Sophie Holohan: Gnome lover, “Trash” TV Watcher, and Incredibly Talented singer/Songwriter
By Meghan Connors
At only 19 years old Sophie Holohan is ready to take the music industry by storm. With only two songs in her Spotify repertoire, Holohan has built a following of over 130,000 monthly listeners, and had her song, “Co-dependent” listed on Spotify’s featured playlist, “The Most Beautiful Songs in the World.” Last week I was lucky enough to talk to Sophie, learn her story, and hear more about what’s to come.
The musical influences started early and at home for Sophie Holohan. With two parents who are music lovers themselves, the San Jose native spent her childhood involved in theatre, and received her first guitar at the age of nine. It was then that she began writing her own songs and has been doing so ever since.
When College came around, Sophie chose to attend Berklee College of Music - the school where she met her best friend, Megan. The two best friends, and former roommates, were brought together by the trials of college and Covid-19, and have since formed an unbreakable bond. Recently, Holohan posted a video of the pair performing the first song they had ever sung before. It was a heartwarming farewell as Holohan would not return for her sophomore year and instead choose to pursue music full time.
This decision came after Holohan signed a deal with Avex USA. With the label, she has put out two original songs, and has since been working on a lot more.
On her TikTok page there is a folder of videos titled, “Originals” where Holohan has grouped over seventy videos of her singing original songs. “If a situation happens in my life I’m writing about it,” she explained citing everything from minor to life changing events. Furthermore, the young talent does not keep her process a secret. She has made videos explaining her process to her followers, providing greater insight to what she does and why she loves it.
“I kinda just turn my brain off and let things flow.”
Sophie was humble in her description of her songwriting abilities. Upon listening to her work, it is clear that she writes with the grace, wisdom, and depth of someone who has lived a thousand lives. Her most recent release, “Good Mourning” is a folk filled heart break tune that will single handedly break your heart and force you to think the worst about love. Though I am highly hesitant to label this song something so simple as a breakup when in fact it is so much more than that.
She explained that “Codependent” and “Good Mourning” were based on small experiences, and then heavily hyperbolized to intensify their story. “I’m not in as much pain as the songs would describe,” she said with a laugh.
And while she has shared a large majority of her work on Tik Tok, leaking pieces of her songs before they were released, and performing snippets of originals as she wrote them, Holohan says that for “a change of pace,” her next release will be something her followers have not yet heard. She teased that her next song will be “upbeat” yet still a bit “moody.” “Something you can sing in your car and not feel miserable [while] doing it.”
Our conversation wrapped up with Sophie telling a few of her own funny stories. She spoke of the TJ Maxx gnome she once purchased while looking for dorm decor that soon spiraled into a love for the mythical creatures; particularly because they remind her of her time in Boston. She became incredibly relatable when describing her love for reading, “trash” reality tv, and making earrings.
She left our call with a final note of gratitude for her supporters and her excitement to share more of her music soon. I know I’ll be ready and happy to hear what comes next.
