With WAY OUT, the artist dives headfirst into the chaos, fear, and empowerment of a toxic relationship’s end. Written from the perspective of a close friend’s experience, the track balances intimate storytelling with a strikingly cinematic production — piano-driven, layered with synths and pads, and pulsing with tension that bursts into moments of release.
In this conversation, we explore how observing someone else’s story opened doors to emotional honesty, the creative freedom of experimenting with darker, louder sounds, and the delicate process of translating inner turmoil into both song and visuals. The result is a track that feels immediate, personal, and yet universally resonant — a testament to the power of empathy and sonic imagination.
The track explores chaos, fear, and empowerment all at once. How did you decide which emotions to lean into sonically versus lyrically?
This song is about a relationship finally reaching its end after a long, toxic cycle. It unfolded as I watched a good friend of mine go through that situation, and I stepped into her shoes as I wrote the story from her perspective, but in my words. I was thinking about her on a flight from New York to Toronto, and started writing lyrics. I had finished the song by the time the plane landed.
The track explores chaos, fear, and empowerment all at once. How did you decide which emotions to lean into sonically versus lyrically?
It all developed at the same time. The story naturally leaned into themes of tension and uncertainty, and the production became the place where that tension could turn into release. The sound kind of became the emotional payoff to the lyrics.
Writing from the perspective of an observer is powerful here. Did that distance make the song easier or harder to write?
It actually made the process lighter. I love writing personal songs, but I don’t love oversharing. Stepping into someone else’s story gives me a different kind of freedom. It lets me focus on telling the story clearly without feeling like I’m exposing every part of myself.
The piano plays a striking role in the production. Was that always part of the vision, or did it emerge during the recording process?
The song began in a really stripped-back way, so the piano felt like the natural foundation from the start. As the production progressed, other elements like synths and pads were built around the piano to create a world around it.
You’ve described this song as darker and louder than past releases. Did experimenting with this sound feel risky, or freeing?
More freeing than anything. I’m still figuring out who I am as an artist, and I don’t want to box myself into one sound. This track just reflects where my head is right now, and I’m sure the next one will surprise me too. That’s the fun of being a 19-year-old in music. Every single thing I make is different, which I think is how it should be.
How did your collaboration with Jackson Lowe shape the mood and pacing of the track?
Working with Jackson is always really natural because we’re friends first. I brought him an early demo, and he could immediately see my vision of how I wanted to expand it. He helped push the scale and intensity in a way only he could have. I’m such a fan of his production, so it’s always amazing to work with him.
The music video feels very cinematic. What was the biggest challenge in translating such an internal emotional struggle into visual form?
I could picture the visuals almost immediately while writing the song, which doesn’t usually happen for me. The tricky part was turning something emotional and internal into something you could actually see on screen in a way that still felt honest.
Were there any lyrics or moments in the song that took longer to get “right” than others?
The outro took me the longest to figure out. I wanted it to feel chaotic, but not messy or overwhelming. For a while, I kept adding layers and then stripping them back, trying to find the right balance because it wasn’t building the way I imagined. Eventually, after experimenting with a few synth textures and percussion ideas, it finally clicked and sounded the way I’d been hearing it in my head.
How do you hope listeners who may be in similar situations connect with ‘WAY OUT’?
I hope it gives people a sense of strength. Even if the story isn’t directly mine, the feelings behind it are real, and I hope listeners can feel that and see themselves in it.
After releasing this track, did it change how you think about the direction of your future music?
This song is a reminder for me that, despite the industry’s pressure to find a lane and stick to it, I never want to stay in one lane. Exploring new sounds is the most exciting part of making music for me. This song feels like a snapshot of where I am right now, and I’m excited to see what comes next.
On the release, Sophia Tice shares, “I wanted to explore what it feels like to be caught in that internal battle. This song is a little darker, a little louder, and a bit more experimental than what I’ve released before, and I’m thrilled to dive further into the indie pop world with this new direction.”
