Sophie Aspin chats to Blackpool Social Club about her new single
“Original, I’m no remix/ stepped up in my Jordan Ones cause that’s what a queen is,” spits Sophie Aspin on a brand new single. The 20-year-old rapper wants to show us all she’s grown up – but lost none of her sense of humour.
Don’t Take It Serious is a tongue-in-cheek take down of anyone who doubted her as a serious artist and the online hate that’s been directed her way since she featured in the notorious Noisey documentary The Controversial Rise of Blackpool Grime and the subsequent Channel 4 series It’s Grime Up North.
“They like me cause they know I’m fresh/ Well dressed, don’t care if I’ve got no chest/ Hate on me but you know I still flex,” Sophie declares on the single that blends her drill-rap lyrical prowess with slick latin beats, courtesy of Grammy-winning production trio Oct8ves (Nat Powers, J Mills & Kevin Gani).
Sophie was just 14 when she featured in the Noisy documentary, and 17 when Channel 4 producers promised to set the record straight with a follow-up documentary that seemingly went on to further exploit the young grime artists in its sight. But despite the scathing view the documentaries presented it was clear from both that Sophie had a genuine talent, a brilliant sense of humour, clear ambition and a sensible head on her shoulders.
Clad in the expensive trappings of success in a video that was filmed within the historic Lytham Hall and the World War II hanger at Blackpool Airport, Sophie’s fast flowing lyrics tell us she’s been working hard out of limelight: “In silence I’ve been a grafter/ Been making all of that bag/ Saving all of that cash/ Load it straight to my bank.”
Following the Noisey documentary Sophie was taken under House Of Wingz management, which sits within Blackpool’s Skool of Street, and the mentorship of Sam and Aishley Docherty-Bell. Everyone is welcome within their graffiti-clad four walls and they’re building a steady reputation for guiding kids in Blackpool with a passion for street culture – be it in music, fashion, graffiti, skateboarding, dance or theatre – onto a successful creative path.
Sophie gave Blackpool Social Club an exclusive first interview following the release of Don’t Take It Serious, where she talked about the song, working with House of Wingz and Oct8ves, her reputation and her future, which includes the imminent arrival of a baby girl.
How has life changed for you in the years since the Noisey documentary?
My life has changed dramatically. The Noisey documentary was a long time ago and I have grown up since then. I’ve been signed with wonderful management, I’ve been able to make plenty of connections in the music industry and I’ve been able to go from being a young girl to someone who looks at the music industry in a much more professional way. I’ve been able to handle things much better and have much more of an understanding of things.
Do you think there’s still a grime scene in Blackpool and do you consider yourself part of it?
There is still very much a grime scene in Blackpool and I do think that me and the other people that were in the limelight at the time of the documentaries are a massive inspiration to that. But I don’t consider myself part of it anymore. I consider myself part of Blackpool’s music movement, just not necessarily grime.
Tell us how you came to work with Oct8ves and how it helped you develop your sound?
I started working with Oct8ves when my management put me in touch with someone very special called Nat Powers and luckily we just clicked. We spent some time trial and erroring my new sound. It had been a long time since I’d done music and I was kind of unsure what direction I wanted to go in and I wanted to be taken more seriously. It’s been a long process but we’ve got there by experimenting with different sounds and finding which work for me and which don’t. Nat has been absolutely amazing with that – I got really lucky.
What has working with House of Wingz offered you?
It has massively helped guide me onto my career path. When I first started working with Sam and Aish I was just a 15 year old who didn’t really know what direction I wanted to go in. Obviously the music had started but I didn’t really know where I wanted to go with it and at that point it was a dead end. Sam and Aish invested in me like no one else and I put them through so much stress with it. They invested so much and didn’t get a lot in return for a long time and they just helped guide me. I call them my ‘mumagers’ because they’ve helped me not only find myself in the sense of music but grow up into the person that I am now. And they do that with a lot of other people as well. They’ve changed my life massively.
What are you exploring lyrically in Don’t Take It Serious?
It’s in the name. It’s about the hype that surrounds music – the money, the flashy car, the jewellery, the alcohol, the clothes the trainers. When in fact non of that’s real and it’s about not taking any of that serious. It’s got a cheeky vibe to it but it’s got meaning to it as well.
Where do you think your resilience and ability to not take things to heart online and beyond come from?
It’s just come with time. From being pushed in the deep end at such a young age you kind of do just become numb to it and stop acknowledging it. You might catch me on a bad day where I’ll spot a comment and I’ll fixate on it but over time I have kind of chosen to become numb to it. Recently, more so over the past year or so, the reactions to me have become more positive than negative and that helps a lot. Obviously not everyone’s going to like you and like what you do – I say this in my song – and that’s fine, I don’t expect people to and I know how to shut off from it.
What’s next for you?
I’m expecting my little girl and I know a lot of people will be expecting me to stop music because of that but that’s not the case at all. I can do both. My morals have changed in the sense of I’m promoting being positive about yourself so my next move is to say it’s not going to be all about being a mum. Just because I’m a mum doesn’t mean I can’t continue on the career I’ve been guided on and it’s about inspiring others to do the same.
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