Witch Trials x Sophie Beem

When: Monday around 7 PM, NYC’s Upper East Side

Who: Cameron Forbes (Coven Marketing Manager) and Sophie Beem (X Factor participant with tours alongside Beyoncé & Charlie Puth)

CF: So tell the audience at Coven a bit about yourself. What’s underneath your general Wiki page?

SB: I’m Sophie Beem, singer-songwriter and musician. I play the piano, guitar, and write for all my songs. I was born and raised in New York City: lived here all my life.

I started playing music when I was ten: voice lessons, singing, playing my guitar in my room, writing my first songs. Eventually, I told my mom I wanted to take music more seriously, and I wanted to perform around New York. I was thirteen when, one day, she randomly got an email blast from X Factor and signed me up. I was thirteen.

She called me up, and I’ll never forget it: I was right by Lester’s, this clothing store in New York, and she said, “Sophie, I put your name down for X Factor. You’re gonna be performing and auditioning in, like, 2 months. Get ready and start preparing.”

I was so scared. I had just turned thirteen and X Factor was the only TV show that took kids thirteen and up. Imagine this thirteen year old alongside 250,000 other people--most of them going back to real jobs, where I go back home to algebra homework and pretending that algebra homework wasn’t a thing. And then, all of a sudden, I’m there in the top 40.  

Doing a TV show like that, viewers don’t really see what it’s like in the music industry. It’s only about getting as many views as possible. If someone starts crying, the camera pans right to them.

After X Factor, cover songs drove me into writing my own music. I asked my mom to start gigging around New York City. I started doing open mics on weeknights. Like, I would literally be doing my homework at 10 p.m., and going on thirty minutes later if my name got pulled out of a bucket at a venue.

It put me in front of a different audience.  It prepared me to just get up there and do my thing in front of 10 people, or 10,000 like X Factor. I realized I love doing both. At fourteen, I started gigging consecutively at The Bitter End because it took people my age.  In New York City, you have to be eighteen or twenty-one to perform. I once had a show that I was signed up for at a different venue, and they found out that I was fourteen, and they just said, “Sorry. You can’t come anymore.”

There’s no set path to become a professional singer. I just started inviting industry executives to come to my shows and give me advice. There’s no set path. You learn that everyone does it differently. And then the general manager of Beyoncé’s company found one of my shows.

She asked me to perform for her entire office. Then she asked me to put together a package for Beyoncé, and from there I got a three-year development deal with her. I was fifteen.

CF: I remember when you got signed. It was on some break from school. I was getting off my flight, and you called me screaming like, “I just got signed by Beyoncé!”

SB: Ah! Really? I don’t even remember that.

CF: I think it was before you got signed. I remember being home, and you had just recorded a bunch of new music. You had all these songs on your phone, and we connected it to the speakers in the kitchen. It was the first time I had ever heard “Girls Will Be Girls,” and we were just dancing and singing together all over the house. It was amazing.

SB: That was probably from my package for Beyoncé. I wrote those songs in my room on my guitar. Those freshman year nighttimes got me discovered. From there, I released an EP, and started opening for Beyoncé and Charlie Puth. Now, I’m independently releasing my own music, and trying to just push my songs out there to as many people as possible and speak on a greater level.

I started all of this in the first place because I love writing my own songs. I never had a dream of wanting to be famous. Writing songs and singing have always been therapy for me. Singing is like my release. It’s how I get everything I’m feeling out. It’s how I make myself feel better.

CF: We grew up together in New York City; how would you say that affected you? New York already ages you so quickly--let alone being on X Factor at thirteen. (How) do you think that affected you or your career?

SB: Growing up in the City, I feel like you get to experience so much you would miss out on in the suburbs. There’s so much culture in New York: from its foods, to its places and things. You literally can walk around and be surrounded by completely different parts of the city. You’re like a certified mini-adult by the time you hit middle school.  

For me, my parents’ divorce and my dad’s alcohol and drug problem forced me to grow up quickly. At the same time, I always wanted to grow. So I dedicated my New York childhood to never losing sight of my dreams. Going to an all girls’ school definitely helped. Boys weren’t a distraction.. But, of course, what you miss in boy drama you receive in the form of mean girls, bullying or catfights. Going to all girls’ school forced me to become confident, strong and tough. It made me. I couldn’t be weak, and I had to become a strong person. Growing up in New York makes you a strong person.

