Sophia Somajo Venai (born 2 January 1985), also known as Soso,
is a
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
songwriter, singer and musician of
Hungarian descent. She has released two albums and two
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. s, and worked with music producer
as a songwriter under her name and a number of pseudonyms.
Biography
Somajo released ''The Laptop Diaries'', her first album, in 2008. The album's musical style has led critics to compare her with singer
Robyn
Robin Miriam Carlsson (born 12 June 1979), known as Robyn (), is a Swedish pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. She arrived on the music scene with her 1995 debut album, ''Robyn Is Here'', which produced two Billboard Hot 100, ''Bil ...
.
In 2011, Somajo released the song "Wristcutters Inc.", featuring
Pelle Almqvist
Per "Pelle" Almqvist (born 29 May 1978), also known as Howlin' Pelle Almqvist, is a Swedish singer and songwriter. He is the lead singer of garage rock band The Hives.
Biography
Almqvist was born to a doctor father and a teacher mother. Almq ...
from
The Hives
The Hives are a Swedish rock band that rose to prominence in the early 2000s during the garage rock revival. Their mainstream success came with the release of the album ''Veni Vidi Vicious'', containing the single "Hate to Say I Told You So". T ...
, then intended to be the
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
from her major-label debut album. After leaving a record deal with her record label in 2012, Somajo started her own label, named Do It Yourself Bitch Productions, and released ''T.T.I.D.S.D.I.E.U.I.C (That Time I Dug So Deep I Ended Up in China)'', her second album. The album was made available for free download via file sharing website
The Pirate Bay
The Pirate Bay (sometimes abbreviated as TPB) is an online index of digital content of entertainment media and software. Founded in 2003 by Swedish think tank Piratbyrån, The Pirate Bay allows visitors to search, download, and contribute mag ...
.
Somajo wrote, recorded and produced the album in her living room. Michael Cragg of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' described it as "a brilliant, brutal and often baffling album that deserves wider attention for its raw and uncompromising dissection of a brain on overdrive."
In 2013, Somajo released the song "Low" to celebrate
Stockholm Pride
Stockholm Pride (styled as STHLM Pride) is an annual gay pride festival held in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. Since the start in 1998, Stockholm Pride has grown. In 2014, some 60,000 participated and 600,000 followed the parade at the streets ...
.
Somajo released ''Freudian Slip'', an
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. , in 2017. It was her first album where she has worked with outside producers, including Patrik Berger, Michel Flygare and Tobias Jimson.
In 2018, Somajo released her cover of
Tina Turner
Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...
's song "
Private Dancer
''Private Dancer'' is the fifth solo studio album by Tina Turner. It was released on May 29, 1984, through Capitol Records and was her first album released through the label.
After several challenging years of going solo after divorcing Ike T ...
", the first new music from ''Freudian Slip II'', her upcoming second EP.
Later that year, Somajo was featured as the vocalist in Norwegian DJ
Alan Walker
Alan Olav Walker (born 24 August 1997) is a British-born Norwegian music producer and DJ primarily known for the critically acclaimed single " Faded" (2015), which was certified platinum in 14 countries. He has also made several songs including ...
's song "
Diamond Heart".
Kat Bein of ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' compared her vocals in "Diamond Heart" to those of singer
Sia
Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...
's.
Songwriting
Somajo has written songs under her name for Swedish artists Robyn and
Style of Eye
Johan Linus Eklöw, (born 29 August 1979) better known by his stage name Style of Eye, is a Swedish DJ, record producer, and songwriter. He is part of the electronic music group Galantis.
He has worked with Usher, Kylie Minogue, Lily Allen, Ze ...
, and under a number of pseudonyms for
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
,
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...
,
Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida.
The gr ...
,
Alesso
Alessandro Renato Rodolfo Lindblad (born 7 July 1991), better known by his stage name Alesso (), is a Swedish DJ and music producer.
He has worked with numerous artists, including Tove Lo, Theo Hutchcraft, Ryan Tedder, Hailee Steinfeld, Calvi ...
,
Adam Lambert
Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter. Since 2009, he has sold over 3 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide. Lambert is known for his dynamic vocal performances that fuse his theatrical tra ...
, and other artists.
One of the pseudonyms she has used is Tiffany Amber. She described her use of pseudonyms as a way to manage expectations with her own music. In a 2018 interview with
Popjustice
Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 by UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for ''NME'', ''The Guardian'', ''Attitude'' and many others. It is composed of the work of editor Robinson, features editor Michael Cra ...
, Somajo recalled being expected to work as a singer with teams of male songwriters and music producers. She noted producer
as an exception to that trend, who saw her as equivalent to male producers and gave her a chance to write and produce music. She described women musicians in pop music as shaped by songwriters writing from a male perspective, saying that "in popular culture when women relate to women, they’re actually relating to women as interpreted by men".
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Somajo, Sophia
1985 births
Living people
Swedish women singers
21st-century Swedish singers
English-language singers from Sweden
Swedish women singer-songwriters
Swedish singer-songwriters
Swedish pop singers
Swedish people of Hungarian descent
21st-century Swedish women singers