How Sophia Sayegh found her voice

MAHOPAC, N.Y. —The title of her debut single may be “APATHY,” but the word couldn’t be farther from Sophia Sayegh’s feelings about music.

The Mahopac native’s love affair with the art form began at an early age and has been building ever since. She was just 6 years old when she started playing the piano, as did her siblings. But while brother Alex and sister Susannah weren’t as drawn to the instrument, Sophia found the connection immediate and undeniable.

The more she learned, the more her passion grew. She loved how music allowed her to express herself, the sounds it created, and the inspiring way her piano teacher brought it to life.

“It was almost as if the keys were an extension of her body,” Sayegh, 24, said. “Something about it just felt so magical — sounds can create so much emotion. It was a skill that I just had to have.”

Sophia would go on to learn cello and bass and develop her singing voice to go with her keyboard skills, taking part in school ensembles and, eventually, writing her own songs.

Sophia is the daughter of Amy Sayegh, the chair of the Putnam County Legislature, who said she always wanted to involve her children in the arts.

“She became a wonderful piano student and rose to a high level,” Amy said of Sophia, who performed at Caramoor in Katonah, Steinway Hall in Manhattan, and other piano studios. She also played at Carnegie Hall with the Mahopac High School orchestra.

“Music has always been a part of who Sophia is and all she wanted to pursue,” Amy added.

While all her siblings learned an instrument, music has always meant something deeper for Sophia. And as she became more serious about the craft, she knew that “this is what I’m going to be doing for my life.”

“When you’re on stage, and you’re performing, and you know what you’re doing, and you’ve been practicing for a while — it’s like laying everything out on the stage,” she said. “It’s almost like a high when you get up, and it’s just the best feeling I think I’ve ever experienced in my life. It’s my favorite feeling to perform. I love music so deeply.”

The Mahopac High School grad is currently living with her sister in Marietta, Georgia. She hadn't initially anticipated moving down to the Peach State when Susannah started studying to be a chiropractor in April 2022. But Sophia — who was working four jobs up here — eventually decided she needed a change.

It turned out that moving south would help her find her path in life.

“Making my own music is something that I always kind of knew that I wanted to do,” she said. “What I’m doing now is something I’ve wanted to do for years.”

She said one thing was holding her back: She didn’t know how to record and produce music that sounded the way she imagined it in her mind.

“I think for a while, I just was kind of embarrassed to ask for help because I didn’t think anyone would really take me seriously,” she explained.

Sayegh, who releases music under her first and middle names, Sophia Ellen, started to develop her sound after connecting with Atlanta-based producer and mix engineer Mack Woodward.

“He taught me how to create this music that I enjoy listening to,” said Sayegh, who sings and plays cello, keys, and bass on all her tracks.

The songs started to come together after she showed Woodward, 42, the music and artists she was interested in, and the vibe she wanted to create with her own work.

“He helped me set things up, record, and use the studio space — anything he had at his disposal, I also had at my disposal in the studio,” Sayegh said.

Woodward told Mahopac News that he met Sophia through a music production school program. They “stayed in touch, and [she] continued to stop by the studio to observe.”

In Sophia, Woodward saw “so much talent,” which made him want to work with her.

“It was really just a matter of taking the mystery out of the music production process for her,” he said. “I knew if we could do that, we could get her rolling in a big way.”

With Woodward’s help, Sophia has already released two songs this year: “APATHY” in January, and “Grudge” in February. Woodward said the “honesty” and “rawness” of Sophia’s music will resonate with listeners.

Her first single, “APATHY,” offers an updated take on an ’80s dance vibe, with the chorus lyric — “I don’t care enough” — perhaps reflecting what her life might be like without music.

Driven by a push-pull groove and spiky harmony guitars underpinned by cello, her second single, “Grudge,” takes a hard look at when — or if — to forgive.

“People are always saying forgiveness is the greatest gift you can give yourself, or you can forgive and forget, or you always have to try to forgive those who have done you wrong because it will make you feel better,” Sayegh said. “And the song is saying no, it doesn’t make me feel good ... it’s not going to make me feel better to forgive.”

Sophia writes all of her lyrics and most of her music herself, though Woodward may add or enhance parts like guitar fills and drum grooves.

Woodward calls the collaboration “wonderful.”

“We have a lot of the same views about art, music, and creativity,” he said. “So, it’s been a really cool process.”

While Sophia’s influences include artists like Remi Wolf, PawPaw Rod, and Rachel Chinouriri, she’s focused on making her own mark in the industry. She credits Woodward for helping her realize a dream more than a decade in the making. But he said his main contribution has been to show Sophia how to express what was already inside her.

“I simply wanted to have her over my shoulder to more or less see how simple the process is of recording,” he said. “The rest has been all her.”

Her third song, “Spinning Out,” is set to come out at the end of March, with other releases forthcoming. Sophia Ellen’s music can be found on Spotify and other streaming services.

“It’s so wild that this is all happening now,” Sophia said. “I was so embarrassed for a while to tell people this is my dream because I thought I wouldn’t be taken seriously ... to be taken seriously and have people think what I’m doing is cool means everything to me.”