Sophie Villy

Sophie Villy

Sophie Villy by Louisa Chalatashvili
Born (1990-10-30) 30 October 1990
Tbilisi (Georgia)
Occupation Musician, singer/songwriter, composer
Website sophievilly.com

Sophie Villy (Georgian: ხუციშვილი Khutsishvili; born on 30 October 1990 in Tbilisi, Georgia)[1] is a singer-songwriter and composer, she performs internationally in both English and Georgian.[2] Villy has composed soundtracks for feature films from Georgia, America, and France, one of which was selected for the Cannes Festival Short Film Palme d'Or competition in 2015 and won Best Original Music at Spain's Euro Film Festival.[3][4] She has been reported by KCRW in Los Angeles, BBC Radio 2 and London's The Guardian newspaper as a representative of Georgia's new wave in music.[5] Periodicals in Kiev also document Villy's role within domestic songwriting.[6][7][8][9][10] At a time of increasing nationalist tensions, her multilingual songs are debated by the Ukrainian and Georgian media as a protest of people who are tired of politics and aspire for peace in their country.[11]

Biography

Villy's mother, Mila, has both Ukrainian and Polish roots; she is a designer. He father, David, is a musician and communications engineer from Georgia. At the age of five, Sophie began studying piano at a music school associated with the Tbilisi State Conservatoire and spent the next four years of her life there.[12] Ultimately, however, she turned to the guitar and began composing her own material at the age of ten.[13] Between the ages of five and fifteen she traveled Europe,as a professional sports diver.[14] Qualifying for a wide range of diving competitions, she won Euromeeting[15] in Strasbourg (2002), but was forced to abandon the sport due to a knee injury.[16] Music gradually became an alternative to sport and Villy started playing in Tbilisi clubs at the age of sixteen.[17]

Following the Russo-Georgian War of 2008, Villy moved to Kiev, as she has both Georgian and Ukrainian ancestors. Here she finished studying tourism at university and formed her first group, Backstage.[18] The band was a short-lived project[19] and Villy began a solo career.[20] She began playing in regional festivals, now as an independent singer-songwriter. Open-air performances included Koktebel Jazz Festival. Domestic billing then led to additional invitations from events in Florida, New York, and California.[21] Once in America, Villy sang in English, as a result of which US periodicals noted––in several venues––the combined influences of Nina Simone, Jeff Buckley, and Nick Drake in her material.[22]

A debut LP was published in 2012––"Mother Fish."[23][24] Civic themes soon became evident in a politically charged single, entitled "Position" and dedicated to both private and political liberties in Georgia.[25] The song was broadcast in heavy rotation on KCRW radio in California and simultaneously aired by Michael Sheen on BBC Radio Two in London.[26] Britain's The Guardian newspaper listed Villy's 2014 song "Connected"[27] among a global selection of new tracks––as airplay grew concurrently in both New York and Los Angeles.[28] The following year a second album was published––"Dress"[29]––while additional shows were announced across Europe.[30] In Ukraine, "Dress" was declared Album of the Year by influential Ukrainian webzine Comma.Com.UA.

In 2015 Villy presented her side-project "Philosophie" in Europe and the United States,[31] while opening for Mercury Prize and Brit Awards nominee Anna Calvi in Budapest. Also in 2015, she played at the SXSW festival in Texas.[32] She has toured America on three occasions,[33] including a show at New York's Brooklyn Bowl hosted by Chris Douridas and with onstage support in Los Angeles from Tom Waits' guitarist Omar Torrez.[34] In April 2015 Villy collaborated with famous Georgian composers Dato Evgenidze and Nika Machaidze (Nikakoi). She also performed at the Shota Rustaveli Theatre with Dato Evgenidze.

