Interview with Sofia Frasz (Exiled Hope)

Earlier this month, Blackened Power Metal band, Exiled Hope, released the single “The Summoning”. We had the pleasure of chatting with the project’s mastermind, Sofia Frasz, and asking her about her musical background and inspiration. The musician who plays all instruments for Exiled Hope shared insightful and interesting facts about her music and herself. Read this beautiful conversation and check out Exiled Hope’s new single, “The Summoning”.

Hello Sofía! It’s really lovely to chat with you! How have you been?

I’ve been ok, preparing to start another year of law school, so things are a little hectic right now!

Good luck! You have recently released your new single named “The Summoning”. How are you feeling about the way it was received by your fans?

I think my black metal-leaning tracks, including “The Summoning,” are received much better than my other tracks for some reason. “The Summoning” is my most successful single to date, so I think it was fantastically well-received!

How would you describe your sound to someone yet to listen to your music?

Exiled Hope has the emotion and theatricality of Avantasia and Kamelot, with the intensity and raw edge of Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir.

Brilliant! Being a multi-instrumentalist makes you connected to every aspect of your music, from writing lyrics to writing for every instrument to recording and promoting. What part of your music creation journey do you enjoy most? And which one do you enjoy least?

I think I enjoy the orchestration and guitar recording the most, because they lay the foundation for what the song is going to be, and the songs often take fun, unexpected turns during that process. I especially love recording lead guitar parts, haha. I tend to enjoy writing lyrics the least because I’m self-critical with my writing and it’s often difficult for me to fully express the essence of a song in words. I do still like writing lyrics, but it’s probably the most painstaking process and it rarely turns out the way I want it to the first time.

Let’s play a game! I will set a scenario in an alternate universe with new rules and see how you’d react to the different situations. Ready?

Of course!

In a universe where you are a necromancer, which late musician would you ask for advice?

Randy Rhoads is one of my biggest inspirations with regard to guitar playing. I started out by playing classical guitar, as did he, so I would love to ask him about his songwriting process and how he weaves his classical style into metal.

In a universe where humans can choose either to be able to teleport from one place to another or travel back and forth in time, which superpower would you pick?

I would rather teleport from one place to another. I’m worried that if I could travel back and forth in time, I’d accidentally mess things up and set off a terrible chain reaction hahaha.

In a universe where humans only see in greyscale, what would your favourite colour be?

Maybe light blue? The sky always looks very gentle and soft in old photos.

In a universe where money does not exist, but instead, people pay for things by making others laugh, how rich would you be considered?

I’m not sure, I have a reputation for looking serious and quiet in person.

In a universe where the senses of taste and hearing are mixed together, what food would you imagine your music would taste like?

So I actually already do this because I have synesthesia, haha! My brain links sounds and tastes together. I think it might be some kind of massive fruit salad jumble because it pulls from all kinds of influences inside and outside of metal, but it all comes together into a recognizable brand/overarching theme and the flavors don’t compete too heavily with one another.

In a universe that is a post-apocalyptic world flooded by zombies, would you be hiding in a safe house, on the run fighting zombies, or a zombie?

It’d be pretty cool to be a zombie. I could use a break from thinking for a while.

In a universe where you were chosen to rule a nation, what is the first law you’d change or make?

I’d probably abolish the government so that no one could have this kind of power after I did 😉

Nice! In a universe where you were given the task to take the One Ring to Mount Doom and destroy it instead of Frodo, which one of your bandmates would you take with you on the quest?

I don’t have bandmates, but of my collaborators, I would take my longtime friend Metal Matt on the quest. He would ferociously attack any enemies that stand in our way!

Wonderful! Thank you for playing! I hope you enjoyed this game. What is your most treasured music-related memory?

Discovering the band Avantasia was pretty magical for me, that was when I first felt like I’d found a band that really got me, musically. I just devoured their discography when I first discovered them in high school because I’d never heard anything that spoke to me so clearly as an artist who pulls from all kinds of influences.

Beautiful! Have you ever experienced any kind of sexism in your professional life? What advice would you give our young readers who might experience any kind of discrimination?

Law school has its share of sexism, though it’s not too extreme. Last year, the women in my class were told to wear skirts and heels to our moot court competition if they wanted to be taken seriously, so a few of us wore men’s clothes to show how little that should matter. I would advise anyone encountering similar issues to just go ahead and be themselves anyway, just to bruise the egos of small-minded people. It’s fun and it makes you feel better about yourself.

Thank you for sharing this piece of advice, and thank you for the interview and your time, Sofía. Is there anything you’d like to add?

Thank you for reading, and check out my latest single “The Summoning” anywhere you listen to music!