A Quick Chat with Sophie Hutchings
ARIA award-winning pianist and composer Sophie Hutchings delivers a stunning new album ‘become the sky’, a collection of meditative, piano-led songs recorded in one take at the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s studios in Sydney. Where 2023’s richly layered, robust album ‘A World Outside’ saw Sophie Hutchings set out on a transformative road trip into the vast outback, exploring Australia at its wildest most elemental, ‘become the sky’ is a rumination on change, travel, and returning home, a profound contrast to its predecessor. “In essence,” Hutchings says, “it’s about rediscovering the comfort of home while carrying the echoes of our journeys within.”
Your new album ‘become the sky’ is a beautiful collection of meditative, piano-led songs, around themes of change, travel and returning home. Tell us about the album and why those themes are important?
I’ve done a lot of traveling in my life and I’m a very nostalgic person. I really lean into music as a way to translate what I feel. ‘become the sky’ became very much about the connection between travel and our self-identity, how those experiences form who we are over time. Especially when stepping outside your comfort zone and embracing the unexpected, it’s often those experiences that are the most memorable and life changing and make up who we are. The flip side to that is - after immersing yourself in a foreign atmosphere there's something special about landing back on familiar grounds and having that memory of that place stay with you. The sensory experience of returning home – the familiar sights, sounds, and smells can be incredibly comforting. I believe those are feelings we can all strongly relate to.
‘become the sky’ was recorded at the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s studios, located on Sydney Harbour in the historic Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, and you recorded each track in single, straight takes. Tell us about the creative process in recording the album?
It was a much simpler approach to some of my other albums. Most of these intimate type albums I do are, but I had to work quite fast on this. It was actually supposed to be an EP recording and then unfolded into something more. In the two days recording my focus became very much about trusting that organic process, aiming to capture each moment in its most authentic form.
Beyond the core piano, I also aimed to create space and ease by weaving in various layers of soft musical textures. This involved carefully treating some of the piano overdubs, blending in synth pads and for something a little different I got musician and friend Benjamin Fletcher in to do some atmospheric guitar textures using an array of pedals. I really enjoyed blurring the lines between synth and guitar pedals but that was the intention: to form an ambient cloud of music that encourages a sense of drifting away.
I loved recording in this studio overlooking Sydney Harbour. I think the room has a distinct presence in these recordings: vast and echoic. But with microphones placed right over my shoulders, and close to the felts of the piano, there’s this real tangible sense of intimacy too.
Is there a story behind the name of the album ‘become the sky’?
The title became a metaphor for me. The sky is endless, so 'become the sky' represents expanding one's horizons and embracing new possibilities – essentially, life experiences. It can also symbolize escapism. The sky is constantly shifting, so it can also represent navigating our way through life, venturing into the unknown. Ultimately, I wanted a title that invites contemplation and personal interpretation.
‘Holding Moments’ is your new single – tell us about that song and how that came to life?
I wrote a lot of this album in my studio over some long late evenings. This actually became one of my favorite pieces. ‘Holding Moments’ centers on memories that spark nostalgia, highlighting particular points in time that tend to linger in our minds often due to their emotional impact, vividness, or how easily they come to mind. Sensory details are incredibly powerful nostalgia triggers, acting as tiny windows to the past that instantly transport us back to defined moments, such as the unique sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures of a travelled or lived-in place.
What does this new album mean to you and what do you want people to take from it?
Strangely when I finished the album and had already named it ‘become the sky’ I came across this quote by Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke: “I would like to step out of my heart / and go walking beneath the enormous sky.” It really struck a chord. It sums up how I want people to feel when they hear ‘become the sky’. I want to allow people to appreciate life in slow motion.
What’s your favorite song from the album and why?
I would say ‘Fragments of Light’. It just feels very signature to me in the way I musically express myself. I love how the birds open the track too and the piano just takes you on a floaty emotive journey.
What artists and music are inspiring you at the moment?
A couple of artists I have on high rotation at the moment are ambient jazz composer Nala Sinephro and singer and composer Arooj Aftab. I’m also really enjoying Ólafur Arnalds’ latest collab with Talos (Irish indie electronic musician from Cork who very sadly recently passed away) ‘A Dawning’.
Your music has taken you around the world, touring internationally through Japan and Europe, as well as your hometown Australia. What do you love about touring?
It might surprise people, given my outgoing nature, but performing has always brought out a shy side in me – music and composition are, in essence, my most introverted self. You used to have to kick me onto stage. Yet, over the years, I've truly learned the importance of sharing that part of me. What I love about touring is the unique way music transcends all barriers; it doesn't matter where you're from in the world, we can connect. Music speaks a language beyond words, conveying emotions and ideas we might not otherwise express. It creates an incredible back-and-forth exchange between listener and performer, and to me, that's an incredibly powerful form of communication. I always make it part of my shows to talk to people after the show. I love to get to know those listening and engaging with my music. I value my fans and view it as a two-way relationship.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would that be and why?
I would say Susumu Yokota, Japanese record producer and composer. I’m a huge fan of his. Sadly, he died far too young but remains a hugely innovative and inspirational force in electronic music.
What’s planned for the rest of 2025?
There are always things on the burner, but I plan to share ‘become the sky’ in a live setting and when I do, it will be with a band and a little different to the album to make it a unique audience experience.