CF: So what about LA? You spend so much time there for music.

SB: In New York, everyone is real and upfront. No one is going to lie to your face, or “yes” you to death. People don’t have time for that in New York. You either get it or you don’t. You can do it or you can’t. People don’t bullshit you, and I feel like they did in LA. That’s why I don’t think I could live there.

Whenever I started working and meeting people there, they would just say “yes” again and again. They’d say, “Yeah, we’re going to do that for you. And this, and this. Everything is going to be amazing.” And then a week would go by, three weeks, and nothing would happen. I love people who are true to their word. But I can’t have relationships without honesty. I want to be able to trust people’s words.  I’m able to count my friends on my fingers and keep each one of them close and warm.

CF: That’s true, but you still regularly go back and forth between LA and NY for music. You consider New York your home, but do you feel at all home in LA?

SB: I’ve gotten used to LA, but I would never call it close to my home. New York, hands down, will always be my home. I don’t even drive yet. I’m trying to get my driver’s license right now. Maybe I’ll have one like six months from now, guys, I’ll let you know. Basically, in LA, I don’t drive, I uber everywhere, which isn’t that fun.

CF: I’m dying. “I uber everywhere.” That’s amazing.

SB: No, but seriously, I don’t really have any good friends. Down the line, I made some good ones, but LA is no one’s real hometown, so they aren’t always there. It took some of my friends moving to USC for me to have friends there. When I was like fourteen, I was in high school so I’d just go out there alone with my mom. I had no friends, so I was very lonely.

Being a solo artist is very lonely. But that’s the point of it. You don’t realize it, but you’re with yourself all the time. Like when you’re performing. For instance, I just got a performance in Ibiza. I’m going alone. I’m gonna show up, do my thing, and get out of there. That’s the life of a solo performer: you’re in charge--of a very lonely life.

I’ve learned to like being alone, but only in doses. LA became fine: right now, it’s where all the music is. New York is just established industry titans. But LA is like Mecca for producers, songwriters, and creators. But in LA everyone is very relaxed, and it can seem like nobody really wants to get shit done. As a New Yorker, I want to get things done as fast as possible: bang a song out and then leave. In LA, it’s all about getting to know each other first, and going to lunch, and then writing a verse, and then waiting it out. By then, it’s 10 p.m. and we’ve only written half of a song. I like spending time working, but I’m here to get shit done. That’s what I can do in New York.

CF: Charlie Puth and Beyoncé. Case closed. Who has been your most empowering collaboration?

SB: I feel like every single person I’ve worked with has brought something unique and different. I learned so much from Charlie on tour. He’s so kind and welcoming. It was my first time on tour, and he was incredibly vocal about checking in on me to see how I was doing. Since he was in the midst of his big break, it meant the world that he cared enough to check in on me.

Beyoncé was such a mentor to me. It’s an inexplicable experience just being in a room with her, hearing what she thought about my music, and listening to the lessons she had learned growing up in this industry. You can learn so much just from watching her rehearse and perform. From her work ethic, to how much time she puts in, to how much she practices. She is Beyoncé because she works so hard, and practices harder. She taught me to never take that for granted.

CF: You’ve always been an avid avant garde fashionista, even when we were 12 and 13. How did you develop your unique sense of style--and the confidence to take the fashion risks you do on a daily basis?

SB: Growing up in New York City at an all-girls’ school, and having a uniform, was a big thing for me. All of my friends were always trying to find ways to not wear our uniform. We always wanted to outdo it: we’d buy funky socks, dye our hair pink, and wear bright tank-tops underneath our polos. Having a uniform was nice because it meant I could throw on something every morning, but it was also annoying because I always wanted to dress out of the box.

Performing has also shaped my style a ton: having sequins and faux fur at my shows, always thinking about what looks good on stage. I always want to stand out, or at least have a piece that I’m wearing that makes a statement in some way. I’m not afraid to play around with different styles: one day I’ll wear something bohemian, then the next day I’ll have a complete streetwear outfit. Fashion, for me, is all about fun: you can dress however you want, and be whoever you want to be. That’s also why I love playing with makeup too: you can transform yourself into so many different versions of the same person.

