Musician Sophia James is stepping into a new phase of her career with the release of her personal EP, The Wrong Shoe Theory, on Friday, May 1.
“This has been the most exciting and explorative era of music I’ve ever experienced,” she shares. “I’m really pushing my boundaries — sonically, genre-wise, instrumentation-wise. I used to stay in a singer-songwriter box, but with this project, I’ve allowed myself to explore absurdity, anger, delusion, excitement, tenderness — really the extremes of emotion in a way I never have before. It’s been such a fun process. I hope everyone who wants to make an album gets to.”
James, who once described herself as “very strict” about “not co-writing or collaborating” with others, began working with Alex Bilowitz in 2023. The collaboration marked a shift in her creative approach.
“We had an instant musical connection that opened up a whole new creative world,” she explains. “The first song we wrote together, ‘Little Bit Better,’ is on the EP, and we both felt like it was unlike anything we’d ever made or heard. That energy pushed us to keep going, and we ended up with a collection of songs that feel electric and completely our own. Having another voice in the room made everything less insular. It’s also been a huge learning experience — I’m getting more into production, and Alex is incredible at it. I feel like I’m getting a master’s degree in making a record.”
James admits this project is deeply rooted in her personal experiences.
“I like honing in on a specific emotion and translating that into music,” she says. “We’ve been working on this album for three years, so I’ve done a lot of living in that time. I also bent my own rules with writing — especially the idea that everything has to ‘make sense.’ Some songs intentionally don’t. There’s one called ‘You Make Me So Happy I Want to Die,’ which completely defies traditional structure. But that aligns with my worldview — nothing really makes sense anyway, so I’ve leaned into playfulness and absurdity.”
She also cites several artists as inspirations, including Billy Joel, Sting, Carole King, Stevie Wonder, Jeff Buckley, The Beatles, Talking Heads, and David Byrne.
“[David Byrne] is especially inspired by his bizarre, unique way of living. Honestly, I’m inspired by everything I hear, but those are artists I’ve studied deeply,” she adds.
James, who gained recognition after appearing on the 2020 season of American Idol and finishing in the Top 10, has been building her career in showbiz for over a decade. However, she went viral last year with her “Group 7” video.
After writing “So Unfair” alongside Bilowitz, James decided to promote the song on TikTok. Instead of creating elaborate concepts, she simply numbered her videos. “I have posted seven videos tonight and this is the seventh one — just as a little science experiment to see which video gets the most reach,” she said in the final clip. “And I don’t know what that says about you. But you’re in Group 7. Welcome!”
The next morning, the video went viral, with people treating it like a secret club.
“Honestly, I couldn’t stop laughing. It felt absurd. I’d been trying to promote the song for months with all kinds of videos. By the time the viral one happened, I’d completely detached from the outcome and was just posting random, meaningless clips. The fact that that was the one that took off was wild. But there’s a lesson in detachment — you can’t predict what will resonate,” she recalls.
Looking ahead, James is excited about two headlining shows in June — one in Los Angeles and one in New York.
“Then the full-length album is coming later this year, followed by a larger tour,” she reveals. “I grew up in the performing arts and got addicted to it early. There’s something magical about being in a room full of people connected by music. It’s a kind of ‘third space’ we don’t have enough of anymore. It’s also unpredictable — things go wrong, and that makes it exciting. It’s a shared, human experience, and it feels almost spiritual.”
She adds: “If something I wrote helps even one person, that’s all I could ask for. It creates a tangible, emotional connection that’s hard to describe — it’s not just validation, it’s something deeper. I feel incredibly lucky that my music has found its audience.”
Ultimately, she’s excited for people to hear the new tunes. “I designed the EP to hint at what’s coming on the album. It’s called The Wrong Shoe Theory, and it’s intentionally not cohesive — there are wild cards and unexpected elements. I wanted to signal that listeners should expect the unexpected,” she concludes. “I’ve never been more proud of a project. It has a little bit of everything — absurdity, tenderness. Go in with an open mind and open heart. I hope people enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it.”
Listen HERE.
