This year, Sofar celebrated International Women’s Day all month long with 50+ shows featuring all women-identifying lineups, taking place in over 41 cities on six continents. With over 50% of Sofar’s full-time staff identifying as women in a traditionally male-dominated industry, our teams around the world wanted to make a global effort to celebrate the women in our artist, host, guest and team communities. Here’s a look back at a few moments from the shows:
We came, we saw, we South By-ed. Some of the Sofar crew hit up SXSW this year to discover new music live at Austin's mega festival. They share the best sets that stood out above all, below and in this handy playlist:
Since Shawnee Dez first performed at Sofar Chicago nearly three years ago, she’s become a hometown favorite, performing at over 20 Sofars. Watch a few seconds of her cover of “I’d Rather Go Blind” and it’s easy to see why. Shawnee talks to us about being a part of the ever-changing and influential Chicago music scene, some of her favorite artists today and more:
The southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre, meaning “joyful harbor”, lies where five rivers converge to form a large lagoon, making it home to legendary sunsets at Guaíba Lake. Today, the city is marked by a cultural eclecticism that combines traditional bohemia, carnival parties, many green parks and historic buildings, a rich local music scene and of course, the magic of Sofar! Get to know the city with Sofar Porto Alegre team member Ismael, who shares his favorite under-the-radar spots and recent favorite alumni in a playlist.
There’s a lot of love behind Sofar Santa Barbara: City Leader Sophia started the local chapter nearly two years ago with her then-boyfriend and audio engineer Barrett. A few months ago, Sophia and Barrett celebrated their wedding! Sophia shares their story:
Couldn’t make it to all 500 shows we hosted last month? Us neither! That’s why we asked our city leaders around the world for the artist that stood out most to them at their February shows. Grab your headphones and press play on our Now Playing Spotify playlist. Hit “Follow” to stay updated each month with the latest picks.
With hundreds of shows around the world each month, countless memorable moments happen at Sofar. Here are just a few of the special shows we put on in the past few weeks!
Last fall, Sofar sent family band and rising act BAILEN on a 15-stop tour in 12 cities across the East Coast and Midwest of the U.S. We captured video along the way to experience the tour along with them. Hit the road with Sofar and BAILEN:
New York City is known as a world capital of music and fashion, so our friends at ASOS hit up Sofar NYC’s spotlight-stealing artists Camille Trust, Russell Elliot and Foushée to chat all things style. Did you know “'90s Occult Thot” is a style? Now you do thanks to these talented trendsetters. Get a taste of their interviews with ASOS:
We’re so proud to be recognized by Fast Company as the #2 World’s Most Innovative Company in Music for 2019, for reimagining the concert experience through intimate gigs that create meaningful connections between artists and fans.
In an industry typically dominated by men, 50% of Sofar’s full-time team identifies as women. Every year, we take time to celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) with shows around the world the week of March 8th with a lineup of all women-identifying performers.
Take a look below to find the IWD show at your local Sofar. Don’t see it listed? We try to curate a diverse lineup at every Sofar, and always aim to put women musicians at the forefront!
Uruguay is a small country of less than four million people, but has a big presence thanks to its soccer team and famous Mate tea. Uruguay’s biggest city and capital, Montevideo, is just across the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires and situated on the coast. Its laid back, friendly people create a welcoming atmosphere for those who go off the beaten South American path. We discover the city’s best spots thanks to Sofar Montevideo’s City Leader Elisa, who also hand-selected her favorite local Sofar alumni for a playlist.
London-based artist Josh Whitehouse has been in the Sofar community for over 6 years now, performing both solo and with his brother Matt in their band More Like Trees, hosting in his home, and even curating some of the lineups. Like many artists, he’s multi-talented: in the past few years, we’ve been excited to watch his transition to acting in shows like Poldark and the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel. We chat with him about his Sofar beginnings, growing up in a creative family and how his burgeoning acting career got its start:
With 400+ Sofar cities around the world, you may wonder, how do we maintain the Sofar magic in all those cities? One of the ways is through our Global Artist Review Team, led by Emma, based in London, and Steph, based in Denver. When a new Sofar city is starting up, the city leader sends their first three lineups and a back up (10 artists/bands) to the team, made up of Sofar reviewers from around the world. At least seven of the 10 must receive yeses with the lineups, also meeting diversity and show flow criteria before city leaders can move on to next steps of setting up a new Sofar city. We chat more with Steph and Emma about their favorite submissions over the years, how they got involved, and how their team evaluates new artists and lineups:
This month in the U.S. and Canada, we're celebrating the talented, diverse voices in our community. All year long, we get to experience the art of many black artists around the world, but we’re taking time during this Black History Month to shine a light on some of the most memorable performances by black Sofar artists. View more videos on our YouTube or stream our Spotify playlist which features even more artists.
Overwhelmed by the number of music choices out there? Let us do the hard work for you! The Sofar squad from around the world has compiled their top artist picks from December and January’s shows for you.
Press play on our up-to-date Now Playing playlist to hear the Sofar artists we’re loving lately.
We love love! Whether it’s the love between friends or romantic love, Bumble and Sofar Sounds want to help you celebrate this Valentine’s (or Galentine’s!) Day. Tired of the same old routine flowers and chocolate, and want to bond with your friends or significant other in a new way? The Sofar team is here to help with some creative ideas to spend the most love-filled day of the year:
We ask all bands that play Sofar to strip down their usual set for our small capacity environments, but every so often, “stripped down” still includes a dozen+ performers. While we love the quiet intimacy of a duo or solo act, there’s a thrill to experiencing a huge group in a small space all together. Here are the largest acts to ever play Sofar:
With hundreds of shows around the world each month, countless memorable moments happen at Sofar. Here are just a few of the special shows we put on in the past few weeks!
Tired of the same old restaurant reservation or sitting on your couch eating ice cream? Upgrade your Valentine’s Day plans with a Sofar, whether you’re in a couple, looking to celebrate with your gal pals, or in the mood to meet new people!