School can be a full-time job, but few campus creatives allow this to discourage their artistic endeavours.
School can be a full-time job, but few campus creatives allow this to discourage their artistic endeavours.
Sophie Ash is a student in health sciences at the University of Ottawa, as well as a musician. Prior to her performance at CityFolk, Ash spoke to the Fulcrum about inspiration and hopes regarding her music. Here is a little more about Ash.
TF: Can you share with our readers a glimpse into your journey as both a student and an artist in Ottawa?
SA: It’s always been very important for me to be able to continue my studies while also pursuing music on the side. I believe that it’s possible to do both. Sometimes it can be quite challenging being a student and an artist; you don’t always have so much time to focus on your music. This is especially true during exam periods. You have to prioritize things constantly and make sure that both don’t conflict with each other.
However, it’s very rewarding once you are able to balance both. Music is something I love, it’s an outlet for my thoughts and emotions and it helps me disconnect from any worries in my life and just be with myself. It’s also my biggest blessing during stressful times, I know I can always rely on it to calm me down and ground me. Even with a busy schedule, I always try to make time for music and writing during my day.
TF: For students in Ottawa who aspire to pursue a career in the music industry, what insightful advice would you offer based on your own journey? Are there specific opportunities or resources within the city that you’ve found particularly valuable?
SA: My advice would be to not put limits on what you can do and to be ambitious: have some short-term goals, create a realistic plan, and just try! You won’t lose anything by just taking a chance. Sometimes you would be surprised how one opportunity can lead to another. Even if it’s often a little scary to try, sometimes it’s the only way to move forward and improve.
Something that I also recommend would be to celebrate the little milestones to acknowledge everything you are accomplishing. And just have fun with it. There are lots of opportunities in the city: open mic’s, programs that encourage local artists, music groups. So don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, and trust your abilities. Appreciate every opportunity and make the most of them.
TF: Did you have any collaborators on this project? How has your community supported you?
For my performance at CityFolk I am very lucky that two of my good musician friends are also joining me: Faress (also a U of O student) and Andrew (who is actually coming from Montreal for this performance). They are both very talented and I’ve known them since we were young so it is always fun to share the stage with them. It makes it even more special because we were all good friends.
We also collaborated on some of the songs on my EP. I wrote “home (like it was)” with Andrew. Faress and Andrew both participated in the production of “blue moon”. Even though I usually start off the writing process alone, it’s very fun to have people around me who can understand my creative vision, who can give an honest opinion, and bring new ideas.
Everyone’s been very supportive whether it’s by just listening to my music or promoting it however they can, especially when the EP first came out, got a lot of positive responses. It really is gratifying when people share personal stories about how they related to some of the songs or how it made them feel. It’s absolutely priceless and I’m very grateful that people can connect with it.
TF: Your musical style on your debut EP Midnight Thoughts is both reflective and comforting. Could you elaborate on the kind of music you want to create?
SA: My ultimate goal is to make music that makes people feel and that triggers emotions. My favourite lyrics are the ones that are conversational and poetic, that’s what I try to create in my own songs. Also, I want people to feel understood, peaceful, and comforted when they listen to my songs. It’s important for me to allow myself to have this creative freedom so I try not to narrow myself to one specific music genre. In the future, I want to be even more vulnerable with my songwriting, explore different sounds, and keep creating music in multiple languages.
TF: What can you reveal about the stories or inspirations behind your EP Midnight Thoughts?
I went through a phase where I would write so many songs very late at night, around two to three songs a night on average. The only time I was really inspired was near midnight, hence the title of the EP. I think most of my songs are heavily inspired by emotions I’m going through or conversations I have with people. The song “blue moon” was written on the day of the Lunar New Year 2021. It was a full moon that night and I was confined in my room because I had COVID-19. I remember spending most of that night looking at the moon and being so impressed by how beautiful it is. And so I wrote this song as an anthem to the simple beautiful things around us. A fun fact is that the moon on the cover is actually the picture I took the day i wrote “blue moon”.
The song “home like it was” was written with my dear collaborator and friend Andrew. It’s a nostalgic song that we wrote during a time of change: everyone’s lives are changing but deep down we know things won’t be like they were. It was one of the songs that took the longest to finish.
The song “une chandelle pour toi” is the most personal song on this EP. It’s a song in French that talks about loss. I wrote this one on my keyboard really late at night after bottling up emotions after the loss of someone I cared deeply about. The next day I recorded the version (on the EP). I decided to keep it as a demo to capture the rawness of the moment. It was kind of my way of saying goodbye through this metaphor of a candle that burns out.
While the EP ends with a goodbye, this is not a goodbye for Ash who hopes to continue to make music throughout her studies.
