In this interview with Morgan Enos, Sylvia Brooks reflects on how Soliloquy grew from moments, people, and experiences that stayed with her long enough to become songs. Rather than writing from a fixed concept, she began with observations—something that moved her, unsettled her, or made her curious—and returned to those moments later through songwriting. That process shaped originals such as “Lizzie’s Dance,” “A Letter to Sophie,” “Instinct of Love,” and “Talks a Good Game,” while the album’s interpretations of songs like “Temptation” and “Fragile” explore the same larger theme: our shared humanity and the choices we make around desire, vulnerability, loss, and courage.
Brooks also speaks warmly about her longtime collaboration with Christian Jacob and the musicians who helped shape the album’s intimate sound. Recording largely live in the studio allowed the music to feel immediate and connected, while details such as the eight-voice choir on “Fragile” added another layer of human presence. At the heart of the interview is Brooks’ hope that listeners will recognize something of themselves in Soliloquy. For her, art matters most when it helps people look inward and have their own emotional experience.
