Cherry Seraph

Dreamy electropop from Keighley…

YOUR NAME: Sophie Russell. My moniker is Cherry Seraph.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PLAYING MUSIC? Well over 11 years (wow!). Started off very humbly with a tambourine and have annoyed my family with taking up new instruments ever since. Sorry!
ANY PAST BANDS OR COLLABORATIONS WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT? Most current collaboration is called ‘Ninety’, a piece created by 90 women and non-binary individuals. It was made to increase the visibility of women and other gender minorities, which are greatly underrepresented, within the audio industry.

GIVE US 3 REASONS WHY WE SHOULD TRACK DOWN, LISTEN AND DISCOVER YOUR MUSIC?
The first reason would definitely be its chameleon-like nature. My music and its themes definitely transcend the initial inspiration I had when creating it. I think anyone can relate to the feelings I am articulating! Secondly, you should track down and listen to my music because everything that I have written is there to help form connections with others. Music is an art form that brings us together, wherever we are and whoever we’re with. Whatever I create, I do it with the hope that someone will find some peace through it. Finally, I like to think that what I am crafting is unusual. I have an ongoing obsession with layering my vocals and instruments to illustrate an ethereal and spacious feel, which works really well.

WHERE DO YOU SOUND BEST – FESTIVAL, CLUB, BEDROOM – OR SOMEWHERE ELSE?
I sound best playing through some decent headphones or speakers at the moment. I haven’t had chance to gig yet due to the pandemic. Also, I’d definitely sound good in a bedroom – who doesn’t love to sprawl on a bed and fill your ears with something that brings you contentment?

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST…
RECORD? Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section or Lou Reed’s Transformer.
CD? The National – Trouble Will Find Me.
DOWNLOAD? Keaton Henson – Dear.

SO, WHEN IT ALL GOES RIGHT AND YOU’VE GOT A BOTTOMLESS PIT OF MONEY AND LONG QUEUE OF HANGERS-ON, WHAT WILL BE YOUR BIGGEST MUSICAL INDULGENCE?
Definitely investing in some more kit to cart around with me and be able to play with. Maybe some extra bits for my home studio… but, most importantly: a tambourine and occarina. Painfully underrated instruments.

SO, WHEN IT ALL GOES WRONG AND YOU’RE LEFT BITTER AND TWISTED AND CURSING THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, WHAT DO YOU FALL BACK ON?
Eating my feelings in the small pleasures of sub-par Tesco Express meal deals. Or, my Politics degree. Who knows! I like creating art, too.

WHAT ARE YOUR MUSICAL GUILTY PLEASURES…
I have no shame in admitting this but definitely Greentea Peng and Lee “Scratch” Perry. They couldn’t be more different but they’re awesome. Their use of instrumentation is wild.

WHO ARE YORKSHIRE’S FINEST IN CULTURE, SPORT AND MUSIC?
Culture and music-wise, there are some really cool artists out at the moment! There are way too many to put them all down here but some specific artists that I love are TALKBOY, Rosie Blofeld and TC & The Groove Family. I wish I could talk about sport but I am the least sporty person ever.

NAME YOUR SUPERGROUP – WHO’S PLAYING WHAT, WHO’S ON VOCALS AND WHO’S YOUR BEZ?
Nick Cave on vocals for some spiciness. Joe Satriani guitar, Tash Sultana on literally any instrument (they are phenomenal) with Karen Carpenter on percussion. Liz Fraser doing some backing vox goodness… This is one of the most chaotic supergroups that you ever did see! My Bez… Definitely Bishi Bhattacharya. She’s pure genius!

GO SEE THIS FILM: Parasite.
GO READ THIS BOOK: Leonard Cohen – The Flame.
GREAT LOST BAND/ARTIST: Jeff Buckley.
WOULDN’T BE CAUGHT DEAD SUPPORTING: Danielle Bregoli. No words.
LONDON, L.A OR LEEDS?: Leeds, Leeds, Leeds!

