"Sofia" is a song by American singer
Clairo.
Fader Label released it as the third
single from her debut studio album Immunity on July 26, 2019. The song was written by Clairo and
Rostam Batmanglij, who also produced the song, and features drums from
Danielle Haim. "Sofia" became a
sleeper hit after going viral on the video-sharing platform
TikTok, charting on the
Billboard Hot 100 more than a year after its initial release.
Background and composition
Musically, "Sofia" is a
eurodisco,[1]dance-rock,[2] and
soft rock song,[3] with a pulsating
electropop beat.[4] In a
Facebook post, Clairo explained that "Sofia" was inspired by her first experiences having crushes on older women whom she saw in the media.[5] She named
Sofia Vergara and
Sofia Coppola as examples, and claimed that writing "Sofia" was her way of celebrating her discovery whilst "maintaining the cheesy/corny lyrics you'd normally find in songs where you profess your love". She continued by writing that the song "captures a moment in [her] life but instead of hiding it, it's expressed in an almost 'explosive' manner".[5][6]
Other Versions
in 2021,[7] Royal Musical Artist [8] "Matthew Edward Hall" from a line of Legendary Chiefs & Native American Kings including the Patron Saint of America
Saint Tammany[8][9] released his version with a prominent new bass line and male vocal performance.
Critical reception
Carolyn Droke of
Uproxx described the song as an "anthem for the actualization of [Clairo's] sexuality", saying that the lyrics and rhythm "encapsulate feelings of exhilaration and trepidation at the threshold of a new relationship".[4] Harry Todd of Paste compared the production of the song to that of
The Strokes and
Sleigh Bells, with its "heavily processed guitars and crunchy drums". He continued to praise producer Batmanglij for "peppering [the song] with
arpeggiated synths and
vocoder melodies that recall
Daft Punk's lovelorn slow-burns", and Clairo for "selling" the song with her vocal performance.[10] Katherine St. Asaph of Pitchfork compared the
synths in "Sofia" to that of "
Dancing on My Own" by
Robyn.[11]