Sophie Lloyd: Beating Imposter’s Syndrome
The internet can be a wonderful place. Well, when it’s not full of incels or argumentative comment sections, that is. A lot of celebrities can attribute their careers and success from the meteoric rise of social media, but over the last decade it has proved to be the most fertile breeding ground for musicians and artists of all genres. YouTube and TikTok has led to the rise of artists like Jared Dines and Rob Scallon and rewarded them with dedicated fanbases and millions of clicks. One other artist that has reaped the success of an internet career is guitarist Sophie Lloyd. With an online career that spans over 11 years and over a million YouTube subscribers, it’s about time she released her debut album.
“We’ve had a lot of difficulty getting here, a lot of blood, swear and tears, but for it to be here to finally be hearing people’s opinions on it and everything is just so incredible,” she says. “It just feels amazing; like a weight has been lifted.”
The album is the result of over three years of hard work, beginning the writing process in 2020 before moving into the studio a year later and features some incredible artists from around the world. People like Inglorious’ Nathan James or Marisa Rodriguez of Marisa and the Moths are an integral part of Lloyd’s local scene and longtime friends. Others, however, took a little more work to lock down.
“It was kind of a shot in the dark when we started thinking of names. I sort of had my dream list which had all these voices that I grew up listening to – they were like the soundtrack to my childhood.” These people included some of the biggest names in alternative music: Lzzy Hale, Steel Panther’s Michael Starr and Matt Heafy. No big deal, right? That’s exactly how Sophie Lloyd saw her approach to contacting them.
“I literally just messaged some people on Instagram. I sort of sent them a message being like ‘hi, this might be a bit of a long shot but I’m writing this album and I’d love to collaborate with you’.” she says. “I sent them my YouTube channel and the sort of stuff I write with a little pitch about what the album was about, what it meant to me and everything. I find if you just ask people, a lot of people are willing to work on music, especially during the pandemic when people aren’t touring and are looking for projects.”
So, the timing worked out strangely well. Paired with the lack of complexity that would be expected when arranging such a mammoth project as Imposter Syndrome. “It gets complex towards the end when you’re trying to figure out a release date and you’ve got 11 different labels and managers and everything,” laughs Lloyd. “I was surprised by how simple it was and how many of these people were up for it as well. So that was really cool.”
Sophie Lloyd thinks of the album as an ode to her younger self. A guitarist since the age of 10 and a First Class Honours student from the prestigious BIMM, Lloyd has used her talents to honour her influences and amassed a dedicated following that they would no doubt be envious of. While classmates at school may have been out and about partying, Sophie Lloyd would spend her free time practising guitar after school, mastering her craft.
“This album is like an ode to my 15-year-old self. I kind of wrote an album that she wanted and would want to listen to, and I think she would definitely be very happy,” she says. “It makes you kind of think back on everything you’ve built and it’s a really, really cool feeling.”
During the writing process for Imposter Syndrome, Lloyd used her internet following to involve audiences and begin to revolutionize the process for a more modern audience. “I had Matt Heafy and Brandon Saller writing their parts on Twitch, which was fun because I got to input and we also got input from the fans,” she reflects. “It was definitely a unique way of writing but next year I’m looking forward to writing in the studio with people.”
Utilising social media in the way that Sophie Lloyd has is extremely beneficial to a scene that, on the surface, is terrified of it. “The world is moving that way and people can fight it for as long as they want,” says Lloyd. Plain and simple. “There’s a lot of dinosaurs in the industry but people just need to embrace it a little bit more, even if it might be annoying. Just find your space on there – there’s a space for everyone on social media, that’s the joy of it. You’ll find anything you like there.”
As harsh as it may seem, in an industry that is dominated by older men social media is often seen as hindrance rather than something that can be extremely beneficial for all industry professionals, be it musicians or otherwise. “It’s the easiest time to get discovered; there’s so many ways to get yourself out there, but it’s also very oversaturated,” Lloyd adds. “This is the way it’s going and I’m glad you be a part of it. When I started, I didn’t think I would be a content creator or anything, that was never really a thing. I just joined YouTube because I didn’t have any friends, or any that played music at least, that were into rock music. That was my way of trying to get into the music scene, so I think it’s really cool that its giving people the opportunity to put themselves in the public eye when they don’t come from a well-connected background.”
While social media is decidedly a great tool for musicians, there will always be sceptics. Musicians like Sophie Lloyd have had their career put into question by naysayers that see social media musicians as a gimmick or passing trend. But surely her career as a touring musician with Machine Gun Kelly and her debut album release could prove that this is a much-needed change that is bringing the music industry into this century.
“I’ve definitely butted heads with a lot of people that will always be like ‘oh, you’re a bedroom guitarist’, but that’s the way things are now,” she reflects. “It got into my head and that’s where a lot of the imposter syndrome and performance anxiety I had came from because I was just doing it behind a screen. You can edit it and do as many takes as you want.”
There is undoubtedly a huge difference between this side of Lloyd’s career and the one that has come in recent years post-pandemic, when she was headhunted by Machine Gun Kelly to become part of his touring party. “When I switched to the live scene and MGK took a chance on me, that’s where you really prove to everyone else and yourself that you are more than that. It was a crazy switch.”
From home studio covers to arenas in a matter of weeks should give the cynics enough of a reason to keep quiet about just how beneficial social media can be to musicians. “I love social media; that’ll always be my first love,” reflects Lloyd. “You can do it and pay the bills now. If you want to be an electric guitarist, just do it… and then you get to stay home with your pets all day.”
