Sorcha Richardson is an Ireland-born, Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter who began playing guitar and drums before she was a teenager. When that kind of natural musical inclination is in your blood from such an early age, it's hard to turn back. Her natural progession took her through some high school bands—a rite of passage for any budding musician—until a move to New York City at the age of 18 to attend college coincided with finding her voice. After recording some demos, Richardson posted some music online, and the rest was history.
In 2012, Richardson recorded her debut EP, Sleep Will Set Me Free, in the confines of her bedroom, and it provided a glimpse into the deeply personal songwriting and brooding electronic production that would become her trademark. But the watershed moment of Richardson's career so far is song "Petrol Station," a guttural and lean stunner of a track that Richardson told FADER is about "finding comfort in people and places that are familiar, but also the frustration of falling into a routine within a friendship that you don't know how to break, even if you want to." Check it out below, and get to know Sorcha Richardson a little bit better.
How would you describe your aesthetic?
I didn’t know how to answer this question so I started Googling stuff and ended up on a Buzzfeed quiz and I got “You’re a Scandinavian DIY Blog.”
Where do you hope to be professionally in 5 years?
Hopefully making enough money from music so I can invest as much time in it as I want to and explore some ideas on a bigger scale. I wanna be touring lots, working with talented people, just making music that I’m excited about.
What’s your next project?
I’ve been pretty reclusive lately writing lots of new stuff so I think some of those songs will see daylight early next year.
What are you most proud of so far in terms of your career?
I love the Petrol Station music video directed by Abner James. It was a real team effort and we shot it on my birthday with help from a lot of our friends. It was also really the first time I sold out a show in Dublin. I had to sneak in a bunch of people so they could see the show.
What famous person dead or living do most wish you could have as a roommate?
I literally have no idea! I lived on my own for about six months and loved it! I feel like Adele would be a good roommate but I might only be saying that 'cause I’m listening to 25 right now. Most of the time at my apartment we’re drinking tea, watching TV and playing music and I feel like Adele would be on board with that.
What is your favorite driving music?
"All My Friends" by LCD Soundsystem. I’m never in a car though and haven’t driven for about two years but we used to always play that in my car driving around Dublin.
Whose career would you most like to emulate?
Probably someone like Lykke Li or The XX. They both really let their music speak for itself and have a very strong artistic vision in everything they do from their music to videos to live show production. I’m a big fan of both.
If you had to live in a past time, what do you think would be the most fun era and why?
Maybe the '70s because it looks like a party in Almost Famous.
What activities do most enjoy doing alone?
So many things! I love traveling alone. Working alone. I’m generally pretty content in my own company.
How do you wind down before bed?
I read, watch TV, FaceTime a friend somewhere else in the world. A lot of the time I’ll write for a couple hours before going to bed.
When are you most relaxed?
See above! Also just getting out of New York for a couple days every now and then is helpful.
What kind of person were you in high school?
Played a lot of sports. Played a lot of music. Made a lot of friends and had a pretty good time!
Can you tell me a quality about yourself that you are genuinely proud of?
I’m pretty relaxed and generally have a positive outlook on stuff. I don’t know if that’s something that I’m proud of but it definitely makes life more pleasant!
Do you have any phobias?
Sea creatures ... anything that moves in the sea.
What’s a serious side of you that people are unlikely to know about? Either in terms of interests, hobbies, or personality?
The most played song in my iTunes is a concerto by Mozart ("Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K488" to be exact). I don’t listen to a lot of that type of music at all but I had to study that piece for an exam a few years ago and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since.
What are some new hobbies you would like to take on?
I’d just like to get better at stuff. I’m trying to get better at piano and I recently started play bass so I’d like to get better at that.
What are some of your favorite Internet “memes” of all time?
This question just sent me down a really weird rabbit hole on the Internet trying to find a good meme. I don’t think I feel strongly enough about any of them to call one my favourite. I still have a flip phone so I’m really not really a good person to ask for this.
How do you hope to grow as a creative person?
Just by writing as much as I can—which I’ve been doing a lot of lately—and by mixing up the process of how I write, challenging myself to break some habits I have as a writer and musician and seeing where that takes me.
If there was a phrase that you think best sums up your approach to life what might it be?
Worry won’t stop the bad stuff from happening. It just stops you from enjoying the good stuff. (I saw that in a cartoon yesterday.)