CF: As a woman in the entertainment industry, have you had any bad experiences? Do you feel like a force for good as a woman in a male-dominated industry? What are your thoughts on the #MeToo movement, and recent pushback against entitled (and sometimes evil) male industry executives?

SB: I think it’s amazing that people are finally listening to the women speaking out about sexual harassment and assault in the entertainment industry. From producers to label executives, I’ve gone into meetings where I was essentially the only girl in the room (excluding my mom). But I’ve never been afraid to speak my mind and say what I want to say just because of my age or gender. Over the years, I’ve come to see that just because someone may be older or more powerful than you, they’re not better than you.

At an early age, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in singing. A lot of adults would just say to my face, “you’re too young.” It made me want to always speak up: about my music, my ideas, and what I want in my career. I always thought that being a young woman was holding me back, because people didn’t want to take me seriously. But I learned that it didn’t matter because I was doing what I loved. I learned to stop being fazed by some 50 year old label executive sitting in a big chair. I can now say, “you’re a powerful person, and I respect you very much, but I also respect my own ideas and want to get them through to you.”

I won’t be silenced in a room just because I’m intimidated by someone. I’ve definitely heard stories about sexual harassment. The #MeToo movement started in the movie industry, but it undoubtedly carries over to the music world. I’m very blessed to never have had an uncomfortable experience. I was a minor growing up in the industry, so people treated me carefully. But I have plenty of singer-songwriter friends who go into studios and get hit on by producers. Just because they were men in power, producing music for these women, they thought they could take advantage of them. That’s not right at all. One friend of mine had a truly scary experience, and tried to not let it affect her for as long as possible. I’m so happy that women are finally shedding a light on the darkness of all of these powerful male figures.

CF: Beyond supporting #MeToo, what other social issues do you care about and devote your time to? Why are they significant to you?

SB: Well, I had the amazing opportunity recently to go to Zambia in Africa and work with the children of Lusaka. I basically got to perform for these kids and young girls, and try to inspire them to keep going in spite of their own hardships. I wanted to show what can happen when you believe in yourself, and keep following your dreams. For me, going there and experiencing that was something more than just visiting and leaving. A lot of celebrities, when they attain fame, just pick a charity and occasionally do that. For me, I first went to Lusaka when I was 18, and I hope that down the line when I’m 25 or 30 and have financial success I can keep returning and inspiring people. I don’t want it to be a one or two-time thing. After going to Lusaka, I had the amazing opportunity to become the first-ever Global Citizen youth ambassador. Now, I have a platform through Global Citizen where I can speak to girls around the world, and inspire them to continue following their dreams, whether of education or becoming a singer like me.

Girls at least need to have a choice: to not have any decisions made for them. Global Citizen has a huge concert in New York every September to raise money to end extreme poverty. I’m so grateful to have a platform because of them and participate in their amazing events. Again, I just want girls around the world to have a choice in anything: whether it’s same-sex marriage, or early marriage. When I was in Lusaka, I met women whose fathers tried to sell them into marriages at the age of 13. So many women who had wanted to go to school and pursue a profession had been forced into early marriages. When I first heard it, especially coming from these women firsthand, I just bawled my eyes out. I was able to see the different sorts of struggles we all have globally. For me, it was my struggle with my dad’s addiction. For them, it was their struggles with early and forced marriages. Obviously, those are very different extremes, but I was able to connect with these women from a different continent just based on our struggles growing up. I want to continue to take advantage of my platform to speak to different women around the world.

CF: After years performing and on the road, what lessons do you have for college-aged women?

SB: With performing, I’ve learned the value of practice and dedication. If you want to become good at anything, you have to dedicate time and practice. I’ve had to practice and work hard everyday to become better in every aspect of my career: singing, dancing, songwriting. But you also have to love it. Your parents can say they want you to do something, but if you don’t say what you want to do and find your passion you won’t be able to dedicate yourself to it. I’m lucky that I found my passion so early on in life, but college and your teens and twenties in general are all about self-discovery and figuring out your passions. I just think that if you want to be happy in life, you have to love what you do no matter what.

Words by Cameron Forbes

Graphic Design by Anna Diemel  

Sophie / Instagram / Website / YouTube / Spotify / Apple Music