A Quick Chat with Sophie Rose Raymond

You’ve been performing since you were 11 - what first got you hooked on music?

I have been singing since I came out of the womb! My family is very musical, my grandparents back deck was my first stage and my Nana on my mothers side was an opera singer. I think that feeling of pride and happiness I would get singing for them made me realise this is what I want to do for the rest of my life from as early as 5 years old.

Your new album Final Girl takes things in a more alternative rock, pop and blues direction. What changed for you creatively?

I grew up competing in country music festivals along the QLD coast because that's all the opportunities I had to learn how to perform on stage as a kid. But I always really loved rock/pop and pop/punk music. I had been in a very toxic relationship for most of my 20s and Final Girl was the result of me breaking free of that. I was suddenly able to make my own decisions about my songwriting and take it wherever I wanted. A lot of anger and passion and hope spilled out of me and into that album. It's like a full circle back to who I was at 18, but wiser.

You’ve played a lot of festivals and stages around Queensland. What makes a great live show for you?

High energy, emotional, passionate and fun music. The festivals that are focused on original music are my favourite because the audiences are receptive to finding new music and musicians. I love hearing the backstories to original songs, I love seeing the crowds reactions to emotional songs and I love seeing bands reactions to audiences that really go on that journey with them.

What can people expect from the Final Girl album launch in Rockhampton?

Raw, honest and passionate songs. My band and I will be playing the entire album front to back and I'll be selling CDs with lyric booklets so everyone gets to experience it the same way I like to experience new albums. As a kid getting a new CD with a lyric booklet was like christmas so I wanted to bring that nostalgia to this album. Rockhampton band Synergetic Alignment will be opening for us and they have also released a new EP recorded by Zac Wholohan at Whooley Music Entertainment, the same studio Final Girl was recorded.

You’re planning to travel more with your music in 2026. Where would you most like to take your music?

I have travelled a lot out west to places like Emerald, Longreach and Monto. I would really love to bring my music to bigger cities like Mackay, Brisbane and eventually go further to Cairns, Sydney and Melbourne. These places have incredible music scenes and festivals that I would love to explore and be apart of.

What’s one song from Final Girl that you think people should hear first?

If you have been through a similar situation to me, Final Girl, the song, might really hit home. And Wake Up, that's one of my favourites. It's a reminder to anyone who's feeling stuck, trapped or alone, to wake up out of the haze and get yourself to where you need to be. If you can't depend on anything else, depend on yourself.