featuring @sofia_tarasova
‘Off My Mind’ signals the beginning of a new chapter for SOFIIA. Coming off a six month writing period and journey of self-reflection, the Ukrainian Singer-Songwriter has gone back to creating music that is honest – work defined by strength and a route back to self-love.
In 2022, SOFIIA lost her physical home in Kyiv and with it went her sense of stability and inner grounding. A period of internal questioning and doubt followed – “Who am I? Why do I make music? Do I even want to continue?” She found herself relying on external voices and other people’s visions of who she should be. The further she moved from what was true to her, the less joy and meaning she found in the music. She would leave the stage feeling confused and the studio without fulfillment.
The turning point came in November 2025, when SOFIIA travelled to LA for a series of songwriting sessions. By pure coincidence, she was invited onstage at a jazz bar which led to a series of performances at other bars and jams across the city. Without planning it, SOFIIA found herself performing the music that had first sparked her love as a child – covers of Aretha Franklin, Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston, and Alicia Keys. For the first time in a long time, she felt like herself again.
That renewed energy carried into the studio back in London. Working with producer Finn Matthews on ‘Off My Mind’, the two sat down at the keys and immediately began improvising. The full structure of the song came together within ten minutes. The chorus took longer to resolve, but when it did, the hook, the lyrics, and the concept all fell into place.
While the lyrics speak to love and relationships, ‘Off My Mind’ carries a deeper truth – one about self-love and the act of choosing yourself first. It is the opening statement of SOFIIA’s upcoming EP (Set for release later in 2026), which traces a journey back to her true self. For a long time, she was running from who she really was. But this is her returning home.
- Email: neill@outloudculture.com
- Socials: @frazer.live
- @neill.outloud
