcH
