Sophie Straat

Pseudonym of Dutch protest song chansonnière Sophie Schwartz, born in Amsterdam in 1994 as daughter of an American father and a British mother. Growing up in De Pijp (formerly a working-class neighbourhood, now gentrified), Schwartz used to always be out with her friends in the streets, hence the Straat moniker. And also her love of the "levenslied" genre, as inspired by e.g. de Zangeres Zonder Naam, who sang about socially engaged matters as well. Similarly, Schwartz labels her music both protest songs and "smartlap" music. In interviews, Schwartz has sometimes explained Sophie Straat as a project with her current life partner Wieger Hoogendorp, who's heavily involved in the music and production, and with whom she performs live. In her lyrics Straat writes about the effects of gentrification in Amsterdam and you get a glimpse into the lives of for instance a green cargo bike owner, a Zuidas worker or a child who's just moved to Amsterdam North ...