Sofía Valdés: The Bilingual Sounds’ Winter Showcase with Byron Gonzales

Published by: Matt Blake
Written by: Karissa Kelly
Photos provided by: Liza Kushnir & Matt Mancia

Arroz and Fun, a hip Latin-Asian fusion restaurant and coffee shop, opened their doors to the Bilingual Sounds winter showcase in December, with Panamanian singer-songwriter Sofía Valdés providing her luscious vocals and witty storytelling in support of her self-titled breakout album to seal the deal on a perfect vibe. 

You can listen to Bilingual Sounds locally in Southern California on 88.5 HD3, stream online, or through the free SoCal Sound App!

Getting To Know You

Before taking the stage, Sofía sat down with our Bilingual Sounds curator, Byron Gonzales to chat about the themes of the evening: great food and great music! Valdés tells us that her early inspirations come from listening to the radio or her dad’s CD’s, from Phil Collins to The Beatles, to Seal or even Britney Spears. She recalls the first records she sought out for herself, including Taylor Swift’s Speak Now, as well as the works of Jorge Ben Jor. 

Furthermore, Byron wanted the scoop on her brand new self-titled record. For Sofía, this record was a long-time coming spanning the time from her tumultuous move to Los Angeles, through seven different apartments, (I know, right?) and struggling to find her way. Speaking to the power of music, her record may have been a labor of love, but the vision was always clear and reamined as her light at the end of the tunnel. 

Watch the full performance + interview

‘Barbed Wire’

Her opening song, Barbed Wire, comes with a backstory– but doesn’t every great song have one? Valdés gives us the backstory on the song she wrote about a guy she was convinced was “the one”… until he stood her up several times before finding out he was with someone else. The scandal! Putting heartbreak into her creativity, Valdés’ Barbed Wire taps into the hurt and betrayal of being abandoned by someone who pretended to have any intention of being involved with you, and the self-doubt that comes with it.  

‘How’s That Working Out’

Luckily, there’s a happier ending to that last song. Where there used to be open wounds left by Barbed Wire, the following performance of ‘How’s That Working Out’ is all the reassurance you need that maybe the person who ghosted you and broke your heart isn’t the one. It takes an outsider-looking-in perspective, watching the ghost run around and fall for people who give him a taste of his own medicine, and when he comes crawling back, Valdés stands firm in the reclamation of her power with ardent refusal to ever be the “fall-back” girl. 

‘Tacones Por La Puerta’

Perhaps the most personal and emotionally raw songs she performed, Tacones Por La Puerta or Heels Out The Door is a chronicle of the intricacies of mother-daughter relationships and healing generational wounds. Tacones Por La Puerta ebbs and flows, just as human relationships do, and the internal battle against inheriting your parents’ mistakes is one that most certainly transcends language. Valdés captures it authentically and gracefully, once again employing her talents on the path of conscious healing and restoration of the soul. 

‘Midnight Freak Out’ 

To hammer home her album’s themes of self improvement and healing, Midnight Freak Out takes accountability. In using the little things, like noticing if the other person has changed their hair during your time apart, the narrator of this song holds a deep longing for reconnection with someone they may have hurt. Perhaps this happened when they were less conscious of themself. There is a recognition of personal work still to be done woven from an anxious plea to “mend our damage.” Though the time of night our narrator is reaching out speaks to loneliness, they earnestly beg the question, “would you open your heart/ if I do my part?” 

‘Already Yours’ 

Finally, we arrive at the conclusion of the showcase with Already Yours, a sonic capturing of the liminality of love taking you by surprise. Our narrator may be frightened at the idea of opening themselves up to someone again, but it allures her nonetheless. Between the bending strings and swaying vocals, Already Yours paints the tantalizing soundscape of falling before you’re ready; it’s a kind of fear that feels too good to ignore. 

What’s Next?

For Sofía Valdés, she isn’t stopping her creative flow anytime soon. After the clear success of her new self-titled album that we can’t get enough of on the Bilingual Sounds airwaves, she’ll be taking her hard-earned experience and artistic drive with her on the journey to her next record– and we can’t wait to see what’s in store. 

Special thanks to Arroz and Fun - Los Angeles

The SoCal Sound Sessions, interviews, and performances are filmed and edited by Matt Blake, recorded and mixed by Tristan Dolce. 

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