Sophia Alone

“Sophia Bouhaddou grew up in an atypical household in Utah.

Bouhaddou, who goes by her stage name Sophia Alone, said that with a French mother and a Moroccan father, she felt a lot like America was outside the walls of her house.

“I always remember wanting my mom to pack my lunch in a brown paper bag with some inspiring message written on it, and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich like the other kids,” Alone said. “But instead we would get a plastic bag with dates, and a butter and honey tartine — different, but delicious.”

Alone grew up in Utah before moving to San Diego as a teenager. She spent time living in Los Angeles, but now the singer lives in Rancho Santa Fe.

Alone’s debut album, “Heart and a Half,” combines all her history and blends it with her relationships and passions.

But as a child, Alone did not know she wanted to sing and write music when she got older. Though her family was not musically inclined, she was first introduced to music at age 6 with the piano. From there, she touched on just about every instrument available to her, including the flute and cello.

That was before she finally told herself she wanted to sing.

“I’ve always known I wanted to sing,” Alone said. “When I was younger, I planned to act and then segued into music, much like Hilary Duff. But the more I studied, the more music took over, and it’s become all I can do; there is nothing else for me.”

Alone did not have a specific “light bulb” moment as to when she realized she wanted to start singing, she said. The process was gradual.

“I remember watching Christina Aguilera sing on TV and thinking, with tears in my eyes, ‘I want to do that,’” Alone said. “Then I would go into my room and dance around, singing and flipping my hair pretending I was performing for thousands.”

Now, she writes and records her own music: a soul-R&B blend of music and lyrics.

Alone remembered the first time she realized she wanted to write music instead of just sing it back in 2007.

“I was doing a lot of competitions and finally decided to try out for ‘American Idol,’” Alone said. “I only made it through a couple of rounds and finally grew tired of trying to be what they wanted me to be in order to win. As I walked out after being cut, I said, ‘It’s time to start writing my own music. I want to create my own sound.’ I wrote my first song that year and have continued writing since then.”

Love continues to be a prevailing topic in her music, though she said she also touches on friendships and social issues, and has even written a song about a teddy bear in her room.

Her debut album took those topics and brought them into a lyrical order that correlates to events in her own life, specifically her last relationship. She wrote the last song for her album two days before she was due in the studio. When she rearranged those songs, she “realized it was a perfect, step-by-step story of my relationship from the happy beginnings, into the breakup and back out again, birthing my album ‘Heart and a Half.’”

The album took a year to make after raising money for six months and creating the album in six months.

For Alone, the musical journey was as important as the destination.

“The biggest reason I went into the music is that I wanted to inspire people,” she said. “I want to be the one to help you laugh, help you cry, dance, fall in love, and most importantly follow your dreams. I want people to know that you can follow your dreams no matter how much the world tells you, you can’t.”

Alone’s debut album, “Heart and a Half,” is available on iTunes, Amazon and CD Baby. Her next show is Jan. 12 at Le Papagayo in Encinitas. You can find out more about her, including the latest concert dates, by visiting www.sophiaalone.com - Rancho Santa Fe Times

“born of Moroccan and French descent and describes herself as a modern Muslim woman”
show review by Tim Fennell

Rarely does something stop me dead in my tracks, drop my jaw, or cover me in goosebumps, but this is what happened to me just a few short weeks ago. I was fortunate enough to stumble across this rare and fiercely talented artist while she was performing in downtown Encinitas and, not only was I impressed by her performance, I was captivated by it. Often I witness an artist that’s great to listen to but fails as a performer. Even more often does it occurs that I see a great live show but then their CD winds up serving as a drink coaster on my coffee table. But every once in awhile, a long and great while, an artist comes along that is the total package and this package is Sophia Alone. Sophia was born of Moroccan and French descent and describes herself as a modern Muslim woman and has just as much beauty in her voice as she does in her eyes. She sings from her soul and not only leaves you impressed, but leaves you inspired. Her music has something for every listener from Soul to Pop to Jazz and a lot more in between. Her self-released album entitled “Heart and a Half” will grab you and encapsulate you as well. When Sophia sings you don’t just hear her message, you feel it. Sofia is an incredibly interesting artist and is skilled on a multitude of instruments including piano, saxophone, guitar, violin and cello, just to name a few, and yes she even holds a degree in music and teaches when not on stage or touring.

I invite all of you, dear readers of this review, to immediately visit Sophia Alone at YouTube, Facebook, iTunes, CD Baby, Instagram. She also has her own channel on Pandora. I recommend highly that you visit her website at SophiaAlone.com for upcoming shows, songs and videos of previous performances. I’ll venture to say that you’ll be as mesmerized by her fierce talent as I am. Sophia alone is the package, she is the total package, she sings like an absolute angel, she has all of the on-stage charisma in the world leaving an audience entertained and wanting more, her music will echo in your head until you play it again and again and you may also find yourself stunned by her beauty upon laying eyes on her. Listen to Sophia, Sophia Alone. - The Reviewer

This blog is dedicated to spotlighting select songs of independent or small-label artists. These songs can often (but not always) be characterized as pop music, encompassing its many sub-genres. However, none of these songs can be classified as “Top 40” (or any sub-genre thereof) typically heard on American radio and television. Proving that good, quality pop music is available…you just have to be willing to search for it or know where to find it. This blog takes away all of the work and leads the reader/listener straight to the discovery and enjoyment. The ultimate goal, of course, is to bring these “unknown” artists to the attention of the general public and give them well-deserved attention.

Song in the Spotlight: “Is Right Now” (Sophia Alone, from Heart and a Half (2014))

Genre: Pop Rock

Review: With a French mother and Moroccan father (but spending much of her childhood in the United States), it’s no surprise that Sophia Alone writes music which incorporates these disparate elements. What is surprising is her ability to insert a deft touch here and there of her familial, musical influences…in other words, she doesn’t overwhelm with Berber or Chaabi folk music (and, yes, TuneTraveller resorted to Wikipedia for those references), although she definitely exudes a certain vocal style reminiscent of a French chantreuse. Notwithstanding the foregoing, “Is Right Now” is decidedly American pop rock. The song hits the right emotional chords when driving home the realization, the loneliness and frustration, that a relationship has seen better days. Heart and a Half is impressive in its entirety, but “Is Right Now” is the stand-out track. Give it a spin and then download it today. TuneTraveller thinks it’ll be in your player on repeat for months to come. Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Artist Bio: Sophia Bouhaddou (translated into English as “Alone”) is a Los Angeles, CA-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.

Song available on: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/sophiaalone, https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/heart-and-a-half/id829316970 and http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IOMEBJW/ref=dm_ws_tlw_trk6. Here’s a link to the full version of the song: https://soundcloud.com/sophiaalone/is-right-now.

Artist Pedigree: Sophia Bouhaddou is the lead singer of the Soul/R&B/Pop band Sophia Bouhaddou Music and also sings in a couple of cover bands. This is her first release as a solo artist.

Artist Releases: Heart and a Half (2014). - Tune Traveler