Sophia Galaté doesn’t just write songs, she turns emotions into entire worlds. On For My Own Entertainment, the Canadian pop artist leans into every side of herself: bold, vulnerable, chaotic, confident, and sometimes all at once. The result is a project that feels as intimate as a late-night conversation but as vibrant as the live shows that inspired it. As Galaté prepares to take the album on the road and explore new live recordings, she opens up about trusting her instincts, building genuine connections with fans, and why sometimes the best career moves happen completely unplanned.
_
People often say that you don’t just sing—you make listeners feel. When did you first recognize that emotional connection as the core of your artistry?
Sophia: A few times actually. I love that you’re starting with this question. Growing up, I was somebody who suppressed my emotions. Even though I knew I was emotional underneath everything, I kind of took on the identity of the girl who was “too cool” and didn’t have feelings. There were a lot of repercussions from that in my personal life. I didn’t actually start writing music until around 2018 or 2019. I’d always been a singer and had performed since I was young. I remember one moment that really stood out to me. A girl who became my friend through my music—she was a fan—introduced me to one of her friends at a show. Not my show, just a show we were attending. Her friend was going through a tough time, and our mutual friend said, “Oh, Sophia is the perfect person for that. She’s so emotional and knows how to express her feelings.” I was shocked that someone described me that way. I realized my music is where that part of me comes through to people. It’s almost like my music smacks me in the face sometimes—like it becomes my therapist. That was a really eye-opening moment.
Now I’m much more aware of it. The greatest compliments I get after shows are when fans say things like, “It felt like I was just hanging out with you in your living room.” I’m very conversational on stage and tell stories, and there’s a lot of crowd interaction. Sometimes women tell me, “You make me feel so good to be a woman.” Those things are way more valuable to me than someone saying, “That song sounded good.” Everyone expects the voice to be good. But what matters to me is what people felt.
When someone says, “I feel seen,” that’s when I realize my purpose goes beyond just being a singer.
Your current era feels bigger in every way—production, visuals, confidence. What clicked creatively that allowed you to expand your sound without losing that intimacy?
Sophia: That’s another great question. It’s something I thought about very carefully for about a year before I even started putting the album together.
My first EP, which was self-titled, had a very jazzy, lounge vibe. I would straighten my hair, wear long black dresses, and lean into that sensual intimacy.
When I moved into this era, I wanted to show the fun, obnoxious side of my personality. I’m really funny, clever, and sometimes super extra. Luckily the songs started coming out that way naturally.
Visually, I wanted things to be colorful. I wanted my hair bigger and more natural. I just wanted to show another side of myself. I’m actually not that chill as a person, so I think people needed to see that boldness.
How would you describe the version of yourself who made For My Own Entertainment compared to the artist you were a few years ago?
Sophia: I think it’s really about believing that I’m a superstar.
I’m very hands-on with everything. Everything you see visually—I’m the creative director and the visionary behind it. I think I’m just more shameless now.
I’ve always had clever lyrics, even in older songs, but this time I felt more daring. The reason the album is called For My Own Entertainment is because I’m someone who says yes to things “for the plot.” I live my life by my own rules—even with my career.
Everything I’m doing is because I wanted to do it, not because of someone else’s timeline or expectations.
There’s a timeless quality to your sound, yet it still feels fresh. What does “timeless” mean to you as a songwriter?
Sophia: Timeless means pulling influences from different eras so that it almost doesn’t matter when the music is released.
People get caught up in always listening to the newest music. But sometimes someone discovers one of my songs from four years ago, and for them it’s brand new. If something can connect with someone at any time, that’s what timelessness means to me.
For My Own Entertainment feels like a declaration of autonomy, joy, and self-trust. What were you giving yourself permission to claim while making the album?
Sophia: Permission to claim every part of myself.
Even with the way I post on social media, sometimes I share provocative or very vulnerable things that a lot of people wouldn’t share. The album represents all sides of me.
Some albums have one consistent theme throughout. My album has a song for everyone. There’s a song about being sad, a song about being happy, a song about going out with your girlfriends, a song about staying inside and not talking to anyone.
There are songs about not having feelings for people, and songs about having feelings for people. It really represents the full range of human emotions while still feeling cohesive.
