Speed Date with Irish musician SOAK

SOAK, a singer-songwriter hailing from Derry, Northern Ireland, says their third studio album If I Never Know You Like This Again is incredibly candid. “I didn’t really shy away lyrically from what I felt I had to, like, work out or discuss,” SOAK  says. “At times I’m like, ‘Oh, you just said that, now everyone’s going to hear it.’ But it’s also a relief in a way.” The 26-year-old broke onto the music scene with their first album Before We Forgot How to Dream at the young age of 15, but says their music and creative process have evolved dramatically in the decade since. SOAK also talks to Xtra about how discovering Canadian queer folk-pop band Tegan and Sara’s 2007 album, The Con, was pivotal in influencing their sound.