Sophie Lloyd on her blossoming solo career, and neurodivergence in music
“The thing is, I have always seen myself as a solo artist,” shares Sophie Lloyd. It was a year ago that we last spoke to the shredder, when her debut album Imposter Syndrome had just landed. Though sitting before us with the same cheerful glimmer, something’s changed.
READ MORE: Sophie Lloyd says self-doubt led her to “almost quit guitar completely”
Lloyd has always had a strong sense of self, right from her tone and playing style, all the way to her purple branding that has become so synonymous with the 29-year old Londoner, she pretty much warrants her own Pantone shade. That’s not what’s different, it’s more subtle than that – there’s a new cadence in her voice that indicates growth. Though often dubbed as “Machine Gun Kelly’s guitarist”, Lloyd has always been an artist in her own right, and this past year has let her flex her own muscles more than ever.
“This year there haven’t been that many MGK shows, so this year has been quite a good transition period because I think he’s writing a new album now,” she says, as her dog Kobe goes to absolute town on a chew toy. “I never really saw myself as MGK’s guitarist, particularly because I was always working on [Imposter Syndrome] and doing a lot of solo stuff. That’s where my true love and passion lies, and I’ve told Kelz this as well.
“I love the shows, but there’s so much other stuff that goes along with it that I’m not really built for. I admire people so much that are like Nita Strauss, [who’s] on the road 350 days a year or something crazy. I love focusing on my own stuff, I love writing.”
Image: Press
Fears were faced, solos were aced
It feels as though we’ve only just reached the final hurdles of the Imposter Syndrome story, and given its narrative, it of course made sense to close out with some killer live shows. Lloyd conquered Camden’s Underworld in October – selling out a venue she frequented growing up – and it felt like the beginning of closure.
“It was kind of like a punctuation, like a full stop on like the end of the album,” she explains. “I don’t really feel [imposter syndrome] when I go on stage with MGK or other bands anymore, because I’m not the centre of it. I’m there to do a job and I know exactly what I’m doing, but with the [solo show] in Camden, it’s your name on the door. You have to give up an element of control as to what’s going to happen, and that’s always been quite challenging for me.
“A couple of days before, we had a rehearsal, and I had a little bit of a wobble where I was playing and started disassociating. It almost feels like I’m floating above myself and I’m not in the moment, I’m not taking it in. I want to be in the moment because that’s the joy and the fun of live performing, and I know I can do that because of the MGK stuff. So that made me a little bit more nervous, but I think I needed that release because I was just getting a bit overwhelmed with everything.”
Within those first few notes of Battleground on the night, Lloyd felt truly present. “I went out and when I started playing that first song I just felt so good. I felt so confident. I really felt like this is where I’m meant to be. There was no voice in the back of my head saying ‘you’re going to mess up’. The crowd was so amazing as well… You’re always going to be a bit nervous, it means you care! But that crippling imposter syndrome, I think I’ve definitely overcome throughout this album.”
What comes next should feel like nothing short of a party, then. And fittingly she’s got a legendary slot scheduled for LA’s legendary Whisky a Go Go in January, plus a set booked for 2025’s Download Festival to boot, so everything’s coming up Sophie. With that said, putting on shows on a smaller scale compared to her colossal shows with Machine has brought home the difficulties of performing live music in the 2020s.
“I’m very fortunate I entered touring at quite a high level, where I was just really there to play guitar, I didn’t have to load in, I didn’t really have to set up my stuff very much. The musicians in a way kind of have the easiest job on a tour, we just kind of show up and play – it’s the roadies that deserve all the credit.
“Because I’m clumsy, I always injure myself which is never ideal. And also the cost of things, especially putting on like one off shows, has definitely been a bit of an eye opener, because we’re all self-funded, we’re all independent. So it’s all a learning curve,” she confesses.
Image: Press
Putting guitar centre stage
Putting this album on stage also posed some logistical questions for Lloyd. Rock’n’roll social conditioning expected there to be a singer front and centre, and guitars at the side. How can a solo player flip this so they’re the prominent performer? In the case of Lloyd’s album, where there are 11 guest vocalists on all 11 tracks, it also wasn’t feasible to get all original vocalists present either.
For the planning phase of the Imposter Syndrome live show, Lloyd did some homework – she went to watch Slash with Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators. “They’re kind of their own entities,” she says. “Slash doesn’t talk at all. He’s pretty much completely silent. I was like, ‘should I go that route? More mysterious?’ But that’s not really me because I am a yapper. [So] then I was like, ‘okay, what about Nita Strauss? What does she do?’ She gets a vocalist to come.
“I knew I wanted Marisa [Rodriguez, of Marisa And The Moths] to be the one of the vocalists, because I’ve worked with her before. We work well together, and have good stage presence. But I also wanted to add a little bit of variety, so we wanted a male singer and Gaz Twist [was] recommended. But I still think I’m trying to figure out exactly what [my show] looks like. At The Whisky, we’ve got a few surprise guests coming to sing.”
One collaborator who may not have been there physically at Lloyd’s Camden show, but in spirit via a fucking cool guitar, was Lzzy Hale. The Halestorm frontwoman’s signature (and rather lethal-looking) Kramer model made an appearance for Lloyd’s titular track, which Hale also features on.
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Aside from the new addition, Lloyd’s rig remains the same – she’s still rocking the Neural DSP Quad Cortex (or a Kemper when out on the road with MGK), and her signature models with Kiesel are always in tow too. Her SL6 pushed boundaries for what we expect from a signature, offering options to customise it to your own liking, so it’s hard to picture where she might take things next.
“I think it would be really cool to do something with an effects company like Neural DSP to make some kind of [plugin]. I like things to be as simple as possible, [and] I think a lot of this stuff is kind of tailored towards big gear heads. I think it’d be cool to make a slightly more accessible version to people that doesn’t seem so intense,” she shares.
Image: Press
How guitar changes us
As 2025 looms ever closer, Lloyd is thinking of where she might take her own music next. This year, she’s had a lot of time to think about who she really is and where she wants to go. “Being around MGK, I’m inspired by so many different people and different types of music,” she adds. “We do a lot of hip-hop, so I’ve got really into [that] and the synth side of stuff, and how that can integrate into metal.
“Part of me still loves classic rock [so I thought] maybe I should do a classic rock album, but the other part of me wants to explore some more modern sounds. I’m dabbling in a little bit of both, [but] I think what it will probably be is less of an album, and more singles or EPs.”
When not writing, gigging, or being a busy dog and cat mum, Lloyd is also a gamer, and even has plans to branch out musically into this realm too. Aside from her own creative endeavours, we could sit and ask Lloyd a million questions on what guitar knowledge she could pass on before we let her go, and she’s shared many tips in the past. But what has being a guitarist taught her?
“That’s a really good question. It’s 100 percent shaped who I am as a person. I’ve learned how my brain works is quite different to a lot of other musicians and creatives,” she explains. “I’m in the process of getting diagnosed with autism, and I think that’s something that is an integral part of how my brain thinks about things. I think so logically, it’s very shapes and numbers, very technical,” she admits.
“[Guitar] highlighted where my strengths are, and taught me how to utilise those strengths in all aspects of my life and be okay with that, not to fight against it. This is how my brain works, it’s different, and that’s what makes it cool.”
Sophie Lloyd supports These Damn Crows at Cardiff’s Utilita Arena on Saturday, 14 December, and plays LA’s Whisky a Go Go on 15 January 2025. She will also play the 2025 Download Festival – for tickets and more info, visit sophieguitar.com
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