AND FINALLY… AS YOU LEAVE THE STAGE, WHAT ARE YOUR PARTING WORDS?
Now, get me a drink and some space to have a reyt good dance! (Whilst trying not to panic that I’ll fall over. I am very clumsy.) - Yorkshire Magazine

Cherry Seraph floats in a digital soundscape on her new single, ‘8am’.

By Mark Wright

The debut single from Bradford based singer-songwriter, Cherry Seraph, is a floating trip down a river into atmospheric digital dreampop. Right from the get-go ‘8am’ grabs the listener’s attention and does not let it go for the full run time. What really grabs you first is the powerfully emotive vocal performance, the experience of which is only heightened by the floaty and dream-like synthesisers and drums. The usage of modern production techniques twinned with the style of music at play here is very interesting, as not only is the track deeply contemporary, but it simultaneously looks to music of previous decades as well as offering a brief insight into the music of tomorrow.

All produced from a home studio over lockdown, ‘8am’ was created as a way to provide focus and promote self-wellbeing over the testing months prior to its release. To say that this track was made in such circumstances, as well as it being a debut single, it sounds nothing but professional, which is very promising for the release of Cherry Seraph’s full EP on the 8th of June.

Make sure to check out ‘8am’ by Cherry Seraph via the link below or on steaming services. - York Calling

Cherry Seraph is also known as Sophie Russell, a musical twenty-one year old songwriter and performer from West Yorkshire. Her debut release, '8am', is a soothing synth driven track complete with etheral vocal layers.

'8am' is lifted from her forthcoming EP, 'For Someone, Somewhere' which is slated for a June release. Each track on the EP was fully composed and performed by Cherry herself in her home studio - a process that appears to have been therapeutic and an escape during one of the most difficult periods in world history - the first national lockdown.

On the release, Cherry says: "I wanted to create something which was in contrast to the heavy narrative found on the news. Like so many of us, I missed the small human interactions which we took for granted: hugging, dancing and feeling that we had a true connection to one another. It really has been indescribably tough for all of us. Sometimes, the sadness and isolation that I have felt during this pandemic has been immobilising. The song ‘8am’ is the total antithesis of these difficult feelings. To be able to have the ability to create music has been a blessing."
"My creation as Cherry Seraph hopes to accelerate the notion that women, and gender minorities, can produce music and they can
be represented."

Cherry counts Marika Hackman and The Cocteau Twins as influences however the uniqueness of '8am' is what shines through - it is a song that is cleansing to the ears and helps serve to showcase this talented songwriters vocal ability. We can only hope that the forthcoming EP is more of the same. - Our Sound

A 21-YEAR-OLD woman from Bradford has this month released her first single - and says she had lockdown to thank for it.

Sophie Russell - who performs as Cherry Seraph - produced the single ‘8am’ from her “tiny home studio” in Keighley.

She has also been proactive in women-led initiatives for greater representation within the global music industry, in which, according to a January 2020 study by the University of Southern California, only 2.6per cent of producers worldwide are female.


The former Beckfoot School pupil initially struggled to unearth her creativity in lockdown, but as time went on she found she wanted to produce something uplifting and motivating.

“I wanted to create something which was in contrast to the heavy narrative found on the news,” she said. “Like so many of us, I missed the small human interactions which we took for granted: hugging, dancing and feeling that we had a true connection to one another.

“It really has been indescribably tough for all of us. Sometimes, the sadness and isolation that I have felt during this pandemic has been immobilising. The song ‘8am’ is the total antithesis of these difficult feelings. To be able to have the ability to create music has been a blessing.”

She added: “This extraordinary journey of being carried under the weight of such abrupt societal upheaval has served as the entire inspiration.”

Sophie describes ‘8am’ as a “dreamy electropop single saturated in feelings of self-acceptance and appreciation for the love that we can both give, and receive, from those around us.”

