Sophie Koh - sings, plays guitar and keys, wears dresses.
Ivan Jakic - sings, plays bass, wears a $9 haircut.
Phil Collings - sings, plays drums, occasional malhawk wearer.
Tim Reid -sings, plays guitars and everything else, likes long walks on the beach.
影響
Beck, Roisin Murphy, The Eels, Elbow, Radiohead, Machine Translations, Neil Finn, Aimee Mann, Gillian Welch, Nirvana, Sheryl Crow, The Devastations, Jon Brion, Goldfrapp, Suzanne Vega, Bela Bartok, Jonny Greenwood.
PLEASE NOTE:
For all Booking and Management queries please contact Tom Collins Ph:0415 222 672 manager@sophiekoh.com
(this includes interview and promo related queries)
Do NOT use myspace to contact sophie regarding bookings,promo or interviews.
Sophie wins Best Female Artist:The Age EG 2008 Music Awards
Great news! Sophie has won Best Female Artist category of The Age EG 2008 Music Awards. Thanks to everyone who voted!
Sophie Koh - "Objects In This Mirror" Sophie Koh on iTunes
All Sophie's released music is also available to buy via iTunes Click Here for Silly Thing or Click Here for All The Pretty Boys.
Buying Sophie Koh CDs
Sophie Koh's albums "All Shook Up", "All The Pretty Boys" and EP "Silly Thing" are available instores(Australia-wide) via In-Fidelity/Shock and also direct from the artist herself(ship to anywhere in the world)[totally secure credit card; direct from the artist!] at https://shop.sophiekoh.com
So starts Sophie Koh’s second album, All Shook Up.
The album comes almost three years after Sophie’s acclaimed debut, All The Pretty Boys, and follows bouts of writer’s block, a mixing console blowing up, and a tennis injury that put Sophie on crutches for three months.
“There have been lots of hiccups and mishaps,” Sophie smiles. “But I couldn’t be more proud of this album. And I feel really ready. Ready to take on whatever comes my way.”
The title tells part of the tale. “I thought All Shook Up was symbolic of the songs because musically they are all very different from each other.
“It also described my mindset during the 18 months I was working on the album. A lot of stuff has happened – relationships, growing up, ups and downs … so it seemed fitting.”
Sophie calls All Shook Up “an album of first instincts”.
“With the first album, I was very young musically,” she explains. “With this record, I was prepared to experiment and take risks. I was a lot more adventurous, and musically that is very satisfying.”
It’s a beautifully constructed album, the result of Sophie’s collaboration with producer J Walker, of Machine Translations fame.
“Greg saw the potential in things,” Sophie says. “In fact, a lot of the songs started from nothing. I really wanted to get away from what we thought was commercial and just do whatever we felt like, and then worry about how accessible it was afterwards. We really trusted each other.”
Sophie will never forget one particular recording session. “We didn’t have any brushes, so Greg bought some bubble wrap and played it on the snare with some chopsticks. I would never have thought of that!”
All Shook Up is an album of beautiful simplicity mixed with musical experimentation. Exquisite melodies meets some sampled beats and layered, subtle production.
“Without the backing vocals,” Sophie says, “the songs would be nothing.”
A highlight is Sophie’s version of a Chinese folksong, Gan Lan Shu (The Olive Tree), which she remembers her parents singing at karaoke.
The song captures Sophie’s wandering spirit, with lines that translate as “Don’t ask me where I’m from, I’m from far away … My homeland is far away … Why are you such a wanderer, why are you such a wanderer? It’s because I dreamt of an olive tree.”
“It’s very poetic,” Sophie explains, “and I always felt an affinity to the song. I didn’t really dissect the words until afterwards. When I realised what it was really about, it was quite spooky, because it kind of described my life so far. I haven’t stayed in the one place for more than a few years. I’m always trying to move on …
“When people ask me where I’m from, I can’t answer. I say, ‘What do you mean, where I was born? My ethnicity? Where I live now? Or where my heart is?’”
