Raised in the wild by feral graduate students, SofÃa learned to make simple vowel sounds at a young age. When she was not suckling at the teat of the mimeograph machine refill cartridge (ahhh -- delicious purple toxicity!), SofÃa absorbed the basics of life, such as Latin declensions, poetic forms, and the proper use of the subjunctive.**
Entry into the modern world posed its challenges, but SofÃa persevered with a cheerful naivete bordering on the pathological. SofÃa now makes her home in Austin, TX, where she happily writes and sings for just about anyone who asks.
SofÃa's last name, Echegaray, is Basque. The Basques are a proud, unpronounceable people, famous for their paella, jai alai, and general beret-wearing.
Echegaray is pronounced like this: Etch-eh-garrr-eye.
SofÃa has also sung under the name SofÃa Grey.
**(hint: "I wish the subjunctive were used more often.")
All right, here's a small addition from my "real" bio (whatever that means...):A two-time SemiFinalist at the Mountain Stage NewSong Contest (2004, 2006), Sofia has also charmed audiences at Seattle's Bumbershoot Festival, singing her alternative-romance anthem "Geek Love" to a capacity crowd at the 800-seat Bagley Wright Theater.Her topical blues "Nickel and Dime" -- recorded with Carolyn Wonderland and Shelley King -- is getting attention and airplay on Folk & Americana stations throughout the country.
An experienced ensemble singer with a classical background, she also has sung backup for a range of songwriters including Idgy Vaughn, Eric Taylor, and Lilli Lewis. She has recently recorded background vocals for Johann Wagner, Jack Wilson, and Najeeb Sabour.
For more musical selections, check out the "Sofia Grey" podcast on The Austin Connection . Scroll down to June 12, 2007.
Sofia is currently in pre-production for a video of "Nickel and Dime." If you would like to get involved in this or other upcoming projects, please feel free to contact her for more information.