A third album from Sophie Villy was recently presaged by the song "Reveal" ––just before New Year's Day, 2016.[35] As with interviews in the Ukrainian press,[36] so the song struck a repeatedly political note. It was "dedicated to heroes internationally––who have shown a genuine love for their country."[37] Since political tensions have worsened of late, Villy's catalog is increasingly seen in terms of a mediating role, between languages and conflicted cultures.[38]

Discography

Albums

Singles

Video

References

  1. ↑ "Грузинка Sophie Villy в проекте "Помешанные" – TheNorDar Magazine". TheNorDar Magazine (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  2. ↑ "Грузинка Sophie Villy в проекте "Помешанные" – TheNorDar Magazine". TheNorDar Magazine (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  3. ↑ "The Parrot," (dir. Thierry Dousset, France 2011)
  4. ↑ "LOST IN ESCAPADE. Teaser". Vimeo. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  5. ↑ Culshaw, Peter (29 May 2014). "Rock the barricades: the Ukrainian musicians soundtracking the unrest". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  6. ↑ Magazine, Yep. "Философи". Yep Magazine. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  7. ↑ "Электронный проект Morphom – новая волна украинской музыки. Премьера клипа". GLAVPOST.COM. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  8. ↑ "Новые украинские альбомы: Sophie Villy, Onuka, "С.К.А.Й."". open.ua. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  9. ↑ "Onuka – одесским поклонникам: "Мое вдохновение – грусть"". МАЯК (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  10. ↑ "ONUKA: Стараюсь быть вне шоу-бизнеса, потому что у меня он ассоциируется с болотом|ульба NEWS". bulbanews.ru. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  11. ↑ "Софі Віллі: Іноді мені хочеться спалити фейсбук". cultprostir.ua. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  12. ↑ "Интервью с Софи Вилли (Sophie Villy) о музыкальной культуре в США, верности собственной музыке и независимости". LiRoom. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  13. ↑ "Музыка с душой. Sophie Villy". STYLEINSIDER (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  14. ↑ "Open Grass: Sophie Villy". open.ua. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  15. ↑ "Euro Meet". www.euromeet.lu. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  16. ↑ "Софиты на Софи". Деловой портал "Капитал". Бизнес начинается с Капитала. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  17. ↑ "How Sophie Villy is bringing her music from Ukraine to the world". DIY Musician Blog. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  18. ↑ "10 ВОПРОСОВ #BESTINUA SOPHIE VILLY". BESTIN.UA. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  19. ↑ "Софи Вилли – L'officiel". L'officiel (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  20. ↑ "Protected Blog › Log in". daviddurantmusic.com. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  21. ↑ Премьера: Sophie Villy «Position», ТОП10 (2012)
  22. ↑ "Интервью в Харькове с музыкантами, группами, исполнителями, телеведущими, актерами, директорами Харьковских заведений.". kharkov.nezabarom.ua. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  23. ↑ "Лента новостей Ужгорода". topnews.uz.ua. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  24. ↑ "Open People: Софи Вилли". open.ua. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  25. ↑ "Open Grass: Sophie Villy". open.ua. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  26. ↑ "BBC Radio 2 Sophie Villy – Position #Michaelsheen". SoundCloud. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  27. ↑ Vogue.ua. "Плейлист: 5 топ-песен Sophie Villy | Vogue Ukraine". Vogue UA. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  28. ↑ "Sophie Villy: "Прерывание развития культуры – равносильно смерти"". gorod.dp.ua. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  29. ↑ "Sophie Villy "Dress": вне времени". comma.com.ua. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  30. ↑ Down, Ryotaro AokiMa Maha ElNabawi David MacFadyen Lauren (13 February 2014). "Six must-listen new tracks from around the world". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  31. ↑ "Премьера на L'official Online: совместный сингл Sophie Villy и Tape Flakes – "Hold Me" – L'officiel". L'officiel (in Russian). Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  32. ↑ "SXSW Music: List No. 5". www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  33. ↑ "Софи Вилли: Масса слушает то, что ей навязывают. А это в основном примитив". www.theinsider.ua. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  34. ↑ "Юное дарование. Киевский концерт Sophie Villy". korrespondent.net. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  35. ↑ "Премьера: Песня Sophie Villy о Майдане". www.buro247.ua. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  36. ↑ "Певица Sophie Villy," Jetsetter (19 January, 2015) and "Что в сумочке," Bit UA (Accessed 21 February, 2016)
  37. ↑ "Sophie Villy присвятила пісню Україні та її героям". MusicInUA (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  38. ↑ "Софі Віллі: давайте припинимо виливати бруд один на одного," Insider (6 March, 2014) and "Про Україну ще почують! У піснях...," Tvoe Misto (8 March, 2014)

External links

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