Sophia Knapp

Sophia Knapp first gained recognition for her contributions as singer and songwriter to the mystical indie rock outfit Lights, an ensemble that eventually adopted the moniker Cliffie Swan. Raised in San Francisco’s Haight Ashbury district, she later relocated to Brooklyn, where she connected with Linnea Vedder and Alana Amram to establish Lights in 2004. The group issued a self-titled EP in 2006, followed by its self-titled debut album in 2008 and the album Rites in 2009, all before the 2010 name change to Cliffie Swan. Throughout this period Knapp also worked with the ensembles Life on Earth! and Hopewell. Cliffie Swan’s debut full-length, Memories Come True, surfaced in 2011. In late 2010 she had already started tracking a solo project drawing influence from Stevie Nicks, Linda Perhacs, Gal Costa, and other vivid chanteuses, turning to Kickstarter to secure additional studio resources. That effort yielded the 2012 release Into the Waves.