If this album is meant to be experienced both alone and live, what do you hope listeners discover when they spend real time with it?
Sophia: With my previous EP there was a standout song called “Intimate Feeling.” It was by far the most popular one.
With this album, it’s different. There’s something for everyone. Each song is someone’s favorite for a different reason.
When people come to my shows, I hope they take whatever they need from the experience. Maybe they’re happy, maybe they’re sad. Sometimes people go to concerts and everyone is excited, but maybe someone in the audience is going through something and needs to hear a sad song.
So I just want people to take whatever they need.
You’ve toured across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., performing in cities like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. How have those audiences shaped your confidence as a performer?
Sophia: Most of those performances were opening slots, and opening for someone is always a test of your artistry.
For the most part I’ve been really well received and respected as an opener. There was only one time where the crowd talked loudly through my whole set and nobody was really paying attention—but that’s part of the experience.
Overall, it’s been very positive.
What have those opening experiences taught you about your versatility?
Sophia:
I opened for LOONY—she’s from Toronto—on her entire tour a couple of years ago. That was one of the greatest experiences because it was my first long tour.
The first time you do something like that, there’s this sense of bliss. After you do it more, you become a little more jaded.
Those experiences showed me that I’m capable of doing a lot on my own. When you’re opening, the budget is usually small, so you often can’t bring a full team. I’ve always self-managed a lot of parts of my career, so that independence really helped.
You worked behind the scenes in the music industry before stepping fully into your own artistry. How does that knowledge empower you now?
Sophia: It’s a blessing and a curse.
The blessing is that I understand how systems work and I know people in the industry. A lot of artists are very emotional and creative but not always organized. I’m actually very managerial and organized.
The curse is that because I know how much work things take, it’s hard for me to delegate or ask for help.
I also understand the political side of the industry—how sometimes things happen for reasons that have nothing to do with talent. When things don’t go a certain way, I often know exactly why.
But it’s also cool because a lot of people I work with now are people I knew when I worked on the industry side. I used to send the emails that my agent’s assistant sends me now. Experiencing that full circle is really surreal.
Your music has found a strong life online, especially through TikTok and YouTube. How do you balance digital discovery with building genuine fan relationships?
Sophia: My relationship with my fans is the most important thing to me.
I spend a lot of time talking to them directly in DMs. They spend their hard-earned money supporting me and coming to shows, so I want to acknowledge that.
A lot of artists don’t respond to fans, but for me that’s my bread and butter. It’s actually why I’ve been able to tour so early in my career.
On social media, I try to balance polished, aesthetic content with really raw moments. TikTok is where I’m usually just making videos in my bedroom, looking messy and responding to people.
Most artists have a love-hate relationship with social media, but honestly I couldn’t do any of this without TikTok.
With live releases, a headline tour, and a live deluxe album on the way, what excites you most about the next phase of this era?
Sophia: One thing I’m trying to work on is planning less and leaving room for things I can’t plan.
When you’re an early-stage artist without unlimited resources, you end up obsessively planning every detail. Last year I planned everything, and I was really stressed.
Some of the best things that have happened in my career were completely unplanned. For example, I have a song called “Room in My World.” It wasn’t even supposed to be on the album. I teased it on TikTok because I was trying to pitch it to another artist, and TikTok blew it up and asked me to release it.
So I pushed back my planned single and released that instead.
I want to leave space for moments like that.
How do live recordings change the way you hear your own songs?
Sophia: I love live versions. I’ve always preferred live music.
My favorite artists are musicians who can take a song and play it differently live. That’s magical to me.
Sometimes I play with different musicians in different cities, and they interpret the songs differently than my regular band. That actually gives me ideas. Sometimes I even play songs live before recording them because it helps me figure out the best arrangement.
Looking ahead, what parts of your artistry are you still excited to explore?
Sophia: I’m excited about not knowing.
I haven’t been writing new music lately because I just released an album and I’m about to go on tour. But I’m excited to see what happens next—who I collaborate with and where the music goes.
I also wonder if I’ll move on from pink. Pink has kind of been the color of this era. I’m curious what the next color will be.
Want to see Sophia Galaté live? CLICK HERE!
