Rising star Anna Sofia chats saganaki, Elton John and baking your ex into a cinnamon bun
This is A HOT MINUTE WITH, a quick-fire interview series championing all the rising talent catapulting into fashion, art and music’s fickle stratosphere. From pinch-me moments to bad dates and even worse chat-up lines, think of it as an overindulgent conversation – like the ones you have in sticky club toilets at 4.A.M. Except these guests don’t regret the overshare…
From performing at her family’s restaurant as a child, the Canadian singer-songwriter has achieved critical acclaim in the music industry through her authentic style and new single, Eat It All Up.
Courtesy of @annasofia
NAME ANNA SOFIA
AGE 17
LOCATION Toronto, Canada
STAR SIGN Virgo
Phoebe Shardlow: How would you describe the Anna Sofia sound?
Anna Sofia: If I were to describe my sound, I would describe it as a modern take on influences from a range of past generations. My dad had me growing up on all of the music he liked to listen to when he was younger. I grew a strong liking for all the music he would play me and went and dug deeper to find other artists from those times that I may like. I found MANY, and naturally they became a huge inspiration when I write my own music. Some of the main artists and groups that I am incredibly inspired by would be ELTON JOHN, QUEEN, KRAFTWERK, MICHAEL JACKSON, and MADONNA. There's many more but I would say these are my main influences even beyond the music.
PS: You used to perform at your parents local Greek restaurant as a child, what was your favourite song to sing?
AS: To be completely honest, I was so young that I was probably just mumbling and humming most of the time. But I do remember two very special songs that the band would play that I still love to this day. The first song is Ah Koritsi Mou by Giannis Ploutarhous, and the second is Taxe Mou by Sarbel. Both are Greek songs and I only knew a few words but the words I knew were so fun to sing and the songs in general are just so good now that I finally know what the words are.
PS: If you could play any venue in the world where would it be?
AS: I would absolutely love to play Madison Square Garden someday but I think it would be really special to play in my home city in Toronto at the Scotiabank Arena. I grew up going to see all my favourite artists perform there and I would sit in the exact same seats every time so it would be such a cool experience to perform and see the seats that I used to sit in when I would go see my idols perform. I went to an ADELE concert once and she was performing at the Scotiabank Arena. I had all access passes, so after the concert I was able to go up onto the stage and I remember telling myself that I wanna be on here one day performing my own show.
PS: What’s one Greek dish from your parent’s restaurant everyone has to try?
AS: SAGANAKI!!!!! IT’S FLAMING CHEESE!!!!! It’s literally the most delicious thing you will ever taste in your life. At my family’s restaurant, we light the cheese on fire at the table and then it's all melted and crispy and delicious. I may be making it sound kinda gross but trust me on this it’s so good.
PS: What was the last movie you watched?
AS: I’m pretty sure the last movie I watched was Superbad. I’ve seen it quite a few times but it’s one of those movies that just never gets old no matter how many times you watch it. I was also watching a lot of Jonah Hill movies during that time so I had to watch Superbad.
PS: How do you heal a broken heart?
AS: I really don’t know. I feel like healing a broken heart just takes time. There’s not much you can do about it but eventually time will pass and you will slowly heal. But if anyone else has a better way please let me know.
PS: What’s your favourite TYLER, THE CREATOR album?
AS: Definitely Flower Boy. There are very few albums that I have come across that I am obsessed with every single song but this album was one of them. Tyler has such a unique voice that just captures me from the second he opens his mouth. His writing style and vibe in general is just immaculate which makes every song so special. I also LOVEEE the features on this album but my favourite is KALI UCHIS. See You Again is one of my favorite songs of all time and her part is so catchy.
PS: What was the worst date you’ve been on?
AS: I won’t count this as a date but every time I would go over to this guy's house to hangout ALONE, at least seven other people would be at his house with us. I think we hung out alone once and I had no clue what to say or do cause I had only been with this guy when there were other people around to break the silence.
PS: If you could invite anyone to one of your shows - who would it be?
AS: I would invite Elton John. I am such a big fan of Elton. I love him as a person, an artist, a piano player, I just love him so much. He is a HUGE inspiration of mine and I think it would be so cool to have him at a show of mine. I would definitely be incredibly nervous to perform in front of someone that I literally worship, but that would be a literal dream come true.
PS: What’s your earliest musical memory?
AS: My earliest musical memory is when I would perform with the band at my family’s restaurant. We lived right above the restaurant, and my parents would work late but I loved being around the band so I would sit with them and sing with them until I fell asleep then my parents would bring me upstairs and put me to bed. Every single weekend I would bring my little toy guitar and sit on the edge of the stage and pretend to play with them. I remember it being so fun and I feel like that’s when I really fell in love with music.
PS: What does the rest of 2021 and beyond have in store for Anna Sofia?
AS: I have been writing a ton over lockdown and I am continuing to write a bunch. I have a lot of new music that I’m releasing that I am super excited about. I’m also maybeeeee releasing another projecttttt…. I wish I could spill my guts but all I can say is that I am so excited for everyone to hear what's coming next. I think they’re gonna be a bit surprised.
PS: In your video to Eat It All Up you bake your ex-boyfriend into a cinnamon bun - where on earth did that idea come from!?
AS: I knew I wanted to do something a little bit freaky because the song was so upbeat and fun. I also wanted to visually make the video super cute but everyone knows what's actually going on. That's when I came up with the idea that I am going to bake my ex boyfriend into cinnamon buns and feed them to my new boyfriend. It’s really fun to play these crazy characters that aren’t actually like me. It feels like I get to be someone else for a day and I can choose who I wanna be.
PS: Who’s on the guest-list for your dream birthday party?
AS: Elton John is the only one on my guest list. Like I’ve now said a million times, I am a massive fan of Elton John. Since it would be my birthday I would probably ask him to perform for me and let me join in on some songs with him. I can literally picture it. I would die.
PS: Best piece of advice your parents ever gave you?
AS: The best piece of advice my parents gave me is hard work pays off. Nothing in life comes easy. You’ve got to work for your goals and once you achieve them it’ll feel so much better to know that you got to where you wanted to be because you worked for it.