For the record, Sophie lives in Melbourne, but was born in New Zealand. Her mum and dad are from Malaysia, but she grew up in Singapore and New Zealand, and was “Unearthed” by JJJ in Darwin.
All The Pretty Boys featured Sophie’s Unearthed song, Easily Broken, as well as the radio hits, Anywhere, Fall Into Space and Silly Thing.
The album was acclaimed across the country. Melbourne’s Herald Sun said “Koh has a voice that drips melodies like honey from a spoon”. The Hobart Mercury called the album “memorable, enticing and honest”, while The West Australian wrote about “one of the sweetest voices you are likely to hear”.
“I loved the fact that reviewers didn’t compare me to other people,” Sophie says, “and that they saw it as a first album, with the promise of even better things to come.”
Sophie also did the Split Enz song Charlie for the double platinum album She Will Have Her Way, The Songs Of Tim & Neil Finn. Tim Finn later called Sophie’s cover his favourite song on the album.
And Sophie was part of The Go-Betweens’ final tour. “That was a real highlight. I felt so lucky to be tagging along with such a great band.”
Sophie has also made two guest appearances on RocKwiz. Her specialist subjects – “The Songs of Sheryl Crow” and “Romantic Men – Beethoven to Brahms”.
Sophie admits she felt the pressure of having to follow All The Pretty Boys. When faced with bouts of writer’s block, she bought a Baby Taylor guitar – “having a new instrument gave me a different sound” – and went to visit her songwriting buddy Tim Reid in the UK and Italy.
“How can I say this,” she laughs, “Tim appreciates the cheese more than I do, and sometimes that’s a good thing. I can be quite self-critical. Tim gives me the confidence that I am heading in the right direction.”
So what does Sophie want to achieve with All Shook Up that she didn’t do with All The Pretty Boys?
“Well, this is a lot more personal album than the first one. I’m a lot more mature and confident, and I hope people can hear that.
“I want people to experience the variety and the shape.
“And live, I’m really excited. These songs present a lot of opportunities to do something different; light and shade,. I’m a lot more adventurous.
Once again I have a favour to ask of everyone out there in the MySpace world, and I’m sorry because I know these things can get a bit annoying, but every vote counts, and I am happy to return the favour if you need me to vote or rate anything of yours, so… if you get the chance could you please rate my new song “Million Miles Away” on Triple J Unearthed?
Hey Sophie! How are you? Just letting you know, my EP "Imaginary Mind" has finally arrived! It can be bought from my website for $10, which is found on my page, and along with that i have also uploaded two songs from it! So please have a listen if you have time, would be great to hear what you think! All the best!
Hey there, We are in Melbourne launching our new album This Sat 24th Oct at The John Curtin Band Room (29 Lygon St, Carlton, VIC). Playing with us on the night are local artists Ronit and Dreamtwins. We love to see you guys there! Yours forever, Special Patrol.
Haha, I was an extra in one of your clips. Good times! We have a show TONIGHT supporting Ghostwood (Syd). Hope you can make it down......Event starts at 8:30pm, The Workers Club (The Old Rob Roy)
Hi there, we're heading over to Melbourne town this Saturday 4th July for a show at Northcote Social Club with Skipping Girl Vinegar. Hope you can make it!
To all our myspace friends only (wont be offered through the store!!!) we are offering a huge 40% discount off all ESP and LTD guitars...If you purchase a 200 400 500 or a 1000 Series Guitar you will also recieve a FREE GRM Guitar Rig Mobile valued at $299, cya soon :P
Hello, the Custom Kings are playing their only Melbourne show this Saturday at the John Curtin Hotel, with special guests the Hello Mornings and Matheson.
Hope to see you there.
CK
Hi Sophie! I'm coming down to your fair city on Thursday April 16th to play a solo sea thieves set in support of Vince Giarusso of the Underground Lovers at Toff In Town !! He's being joined by the amazing members of Hope Diamond for a set of Undies classics. Would love to see y'all there! Zac