It also acted as the catalyst to a four-track debut EP, ‘for someone, somewhere’ to be released in June. She cleverly uses synthesizers to manipulate sound. “It brings another dimension to pieces of music.”

It was during her degree in politics at the University of York that Sophie became involved in music production. She gained support from Yorkshire Sound Women Network, which inspires and enables women and girls to explore sound and music technology.

Sophie recently featured in a collaborative project called ‘Ninety’ on YouTube. This was pioneered by fellow female and non-binary producers working together via the use of sampling to create one track. The proceeds are going towards organisations which promote and educate towards more minority visibility within the audio industry.

Sophie chose the name Serpah due to its meaning - a celestial being or angel. “A lot of my music has an angelic feel, with many vocal layers. I wanted to add to it the name of something I love, and I love cherries,” she explained.

Working on the EP has helped Sophie - who helps to run a women’s mental health group in Keighley - through the past few months. “It has helped my own mental health and proved a motivator, something to hold on to. It kept my brain active. Music is known to have a positive effect on mental health.”

She is very excited about her future in music production. “I hope to be working in a studio environment soon. If I can make music that people appreciate it will make me very happy. I would love to inspire others.”

8am is available through all streaming platforms including YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music.

To see ongoing work and gig dates: @cherryseraphmusic on Instagram. - Telegraph and Argus

A 21-year-old woman who studied at the University of York has released her first single - and says she had lockdown to thank for it.

Sophie Russell - who performs as Cherry Seraph - produced the single ‘8am’ from her “tiny home studio” in Keighley.

She has also been proactive in women-led initiatives for greater representation within the global music industry, in which, according to a January 2020 study by the University of Southern California, only 2.6per cent of producers worldwide are female.

The former Beckfoot School pupil initially struggled to unearth her creativity in lockdown, but as time went on she found she wanted to produce something uplifting and motivating.

“I wanted to create something which was in contrast to the heavy narrative found on the news,” she said. “Like so many of us, I missed the small human interactions which we took for granted: hugging, dancing and feeling that we had a true connection to one another.

“It really has been indescribably tough for all of us. Sometimes, the sadness and isolation that I have felt during this pandemic has been immobilising. The song ‘8am’ is the total antithesis of these difficult feelings. To be able to have the ability to create music has been a blessing.”

She added: “This extraordinary journey of being carried under the weight of such abrupt societal upheaval has served as the entire inspiration.”

Sophie describes ‘8am’ as a “dreamy electropop single saturated in feelings of self-acceptance and appreciation for the love that we can both give, and receive, from those around us.”

It also acted as the catalyst to a four-track debut EP, ‘for someone, somewhere’ to be released in June. She cleverly uses synthesizers to manipulate sound. “It brings another dimension to pieces of music.”

It was during her degree in politics at the University of York that Sophie became involved in music production. She gained support from Yorkshire Sound Women Network, which inspires and enables women and girls to explore sound and music technology.

“It is amazing to have this group of women who can collaborate with each other,” she said. “Only 2.6 per cent of music producers are female, yet 40 per cent of singer-songwriters are women,” she said.

Sophie recently featured in a collaborative project called ‘Ninety’ on YouTube. This was pioneered by fellow female and non-binary producers working together via the use of sampling to create one track. The proceeds are going towards organisations which promote and educate towards more minority visibility within the audio industry.

Sophie chose the name Seraph due to its meaning - a celestial being or angel. “A lot of my music has an angelic feel, with many vocal layers. I wanted to add to it the name of something I love, and I love cherries,” she explained.

Working on the EP has helped Sophie - who helps to run a women’s mental health group in Keighley - through the past few months. “It has helped my own mental health and proved a motivator, something to hold on to. It kept my brain active. Music is known to have a positive effect on mental health.”

She is very excited about her future in music production. “I hope to be working in a studio environment soon. If I can make music that people appreciate it will make me very happy. I would love to inspire others.”

8am is available through all streaming platforms including YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music.

To see ongoing work and gig dates: @cherryseraphmusic on Instagram. - The Press