LA Music Review | Art, stories and advice
Get to know what matters most in Angela Soffe’s new single “Bloom”
Hi welcome to LA Music Review! Tell us a little bit about you and your music.
I was raised in the Philippines playing classical piano, and discovered Americana music only in my 20s when I first moved to the USA for college. I had never heard it before and somehow it just spoke right to my heart and I’ve been captivated ever since.
I taught myself some guitar and started touring in college, picking up bits and pieces of folk influence along the way, and songwriting came almost accidentally. I’m now a mother of 3, writer and creative director by training, and about to release my third album I cut in Nashville during the pandemic titled, “Bloom.”
My music is a reflection of what I’m experiencing through the lens of music.
This record is a little different though, because when I was writing, I reached out to fans to ask them what they needed to hear. I wrote some of the songs for them, instead of for me, which is something I’m so proud to give the world.
Start streaming “Bloom” right here:
What makes the music unique is that it’s packed with so much meaning and depth…
…then layer them with my voice which is unavoidably soft and gentle. So there’s this contrast of the gentleness that’s sometimes delivering heavy themes. I think that makes people lean in and listen, and then they hear their own stories inside the songs. I love to tell people’s stories in my writing, and leave them with some hope and reassurance that we’ve all been there and we’re all in it together.
Congrats on the release! What was your inspiration when you were writing this song?
Released on 7/30/21. This song is really about a collective and personal awakening to what matters most – the people in our lives. When the pandemic settled in, my touring plans were cancelled so I spent time writing and diving into what my fans were also experiencing and making those stories into songs. “Bloom” is the first release of the project because it informs the rest of the record. It sets the tone for what these songs are about, thriving amid hardship.
What is your vision for this song?
It’s a song that means relationships matter.
This song is like an onion. 😉 Not for the tears! I wrote it with layers of meaning so that if you want it to be a love song, it can be that. If it’s about your child, then it can be that too. Or if you need it to be about God, then it’s that for you too.
My vision was to create a scene where we stop for a moment and recognize how alive we really are. Life can get so muddled and crowded with distractions. When we’re with the ones that matter most, we literally bloom into our best versions of ourselves. My hope is that the song draws people in and for 3 minutes, they can feel in awe and gratitude for who they already have beside them.
What is your favorite part of the song?
Well, I think I have 2 favorites. First is the end of the chorus: “When I’m with you, I remember how to bloom.” I love that line because it’s not that we don’t naturally “bloom” as human beings. It’s more that the ones we care about remind us of our own power. They remind us and give permission to leave the winter and grow into something new.
The second is the instrumental section before the bridge. Zach Casebolt who arranged the strings always blows me away with the emotion in his playing. He really captures the cinematic feeling I was after, and that string section lift always takes me to another place for a few moments.
Anything else we should know about it? Future releases?
Official music video slated to be released September 27th.
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