Sophia Stel

Born in Victoria, B.C., and shaped by formative years in Vancouver, artist and producer Sophia Stel found a rapt cult fanbase with her 2024 debut EP Object Permanence, a fiercely vulnerable collection of genre-agnostic earworms fueled by her full-bodied, affecting alto. By following her intuition and going against the grain of online fads, Stel is setting trends, not chasing them — always creating from a place of true originality. Her self-directed, sometimes spur-of-the-moment digicam visuals for tracks like “I’ll Take It” and “You Could Hate Me” have the fuzzy realism of vintage photos or cherished memories: effortlessly cool without ever trying to be. In addition to earning co-signs from Troye Sivan and A.G. Cook, she recently made her runway debut at Ann Demeulemeester’s PFW SS26 show, embarked on her first headline tour, modeled for Palace Skateboards, and was selected for this year’s DAZED 100 following the release of her sophomore EP How to Win At Solitaire. Continuing to push the boundaries of today’s music landscape while honing in on a truly singular, post-genre sound that’s all her own, Stel is currently working on her debut album.

 

Blending the free-wheeling ethos of underground culture with the striking lyricism and honesty of indie rock, post-internet, post-genre artist Sophia Stel has the makings of a voice of a generation. A lifelong musician, she crafted her first melodies acapella before discovering an enduring love of beatmaking in high school. Following a move to Vancouver, Stel honed her production skills, passing long nights in a humble basement studio at since-shuttered DIY club Paradise (where she worked at the time), which she diligently set up and tore down again after each weekend club night. It was during this period that she embraced her lower register, a pillar of a new sense of artistic freedom that brought her closer to both a signature sound and her flourishing queer identity. Brave enough to be emotionally honest both on and off the mic, she’s further opened up in recent spreads with DAZED, The FADER, NME, and Office Magazine.

 

Written at the end of a three-year relationship, her latest EP How to Win At Solitaire marks Stel’s most personal and profound statement yet, buoyed by her return to an instrument she’s loved since childhood: electric guitar. The stunning result of this homecoming shines through across the record: exultant and romantic opener “Everyone Falls Asleep In Their Own Time”, cascading ballad “Taste”, and the cathartic and danceable “All My Friends Are Models”. Striking closing track “Solitaire” hits closest to home, finding Stel accepting that someone she cares about may never see all the ways she’s grown and changed. It also speaks to the sharp metaphor for living that inspired the title: “All you can try and do is move your cards with intention, and do the best you can with the cards you’re dealt.”