Sophia Mengrosso was a teenager when she stumbled upon the music video for the Evanescence song “Bring Me to Life,” which would serve as her introduction to rock music after growing up playing piano and harp and classical music.
“I just liked the visuals, I liked the notes and the musicality,” she says. “Ever since I started listening to rock music, I just like the way they organize the music. There are a lot of classical elements in it; a lot of similarities between rock and classical styles. Now I see concerts by bands like Evanescence and they bring the whole orchestra to the concert. I find there to be a very organic flow between the two genres.”
There’s at least one big difference, though: for Mengrosso, no other genre can match the powerful nature of rock music. It became a way for her to express herself––and her own powerful vocals after training as an opera singer. After years of analyzing the music and exploring her own style, the songwriter had built up such a catalogue that she decided it was finally time to share her work with the world.
She released her debut single, “Dream,” last summer, and has since released three more tracks––all featuring blistering guitars and distortion, as well as Mengrosso’s mezzo-soprano voice.
“I had so many ideas and I couldn’t just keep them to myself,” she says. “Otherwise I wouldn’t feel like I completely fulfilled myself. At some point it wasn’t a choice, it was just happening. Those stories were meant for release.”
In “Demonizer,” one of her four singles, Mengrosso manages to release some pent up anger from her past. The song was inspired by violence she faced while growing up––and watching friends experience similar situations––and Mengrosso says writing a song about it was the only way she knew to help.
“Nobody wanted to hear our voices and do something about it,” she says. “At least I could write something and release my anger and my point of view. It was very chaotic at first, I didn’t have any direction where I wanted to go with it; it was just a bunch of words, just lyrics. When I grew older and could make more sense and reflect on what happened, then I was able to organize it into a song.”
“I just want to let people know that they have to be heard and not be afraid or ashamed and it’s not their fault,” she says. “It’s never your fault as a victim.”
“Demonizer” will be the third track on her upcoming debut album, Unforgiven, which is set for release this year with 13 songs. Each song has a story, and the project builds from track to track. While “Demonizer,”, an early climax of the project, is about claiming back her power, the song “Unforgiven” follows with a “now what?” vibe.
“After you’ve done all that work to not be afraid or ashamed, ‘Unforgiven’ comes next because now you have to work on yourself and your own shadows and see how you’re going to make yourself better now that you’ve done all that other tremendous work,” she says.
The album is a storm that comes and goes, Mengrosso says, just like our own life and emotions.
“Nothing is steady throughout life,” she says. “It always comes in waves and that’s how I want people to relate to this album. Everyone can find something from their own life and experiences with each song.”
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