Sofía Valdés: A Panamanian Singer-Songwriter Crafting Melodies From Everyday Experiences

Music has been a safe haven for many of us amidst the craziness of the pandemic, and 20-year-old Sofía Valdés’s first EP, Ventura, is no exception. This EP is a culmination of Sofía’s experiences and emotions, and it’s my excuse to go on a silly little walk and pretend I’m getting my heart broken in Amsterdam or rendezvousing by the sea. 

For Sofía, music is a way of sharing her experiences and years of songwriting with others. Her passion for studying music has taken her from an art school in Michigan to the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in London, all the way back home to Panama, where she virtually signed with Warner Records. 

We caught up with Sofía about her new EP, her songwriting process, and what she is looking forward to in the coming years. 

Tell us about yourself. 
Hii <3 My name is Sofía Valdés and I'm a Panamanian singer-songwriter. When I was around 15-16 years old I moved to the US to learn more about how to get into music and get better at my craft. I lived there for two years and from there moved to England where I also spent two years. 

The pandemic happened so I had to come back to Panama, but I feel really fortunate that I was getting signed as the world was shutting down. Luckily my EP was already written so we just had to work on the production side of it. 

What are your current passions? 
I would say my passions are anything that has to do with art! I'm really into painting. 

When did you start songwriting and singing? On that same note, when did you decide it was one of the things you wanted to dedicate your time to?
This is kinda embarrassing... When I was younger I always had this secure thought in my head that I was going to be a singer (I had never sung out loud) but the first Tinker Bell movie had come out at the time and there was this Demi Lovato song called “Gift of a Friend” and I was obsessed with it so I started singing karaoke to it and I remember thinking to myself "OMG I can actually do it!!!" 

I feel like that was a big turning point for me. I was probably around eight. 

Who did you grow up listening to? Who are your artistic inspirations?
It was a big mix of music. My dad listened to the Beatles, Norah Jones, and Sarah McLachlan. My mom listened to Shakira, Julieta Venegas, and Black Eyed Peas, but if we were all together we would listen to Cuban music and Cuban music only. 

Once I was older and able to find my own music, Jorge Ben Jor, Natalia Lafourcade, Feist, Curtis Mayfield, Bob Dylan, and so on.

Your first EP, Ventura, features six beautifully personal songs. You mentioned in W Magazine that this EP has been approximately six years in the making. How does it feel to finally share your songs with the world? What has that experience been like for you? 
I never really started writing this EP on purpose. I've just been constantly writing since I was thirteen when I had to choose the songs I just let people that I trusted to pick the ones that resonated more with them emotionally. It's been crazy releasing music. The response has been incredible and way crazier than I ever expected. I feel very lucky.  

On a similar note, what does it mean to you to create music as a Panamanian singer-songwriter and as a woman? Do you believe there needs to be more Central American representation in the music industry?
I feel very powerful in knowing that I was able to break the stereotype they always told me to follow, growing up I heard a lot of "you can't play guitar because that's for boys"; a lot of guys around me would talk to me as if I didn't know a guitar had strings but I always felt like I wanted to prove some people wrong. Luckily I had my mom and my dad that were very supportive of me. They always told me to keep going. 

I hope in the near, near future there are more artists to represent Central America. Growing up I felt like I didn't have anyone from where I was from doing what I dreamt of. I do feel like the industry is changing (slowly) and with that, I hope that we can create more space for Latin women to succeed.

You come from a very musical family. Do you feel influenced by their work? 
In a lot of ways I do. Knowing that someone in my family was able to be successful in music gave me hope that maybe I could too. My great grandfather was a Cuban singer and my great grandmother was a Panamanian singer. I never met them but I do hear crazy stories about them. It feels surreal. 

Do you write songs while you’re in the thick of it, while emotions are raw and you’re present in whatever is inspiring you, or do you like writing about life in hindsight?
I can only write about things once I'm through them and after I've reflected on the situation.  

During the songwriting process, which I can only imagine being very introspective, what have you learned about yourself? 
For some reason I've found myself writing a lot as a victim and when I read the story that I wrote it's always around the same topics. I usually know what's going to happen yet I let myself get hurt over and over again. I want to see myself in a better light, we are all a work in progress right?!

You speak Spanish and English, as well as write songs in Spanish and English. What prompted you to release an album that’s mainly in English? 
I see myself as more of a songwriter in English, not that much in Spanish. I grew up studying the lyrics of Joni Mitchell and other amazing storytellers so when the time came where I was sitting down with my guitar I naturally sang in English. I feel like because I’m Latin everyone expects me to sing in Spanish but with that, I'm back on being in a box because I’m where I’m from. I want to be able to be myself in my songs and express what comes naturally. 

I will be releasing some beautiful songs in Spanish, but I don't want to release music in Spanish for the sake of releasing [music in Spanish]. Spanish is SUCH a rich language, there's a lot of learning I still have to do.

“I hope in the near, near future there are more artists to represent Central America. Growing up I felt like I didn't have anyone from where I was from doing what I dreamt of. I do feel like the industry is changing (slowly) and with that, I hope that we can create more space for Latin women to succeed.”

Out of curiosity, who is the man speaking in “Amsterdam”? Why did you incorporate this in your song? 
This is one of my favorite poets!!! Jorge Luis Borges wrote the poem called “El Mar”; he's also the one talking in the song. I was SO excited about this. 

My mom read me this poem when I was younger, I was already familiar with it. “Amsterdam” is about someone's first love. The poem talks about the first time you see the ocean and the sky, things that are so simple and natural are so everlasting and grand; a feeling towards those things never goes away. I felt it fit perfectly. 

Finally, what are you excited about in terms of your musical career, as well as life in general? What are you looking forward to?
I'm excited to see where life takes me. I'm looking forward to giving all my time to create art.

Sofía has since released Amsterdam (Version En Español), a Spanish version of one of the original songs in her EP, making this her first release in her native language. 

STORY ANA SOFIA ERATH
PHOTOS JULIAN BURGUEÑO