Whenever I look for new music, I try to find artists and songs that meet me where I am. Sometimes that means a party song, other times something sadder, but I always connect more with music that shows life as it is: unfiltered, not always pretty and entirely authentic. I think this is something a lot of students relate to. It’s often hard to love a song about summer and joy when you’re a typical Vanderbilt student walking to class in the cold, balancing midterms, an overloaded social schedule, friends and, let’s be honest, probably a failed situationship or two. This is why I jumped at the opportunity to interview Sophia Scott — a Nashville-based country artist.
With bold vocals reminiscent of 2000s country icons like Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, Scott’s songs are diverse. They range from rowdy bar anthems like “Buy a Round,” meant to be played loud with friends, to introspective tracks about self-image, identity and heartbreak like “She Ain’t Me,” a powerhouse ballad fixated on comparison. Her new EP, “Lifeboat,” is no exception.
Before jumping directly into the EP, Scott and I discussed her path to country music and some of her previous work. Originally hailing from Colorado, Scott spent some time in Los Angeles before finding her sound and eventually making her way to Nashville.
“I was always very much a storyteller, and I think I was just like a songwriter at heart, and so that’s kind of the thing that drew me to country music specifically,” Scott said. “But I was living in L.A., and you know the country music scene, especially at the time that I was living there, was not as prominent, so I was kind of writing country songs, but with more pop production. That kind of actually helped me sort of find my sound and dial it in.”
For me, this is what makes a lot of Scott’s past work really intriguing: the layers of typical synth-pop sounds, bigger, sassier vocals with country tones and storylines emerging beneath. Since “Lifeboat” will be Scott’s first release since her debut album, 2023’s “Barstool Confessions,” she took some time in our interview to reflect on how her music has changed since then.
“In contrast to the album that I put out in 2023, I feel like that was very much pinned on my heartbreak and, you know, the break up that I was going through that year and I feel like this EP is more of like a celebration of my growth along the way and more just kind of shining a light on the journey,” Scott said.
From here, our conversation moved more towards “Lifeboat” and the process of its creation. As Scott revealed, each of the six songs on this EP were written with a different purpose in mind and therefore, each had its own unique process. In this part of the discussion, we ended up diving into what the EP’s title track “Lifeboat” represents for Scott.
“With ‘Lifeboat’ in particular, I had sort of just recognized this pattern within myself of becoming a fixer in relationships and just getting very attached to people that I feel like I have to save and not really learning my lesson,” Scott said.
Honestly, as someone majoring in engineering, I also have a hard time grasping that some problems are best left unfixed, so this really resonated with me. I also feel like this is a common feeling when maturing in relationships, learning this ability to let people just be, rather than trying to fix them. In “Lifeboat,” Scott not only puts that feeling into words but takes power and ownership over being “a fixer.”
Having performed this song and “Aspen” before the EP’s release, Scott has already gathered excitement around her new EP. With performances of “Lifeboat” gaining popularity on TikTok, it’s worth noting that Scott intentionally frames the song for live audiences, often prefacing it with a similar speech about being “a fixer” to create a more authentic connection with listeners.
Whether you’re drawn to Scott’s authentic performances or her wide range of songs for every mood, there’s always a way to connect with her. Later this week, on Oct. 25, Scott will return to the Grand Ole Opry to continue engaging with her Nashville audience. Her EP, “Lifeboat,” will also be available everywhere on Oct. 24.
