Sophie Raskin: I was always singing...

Listening to the songs on You Told Him, you wouldn’t think that the soulful voice belongs to a teenager. At seventeen, Sophie Raskin already has an EP under her belt with four incredible songs that showcase her bold, jazzy style and wide vocal range. 

Photos by Emily Lapidus, Instagram @emilylapphotography

Though it only took a day to record at The Closet Studios, the EP, released October 28, follows years of developing her skills as a singer and entertainer. Raskin started her entertainment journey at Clark Youth Theatre at the age of seven. 

“I was always so shy though,” Raskin said.  “I was super awkward on stage and wouldn’t smile for my first five years of doing stuff there.” 

But as time went on, her confidence grew. She participated in shows with Theatre Tulsa and attended a summer conservatory at AMDA in New York City. While being around musical theatre has developed her skills as a performer, Raskin takes more of her influence from Jazz and R&B, citing Amy Whinehouse as one of her favorite singers. 

On guitar, Raskin mainly taught herself with a little help from her father, who aside from working at the Foodbank of Eastern Oklahoma, spends time playing mandolin and guitar at Synagogue B’nai Emunah. Raskin remembers listening to music at the Synagogue at services and community events from a young age.  

“I’ve always just had music in the house,” Raskin said. “I was always singing...the first song I wrote was when I was a freshman.”

 In the pandemic, Raskin converted an empty room in their house into a music room where she filled quarantine hours with creative entertainment. She saved up money and picked out the best of her songs, then hit the studio. With the help of some musicians she knew through the Synagogue, Jon Glazer, Pat Savage, and Matt Casteel, and another Booker T. Senior, Dylan Wagman, Raskin fleshed out her tracks.

“I’ve been saying I want to release an album for so long, because I’ve just been writing music,” Raskin said. “I’ve always had a lot of big ideas and big projects I would do—I wanted to make a film when I was in kindergarten—sort of always just thinking bigger than what I can accomplish.” 

Those big ideas and big projects have definitely paid off with the release of this amazing EP. Raskin hopes to release a single soon and an album within a year or two. 

You can listen to You Told Him on all major streaming services. 

Follow her on Instagram @sophieraskin_