San Francisco-based contemporary pop singer Sophie Egan began her musical journey alongside her older brother-turned-producer and co-writer, Harry. Writing passionate Pop songs in their childhood home became a source of comfort and excitement for the siblings. As an upcoming star of indie pop and an almost twenty-year-old, Sophie Egan feels like the most confident and authentic version of herself when writing and performing.
Taking our attention to the elusive vocalization that Sophie Egan demonstrates in her most recent single, “Ghost Town,” we can’t help but get weaved into the ethereal atmosphere that trickles through colossal reverberation chambers. A striking vulnerability peels back the external shield that like most individuals Sophie Egan allows to protect her. Bringing an emotional connection through the vitality demonstrated in the delicate essence of “Ghost Town,” the grippingly raw interpretation of Sophie Egan’s emotive lyrics has us picking up on themes of dealing with change and loss in your life.
The lyrical motifs translate into the capricious messaging of looking around at a place that used to be familiar but is now unrecognizable with its emptiness. Cascading with instrumentation that sweeps you into yet another dreamscape of the blossoming artist, the way you interpret this song is in the mind of the beholder as nostalgic waves come over you as you collect your thoughts of the past.
Uniting the utter emotion backed by a heaping contribution of passion, Sophie Egan has us wrapping our head around the quintessence of “Ghost Town” as we hang onto haunted memories that we hope can one day bring us closure.
The ethereal spirit of “Ghost Town,” transports us to memories of our own. We love the connection that you bring to this song. Could you please take us into the moment or story that inspired the creation of this track?
Thank you so much. That means a lot to me! The moment that inspired this track was actually over a year ago at the beginning of lockdown. I saw a video of a drone going over the empty streets of San Francisco, which is where I live and grew up. the haunting emptiness of these streets I had known my whole life shocked me. I started thinking about all the places that I associated with my childhood or with different people throughout this city. That was the concept I was thinking about when my brother Harry and I started writing the song. As we continued writing the song, that idea moved towards how a place changes once the person you associate with it is gone. That idea led to “Ghost Town”. How does “Ghost Town,” represent you as an artist and individual? What does this song say about the direction you’re headed with your music? I think “Ghost Town” represents how versatile my music is. Though there will always be similar themes throughout my songs, I want every song to be different. I think “Ghost Town” is a good representation compared to my other two releases this year. I also think it represents how I am growing as an artist and becoming more professional every day. I am releasing more music than ever before. For me, this song represents a time in my life where I am taking the next step with my music.
Did you embark on the creative journey of “Ghost Town,” with anyone besides yourself? How did they contribute to the overall sound that we hear and love? Yes, I wrote the song with my brother Harry Egan and he produced it. My brother is the co-writer and producer of all my songs. So every creative journey on every song includes both of us. The song started when I had the basic idea about empty and haunted places. Then when Harry came up with the acoustic guitar riff that you hear throughout the song, especially at the beginning. I thought it was the perfect sound to go with that concept. We wrote the song in our home studio where we grew up like we do every song, so it’s completely a collaborative effort. As a producer and co-writer, Harry is really good at taking an aesthetic or a vision we have while writing and putting that into the production. If listeners could take away one thing from this song, what would you want it to be?
One of my favorite parts of the song is the chorus because the lyrics are so simple. Sometimes when you are sad, missing someone, grieving, or feeling anything at all, there is an idea that it has to be super deep and complex. Sometimes when you are really upset all you can piece together is something as simple as those two phrases at the beginning of the chorus “I miss you, I don’t see you”. Another message I would love for people to take away is the subtle acceptance that happens in the last verse like in the line “I'm friends with the ghosts now”. I think it is important to let people feel what they need to feel, no matter how simple or complex, because that is the only way you can move on and be at peace. That line definitely represents the first step into acceptance because the ghosts are gone but they are no longer threatening, they are your friends.
What has been your personal favorite release of 2021?
There have been so many amazing releases this year it’s honestly crazy. My favorite release from another artist would have to be any of the “From the Vault” songs on Fearless (Taylor’s Version). I have been the biggest Taylor Swift fan since I heard the old Fearless album when I was 8 so it was amazing to relive that. My favorite release of my own might be “Someone To Meet” which I released in January because it was really uptempo which was new for me.