After taking a well-earned breather, Barnsley’s own Sonni Mills is back – and she’s coming in strong with a bold new sound, fresh visuals and a spot on the main stage at this year’s event. Exposed’s Isobel O’Mahony caught up with the up-and-coming artist to see what else we can expect…
Sonni Mills stepped back from releasing music after her 2023 EP Monochrome and the single ‘I Think You’ve Had Enough’ reached the top 100 on the iTunes Charts. Now fully refreshed, she’s ready to shake things up with a 90s-inspired sound and a renewed sense of direction.
“I had a little anxiety about the fact that it’d been a while since I put something out,” she says. “But I’m glad in a way, because it gave me all that time to realise what I wanted to make.
“I think if I’d released this a couple of years ago, I wouldn’t have released it as confidently, so it just all seems to be coming together nicely.”
‘Silence is Violence’ brings a dark, ethereal backdrop to Sonni’s striking vocals, with hints of what could easily be a James Bond theme. Released alongside the poppier ‘Bloom’, her latest work draws on past and present influences alike.
Speaking on the two tracks, she said: “‘Bloom’, I think, taps into a more current sound. I love people like MF DOOM and De La Soul, which I think you can hear. But ‘Silence is Violence’ is a very grand-sounding song – a bit inspired by Massive Attack, and even a bit like Burial in some of the production.
“It’s funny to look back at songs and remember where I was, both literally and in life, when I wrote them. It’s really interesting to look back, as well as looking forward.”
Sonni is also a long-time fan of breakout artist Lola Young, whose raw style has helped shape her own. “‘Bloom’ was quite influenced by her production,” she explains. “I remember showing my mate, before ‘Messy’ blew up and everything, and being like “she’s gonna be big.”
“Her visuals are really cool, and her writing’s quite brutal and raw. It’s not delicate, and it’s good to hear a young girl write like that.
“So many artists have been influenced by Amy Winehouse, and Lola has that same thing of not being scared to write about bad sex and bad dates and how it actually made you feel.
“I think I kind of lean into that. I like the meaning of my lyrics to be quite clear, but writing in a metaphorical, spacey way – because I suppose that’s how my head is naturally.”
As the writer, producer and graphic designer behind most of her work, Sonni is a true one-woman band. Being independent in today’s industry isn’t just about the sound – it’s about graft.
“It gave me the time to create my own sound,” she said. “I do a lot of the graphic design stuff and I work with other animators and creators, but it’s based on drawings that I do.
“It’s great to interpret the arts with the music – particularly as an independent artist. It’s really cool to have the complete freedom to create your own world.
“It’s obviously a little bit harder with self-promotion and stuff, but you do have a lot of leeway to really be all you want to be, and I think this release is giving me the confidence to do that this time.”
That confidence has led to some big moments, including Sonni and her Leeds-based band supporting James on the main stage at this year’s Rock’n’Roll Circus. “I’m a bit nervous for that one,” she laughed. “But we’ve got a full band on the main stage, which is really cool.”
Sonni’s love for the local scene runs deep. Having collaborated with Wakefield’s Skinny Living and dreamed up collabs with some of Sheffield’s icons, she’s still got plenty she wants to tick off.
“I have a lot of love for Skinny Living – they’re doing amazing – and we’ll always come back to each other, even if we’re doing different bits.
“I love the Sheffield music scene. I’d love to work with someone like Richard Hawley. I love Jarvis Cocker, Arctic Monkeys… Reverend and the Makers are always doing amazing.”
As for her bucket-list moment? She’s got her eyes on Jools Holland’s Hootenanny – with a twist.
“I’d love to cover ‘Holding Back the Years’ by Simply Red on Jools. I love artists like Joy Crookes and CMAT, and they’re on Jools all the time – and rightly so. I just want to be up there with them, and hopefully I will be.
“A lot of my inspirations come from people like Simply Red, New Order, Kate Bush, Paul Weller.
“There’s a trend of artists covering old-school tunes you wouldn’t expect. It’d be really cool to bring back a song that’s been so significant in my writing over the years.”
With a second EP on the horizon and more shows in the diary, Sonni is very much back on the scene and carving a lane entirely on her own terms. If you’re looking for some up-and-coming talent to scout at Don Valley Bowl, her set is one that should be high up your list.
Sonni Mills plays the Rock N Roll Circus on Sunday 31 August.
