On September 20, 2017, we threw our biggest event yet! On one day, thousands of artists performed in living rooms all over the world, in over 270 cities, in partnership with Amnesty International to raise money for the 20 million+ refugees worldwide. Thanks to our guests, we helped raise over $180,000 for Amnesty.
One year later, we’re remembering some of our favorite moments from the day, which included performances from Ed Sheeran, Lianne La Havas, Jorja Smith, Local Natives, Alessia Cara and many, many more.
Boston hip-hop artist and poet Oompa first played her local Sofar in March 2018, but has quickly become a part of the Sofar community with four more shows in Boston and one in Atlanta under her belt. She talks with us about what it’s like to express her identity (black, queer, hip-hop artist) in her work, the strength of the under-the-radar Boston hip-hop scene, and more:
Sofar works hard to be a place where everyone can feel welcome, accepted and supported, especially the musicians who share their art with us in a stripped-down, intimate environment. For those used to separation and bright lights that block out the audience via a stage, sometimes the small audience can make artists playing Sofar a little nervous.
In the case of Addy Dhungana, it was just the opposite! The singer-songwriter and guitarist cured her case of stage fright by performing with Sofar Kathmandu. Here’s her story in her own words:
We hosted hundreds of artists in intimate spaces around the world last month. Wonder who stuck out most to us? Each month, we compile our city leaders’ favorites in a Spotify playlist. Make sure you hit “follow” to keep updated!
London, England: it’s where Sofar all began almost ten years ago! You know famous sites like Buckingham Palace and Big Ben, but we asked London City Director Natasha to share her favorite lesser-known spots that everyone should check out. To listen while you read: some of Sofar London’s most recent favorite alumni!
We’re lucky to have designers from around the world share their talent and creativity with us when they make custom posters for our shows. Here’s a small selection of our latest faves!
As you can imagine at a company focused on giving rising artists a platform, we listen to a whole lot of music. As part of a new seasonal music preview, the Sofar team is sharing what new artists we’ve got on repeat heading into the latter part of 2018.
None of these artists have played Sofar (yet!); we’re just major fans!
One of the coolest things about being in 400+ cities around the world is getting introduced to new artists from a completely different country. We like to think of it as travel through music! These are the videos you’re loving most by continent.
The world is a big place, but having a Sofar community that spans over 400 cities means that there’s a friendly face waiting for you in most corners of the globe! Many of our Sofar team members have been able to form friendships through Sofar while meeting up with other city leaders in their travels abroad. Here are just a few of those stories:
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!
Depending on the show, you can find some of our Sofar City Leaders both behind the scenes and in front of the crowd. Which came first, the Artist or the City Leader? Read on to find out!
Clyde Lawrence, Cody Fitzgerald and Dolapo Akinkugbe are no strangers to Sofar. They’ve all played Sofars over the years with their own bands – Clyde’s soul-pop group Lawrence, Cody’s indie rock band Stolen Jars and Dolapo’s rap project DAP The Contract. They’ve recently joined together to form Hi-Lo Jack, who just played their first Sofar united in NYC this summer. (Psst… it was also their second show as a group ever!)
We chat with Clyde, Dolapo and Cody about meeting at Brown, balancing the new project with their existing ones and what’s next.
Over Sofar’s nine years, we’ve hosted many acts who have gone on to make huge waves in the music industry, from Bastille to Leon Bridges to Andra Day and many more. Here’s the latest class of artists we have our eyes on, and you should too!
Even though we’re based around the world, we all have something in common at Sofar: we love discovering new artists, exploring unfamiliar genres and experiencing live music together that we otherwise wouldn’t have sought out. With so much music readily available at our fingertips, it can be hard to sort through it all and find the music you connect with the most. So, we’re going to Sofar Gainesville City Leader Brandon to find out his top tips for finding your new favorite artist!
You may notice – no mention of Spotify or other data-driven playlists! We’re a big fan of streaming and its recommendations, but Brandon presents a more personal approach to music discovery. Take it away, Brandon:
Joshua Luke Smith is a regular at Sofars across Europe, so when it came time to hit the US on tour, he chose to do a 13 city Sofar run. From New York City to San Francisco this spring, the UK hip-hop and spoken word artist saw the country through intimate shows with our community. We hit the road with him to see the US through his eyes!
Amy Noonan is no stranger to the showbiz scene, but her new R&B/hip-hop project Qveen Herby had never had a live show – at least until last week! She chose a secret Sofar Sounds Los Angeles show as the spot to debut her live performance. The show took place in the beautiful outdoor California weather, with other sets from WESLEY and The Delirians.
Hear from Qveen Herby herself why she chose Sofar for the debut performance:
New music is in the air, courtesy of our City Leaders’ picks for their favorite artists to play with Sofar in July. Each month, we gather the tracks that stood out most to us in our Now Playing playlist. Tip: hit “follow” to stay updated each month!
Catalyst Ranch has quickly become one of our favorite places to host Sofars in Chicago over the past year, thanks to its quirky and colorful space. The West Loop events space injects some fun in everything from corporate meetings to weddings to Sofars. Read on for our chat with Kim Jean from Catalyst Ranch!
Five-time Sofar alum and pianist Tokio Myers’ career has changed plenty since his first performance at Sofar London in 2015. He’s since gone on to win Britain’s Got Talent and support Lianne La Havas on tour after playing a Sofar show together. With his success, he’s helping to lift other emerging artists by selecting Sofar alumni as his openers for his recent UK tour.
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!