Theres no fucking way I want to die on stage in my last song,Sofia Valdessays.
[My great-grandfather] had a heart attack.
Valdes great-granddaughter doesnt feel the same.
Sofía Valdés in Los Angeles, October 2024.YURI HASEGAWA for ROLLING STONE
Id rather die with my family around me, she says.
They gave so much that at some point they forgot about themselves, Valdes says about her great-grandparents.
In 2020, Valdes signed to Warner Records.
Her debut EP,Ventura, came out a year later.
The full-length project came in October.
TitledSofia Valdes, the LP showcases both her vocals and innate talent as a lyricist and producer.
God, she says, enunciating every word before plotting an Instagram post for the news.
The excitement is years in the making; Valdes first began writing songs for the LP back in 2022.
It all mixes together into tranquil, acoustic-guitar driven songs with Valdes refreshing voice front and center.
I just wanted Latin artists in this entire project, she says.
Each track centers Caribbean percussion.
The effect is reminiscent of Leonard Cohens Chelsea Hotel #2.
Valdes sings Por que no me ves?
/ If I do everything you ask of me/ I live tired in your hands.
She ends the song with the somber realization that shes more like her mother and grandmother than she realizes.
Its like, Girl, thats going to creep back up.
Its not going to go anywhere, so might as well just treat it with love.
Valdes life as a Panamanian immigrant living abroad heavily informed the LP.
Now, the singer-songwriter shares a place with roommates in Lincoln Park.
Theres nothing that makes me happier.
The pressure to find housing was compounded by her desire to succeed in the music industry.
In the past four years, shes worked on setting boundaries in the industry.
Im not a people pleaser anymore, she says.
