Page 78 - ION Indie Magazine_MayJune 2022

SS: That was the decision of the producer. The only song that I did insist on including was ‘Walk
Away.’ There had been another song planned for the record, a song called ‘Let Me Be A Friend,’
but I just wasn’t feeling it. The recording process for it hadn’t been started yet, and ‘Walk Away’
was fresh and new and felt more relevant -- despite it being an odd song in comparison to the
rest (being more pop). I felt it was a good choice that would lead into what was to come next
musically as I was already embracing a bit more technology in the production process.

TB: Since the album was released you have released several singles in 2021 and 2022,
which seems to be the route musicians are taking more these days. What are your
thoughts on this trend?

SS: I have plans to continue releasing albums, but due to the nature of the industry, the associated
costs, and the diverse tastes of fans, I find the releasing of singles on a regular basis helpful. It
gives everybody something to look forward to, myself included, and especially during the
pandemic, it has been a saving grace. It gave me new goals to focus towards -- something to be
excited about, something to share and talk about that was positive. So, I feel like the singles are
a good thing. And if someone’s really interested in what I do, they will dig back and find the album
that I made. And in the future when I released one, they may be more inclined to actually listen
to the entire record because they followed through the diverse singles stream and are interested
enough.

TB ‘What’s A Girl Gotta Do’ was released in February. What is the story behind this song?

SS: This song is a little bit of a twist on a love song. It’s about wanting somebody who just doesn’t
see you, who doesn’t notice you in the way you want to be noticed, despite all your efforts to try
to communicate your interest subtly or bluntly. It’s a little bit cheeky - asking, ‘What’s a girl gotta
do to get a guy like you?’ But it’s not saying, ‘to get you.’ It’s saying, ‘to get a guy *like* you.’ …a
guy who will pay attention to me, a guy who will notice me, a guy who will like me back, just with
your qualities that I’m attracted to. And it touches on a guy who won’t leave - implying heartbreak
at some point because commitment, and the big picture, is a nice view, but not always a reality.
It’s a modern-day unrequited love song, if you will.

TB: You followed that song up with the release of ‘Si Tu Quieres,’ which you describe as a
Country-Latin hybrid English-Spanish love song. Talk about this song.

SS: It is a song inspired by a guy why said all the right things but wanted all the wrong things!
Words are very powerful. A lot of the time we get swept up by infatuation and we say things like,
‘I wanna love you for the rest of my life. I just want to see you happy,’ but we don’t have the ability
or the power to ensure either of those things will happen. It’s a song about ideals and romance.
And it’s a song full of hope. Because yeah! You know what? I would love to love somebody for
the rest of my life and see them happy and also receive that kind of love! Who wouldn’t? I haven’t
had that luck yet. But, hey! There’s always tomorrow!

TB: What can fans of Sohayla Smith look forward to the rest of 2022 from you?

SS: I have a lot of new music that’s coming out this year. There’s a cover song, ‘In The Heather,’
by Noah Zacharin, a Toronto artist, as well as a country song I wrote called ‘City Girl,’ produced
by Jeff Dalziel. I can’t wait for that one to be released! I’ve also got a number of songs I’m working
on with Adam Fair…another country song, a pop song, more flamenco guitar pieces, classical
piano compositions, and just a wide variety of what I do that I hope people enjoy.