Sofia Camara has taken the world by storm one platform, country and artist at a time. She’s gone from covering ballads on Youtube to dominating the TikTok universe and being appreciated by Miley Cyrus, Gracie Abrams and Justin Timberlake. From joining Dean Lewis on tour, to featuring on Lewis’s track ‘With You’, all whilst releasing her own EP in March called Was I(t) Worth I(t)., (okay breath).
Several years ago, Camara uploaded a cover of John Legend’s ‘All of Me’ to YouTube. “I had no idea what was going to come out of it, I just wanted to see what would happen.” Little did she know she’d be pinching herself very soon: “The headline shows in London and Amsterdam, those moments were surreal”.
Fast forward a year and a half and she’s preparing to headline the Electric Brixton. “It doesn’t matter if its five, 10, 1,000, 20,000 people, it’s so rewarding in that moment.”
Arguably what makes Sofia Camara stand out in 2025’s era of pop is her ability to proudly display vulnerability in her songwriting: “When you sit in the studio for so long, you sometimes wonder can I really sing? Can I really write? Does anyone care to listen?” Camara never hides self-doubt but moreover uses it as a tool to deepen her feelings of emotion. Mental health has always been at the forefront of Camara’s image: “My anxiety effects the way I sleep, the way I wake up, what I do, what I say, everything.”
She’s learned to step back every now and again and take a breath. Songwriting can often be a double-edged sword, writing is naturally cathartic but also revolves around self-reflection which is confronting at the best of times. Remembering that the “people in the room love and care about me” helps keep Camara feeling supported in the studio.
Performing is naturally Sofia’s first love; connecting with audiences, seeing their faces light up and communicating through songs, “it feels like holding the trophy,” she admits. It’s not hard to separate Camara from the many other young vocalist climbing through the ranks; she has the belt of a Broadway singer mixed with a luxurious falsetto range, it’s no surprise she admits: “There is nothing I would do if I couldn’t do this.”
In late 2024 Camara travelled to New York City along with the likes of Renee Rap, Gigi Perez and Towa Bird to recorded a selection of songs as VEVO’s DSCVR Artists of the Year. Camara spent time recording Live studio versions of ‘Starlight’, ‘Who Do I Call Now (Hellbent)’ and ‘Girls Like You’: “I’m honestly still processing things like that, its really surreal.”
In all the success there are always moments of struggle and Camara response is nothing sort of professional. “Artists get pressured to make it perfect and some things you can’t control… and the behind the scenes get ignored half the time.”
Take touring for example, “It’s a lot of travelling and then it’s like, wake up in the morning to do a long press day and then, you know, go do sound check and then you forget something in the hotel or in another country and it’s just crazy because so many people don’t recognise how much goes into like just an hour of a show.”
When initially touring with Dean Lewis, there were periods during the tour, including before a show at Wembley Arena, where herself and the rest of the team all got terribly sick but in true form her resilience kicked: “I was dying but I was like, this is so perfect. I wouldn’t want to change a single thing”.
Prior to this, whilst opening for Lewis in Manchester, she felt so overcome with adrenaline during her performance of ‘Who do you Call now (Hellbent)’ that she performed the whole song on her knees. “I’m like, if I faint, at least I won’t be so far from the ground that, like I’ll smack my head.” It’s clear from our conversation that Sofia Camara thinks of every little detail before, during and after a performance, making sure to not only excuse every moment but to live those moments to their fullest.
Camara’s dream collaborator is an easy choice, that being fellow Canadian artist Tate McRae. “She could do the dancing, ya know, girl you can take the stage, and I’ll just be floating in the sky,” she joked, before confirming, “I think she is extremely talented.”
Gracie Abrams is her current songwriting inspiration and in terms of vocals, Adele takes the prize. If you heard Camara’s power ballads ‘Starlight’ or ‘Who Do I Call Now (Hellbent)’ you’d understand. Camara is keeping fans on their toes with her more upbeat most recent single ‘Girls Like You’, “I really wanted to try something different…but also I was scared, you never know how the audience and team are going to take it, changing the look and brand“.
This most recent single took a couple months to develop after originally writing the chorus in a studio session. “I can only write on piano, it’s very rare that we use guitar – we try every time and I’m like ‘guys, I can’t do it’,” Camara laughed talking me through the writing process. Apparently the music is the first to work itself out, “the melody, the vibe, because it all depends on what story you want to tell – find the right chords, find the right key and then go into the lyrics.”
Sofia Camara’s music career blossomed beautifully through the use of TikTok of which she shared her gratitude for, “If it wasn’t for social media, I know that I wouldn’t be here, it’s definitely given me so many opportunities which I’m so grateful for.” However Camara maturely doesn’t shy away from her honest opinion regarding the flip side to social media. “The criticism online or the fear of, you know, wanting to protect your family and your loved ones and there’s such a mixed balance of it, of emotions.”
Camara tries as much as possible to use her social platforms to “create that relationship with fans — you want them to feel heard and listened to.” More than anything Sofia Camara is taking every moment as it comes — preparing for her upcoming tour, writing new music and trying to stay as honest and true to herself as possible (whilst keeping all the nerves in check).
Camara recently released her brand new single ‘Parking Lot’ an emotional ballad with lyrical and vocal sprinklings of Olivia Rodrigo and Gracie Abrams, ‘but I don’t wanna let you go/holding on to threads of hope/ I’d rather hate you if I don’t get to have you anymore/ I’m sorry that I’ve been so cold’. ‘Parking Lot’ was initially teased on TikTok, giving fans an exclusive sneak peak into her heartbreak and now it’s out for the world to embrace, being belting by fans at the top of their lungs everywhere.
“I want to travel the world, perform at the Roger Centre in Toronto…I would die! and I have this dream of being a Disney princess,” before rounding off our chat teasing that she’s “super excited for more new stuff coming up but most definitely tour is the most exciting.”
