Sophia Galaté

For My Own Entertainment marks a new and expressive chapter for Sophia Galaté, one that radiates warmth, confidence, and soul. The Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter invites listeners into a vibrant world where freedom, femininity, and emotion intertwine through rich R&B soundscapes and heartfelt storytelling.

Across twelve tracks, she reflects on growth, identity, and self-celebration, embracing both strength and softness in her artistry.

In this exclusive conversation with FemaleRNB, Sophia Galaté delves into the making of For My Own Entertainment, sharing the inspirations, emotions, and creative energy that bring her vision to life.

To begin, tell us a bit about yourself. Who is Sophia Galaté?

Who is Sophia Galaté? I have a tough exterior but I am very soft on the inside. I have always grown up feeling that my life would be non traditional, hence my path of choosing to be an artist. I really feel like I am an old soul - like a 60 year old woman in a young girl’s body lol. I grew up outside of LA always singing and performing. My mom is also an entrepreneur so I feel like I got my drive from her. My favorite thing in the world is to sing, I just love the physical release it gives me. I always wanted to be a singer, but in college I became scared to pursue it so I started putting in on the back burner and focusing on music less, I told myself it would be too scary and difficult to be an artist so I gave up before I even started trying. I actually started my career working on the business side of music — I worked booking tours and I also worked in artist management. It was so difficult to be around artists and no one realizing that I too deep inside was an artist. 

Your album For My Own Entertainment just came out, congratulations! How are you feeling about this release and what it represents in your journey?

This album release is a big step for me. I used to think I would never have a full album. A full album seemed so daunting to complete. But it’s honestly better than I could have imagined.

What’s the story behind this project? What inspired you to create it?

I never sit down to create an album or a project at one time, I’m really the type of songwriter that only writes when I’m inspired, so many writers and artists are against this and suggest that you’re supposed to be writing all the time, but that truly doesn’t work for me. It’s taken me a long time to accept that for myself. So really most of these songs were written on their own, very spread out across 1-2 years. It wasn’t until summer of 2024 when I decided that I wanted to put together an album. At the beginning of 2024 I was in a very confused place as an artist. I knew I need to release a body of work but I was feeling insecure about my unreleased demos and felt I didn’t have anything worthy. Then I went on tour with an artist name Loony last Spring. I was the opener, and the tour really ignited the confidence I needed. I was performing for audiences who had never heard my songs before and they fell in love with my music. So once that tour was over, I felt good about my songs and decided to put them out. The title For My Own Entertainment just truly describes my personality. I knew that was going to be the album title before I even had an album. I say yes to things in life solely for the plot. 

You’ve described this album as more vibrant and free. What made you want to explore that new energy?

I feel that my personality is vibrant and free! And that wasn’t expressed enough in my older songs.

Between tracks like Please Don’t Talk To Me and Just For A Moment, we hear both confidence and vulnerability. Was it important for you to show those two sides of yourself?

Yes! I feel like it has been my identity to be “good on my own” or “not needing anyone” but the truth is, we all need people. So I wanted to show that yes, you can be strong and independent and also soft in times and lean on others when you need love.

My Girls, featuring Sierra Sellers, celebrates sisterhood and connection. How did that song come to life, and what does it mean to you personally?

I wrote that song about my best female friends! One of them, Alexandra, she inspired me to write a song about all of us. I had been writing a lot of songs about men so I was like “ I need one for my girls”

Across the 12 tracks, your album moves between empowerment, introspection, and intimacy. How did you approach creating that balance, from songs that feel confident and free to others that reveal more emotional depth?

I didn’t really approach anything really, I just always write from experience in real time. And whenever I describe my music to someone I say I have a song for every mood. I think I express the spectrum of the human experience well.

R&B clearly plays a big role in your artistry. Which influences or artists inspired you while making this project?

My bigger songs have a lot of 70s retro sounds to it, think Aretha Franklin, Teddy Riley, but also the modern version of that so think Victoria Monét. My slower songs I feel explore more of my singer-songwriter pop ballad side. Think Carole King, Adele.

Was there a memorable moment or particular experience during the making of the album that stands out to you?

Yes! Creating the title track with Akeel Henry. He’s so brilliant and he really challenged me to step out of my comfort zone with this song, I truly would have never been able to make something like that without him. It was such a seamless and cohesive writing session and super quick. I knew exactly what I wanted to say and he really helped me accomplish that.

It’s clear that the visual aspect is very important to you. How did you envision and develop the aesthetic surrounding this project?

I’ve had a lot of fun being the creative director and creative producer for this. Artist branding is so important to me and so fun. The vision I had for this album is aesthetic is literally exactly what it became and I’m so proud and in awe of that. If you saw my mood boards you’d be like wow it’s exactly it! A lot of bright pop diva Inspo from the 70s, I just wanted it to look fun. Pink has been my favorite color my whole life so it has been really fulfilling for my younger self to live out her pink dreams as an adult.

If you had to describe what For My Own Entertainment says about you in one sentence, what would it be?

I am a superstar

Which R&B singers would you love to collaborate with in the future, artists whose energy or sensitivity inspire you the most?

Raye, Jazmine Sullivan, Sinead Harnett, JoJo!!

And finally, what do you hope listeners will take away or feel after hearing your album?

I hope listeners feel a little bit more love for themselves, I hope it inspires them to loosen up!

And now your new EP is out, where do you want to go next? What are your plans?

And what’s next for me! Continuing to TOUR next year do some solo shows hopefully overseas too, continuing making visuals, and hopefully continuing to explore this crossover of genres and make more music and collaborate with other singers.