Sophie Hunger is a pseudonym of Emilie Welti (b. 31 Mar 1983, in Bern), a m… Read Full Bio ↴Sophie Hunger is a pseudonym of Emilie Welti (b. 31 Mar 1983, in Bern), a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter, based in Zürich, Switzerland. She made her recording débuted, as Emilie Welti and a member of Fisher, on their eponymous "Fisher" (2005). Her first solo album was "Sketches on Sea" (Sept 2007, Two Gentlemen) and her latest is "The Danger Of Light" (Sept 2012, Two Gentlemen).

Her independently released second album "Monday's Ghost" (2008) stayed at the top of the swiss charts for several weeks and caught the attention of critics abroad. The Guardian described her as "Laura Marling, Beth Orton and Björk in one folk-rocking package".

The Swiss singer spent parts of her youth abroad, living in England and Germany. Her cosmopolitan biography is reflected in her multilingual songwriting. While most songs are in English or German language, each album contains one song in a Swiss German dialect. Her third studio album 1983 (2010) also includes a cover version of Noir Désir's Le Vent Nous Portera in French language.

Hunger has always worked in a collaborative spirit, and her many musical interests have led her to a fascinating geographic and personality mix. While she had recorded her solo début "Sketches On Sea" at home in just a few days, her latest album "The Danger Of Light" evolved over three sessions abroad. In Los Angeles she was joined by Josh Klinghoffer (Red Hot Chilli Peppers, PJ Harvey), Nathaniel Walcott (Bright Eyes) and Steven Nistor (Danger Mouse); in Montréal Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire), singer/songwriter Mark Bérubé, Brad Barr (The Barr Brothers) und David Payant (A Silver Mt. Zion) jammed along. That last session from Hotel2Tango-Studio in Montréal is included on the Deluxe Edition of her latest release.

Rapidly gaining a reputation as an electrifying live performer, Hunger has been sharing stages with some of Switzerlands’s most successful artists, like Erik Truffaz, The Young Gods, Kutti MC or Stephan Eicher and appearing at locations such as Olympia in Paris, Miles Davis Hall at the Montreux Jazz Festival or the John Peel Stage at Glastonbury Festival.

The musical directions of Sophie Hunger are limitless, from traditional folk songwriting bathed in jazzy moods to soul balladry. Her musical universe is very flourished, nourished by an exceptionally fragile yet mature voice as well as an ability to cross genres. For Sketches On Sea, she collaborated with a great number of musicians, from a trombone player to a flamenco guitarist. Sophie’s technical prowesses can lead her anywhere and allow her to do things that nobody else could get away with.

Sophie Hunger also contributed the soundtrack to the documentary "Zimmer 202" and the movie "Der Freund" by Micha Lewinsky.

Sites: SoundCloud, Vimeo and Facebook.

Z'Lied vor Freiheitsstatue
Sophie Hunger Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Chum, I ma scho lang nüm warte
Um mi ume verändre sich d′Farbe
Aber I bi immer gliech

Chum oder bini ächt scho gstorbe
I mim letschte Troum verlore
Wo sich eifach immer gliecht

Lueg, mir isch schwindlig
Aber schwindlig bini nid
Lueg, I han es Riesse
Riesse chani nüt

Chum und bring mi bald ids Wanke
I bi sicher I chönt o chli tanze
Wenn Du mi bruchsch derfür

Chum oder ghöri mi ächt nur sälber
Säg, bi I Dir je necher cho als Du mir

Lueg, mir isch schwindlig
Aber schwindlig bini nid

Lueg, I han es Riesse
Aber riesse chani nüt

Overall Meaning

The song "Z'Lied vor Freiheitsstatue" by Sophie Hunger talks about a feeling of longing for change and self-discovery. The lyrics open with the lines "Chum, I ma scho lang nüm warte, Um mi ume verändre sich d'Farbe, Aber I bi immer gliech," which translate to "Come, I've been waiting for a long time, The colors around me are changing, But I remain the same." This sets the tone for the song's theme of transformation, as the singer craves change but feels stuck in their current state.

As the song progresses, the lyrics become more introspective, with lines such as "Chum oder bini ächt scho gstorbe, I mim letschte Troum verlore, Wo sich eifach immer gliecht," meaning "Come, or am I already dead, Lost in my last dream, Where everything always stays the same." These lines suggest a feeling of stagnation and being trapped in a never-ending cycle of sameness. The singer then expresses a desire for someone else to lead them towards change, singing "Chum und bring mi bald ids Wanke, I bi sicher I chönt o chli tanze, Wenn Du mi bruchsch derfür," or "Come and take me to the dance, I'm sure I could dance a little if you need me to."

Overall, the song portrays the sense of restlessness and longing for growth that can come with an unchanging or stagnant life. The singer desires to break free from this cycle and find a way to dance with life.

Line by Line Meaning

Chum, I ma scho lang nüm warte
Come, I've been waiting for a long time now

Um mi ume verändre sich d′Farbe
The colors around me are changing

Aber I bi immer gliech
But I'm always the same

Chum oder bini ächt scho gstorbe
Come, or am I already dead

I mim letschte Troum verlore
I've lost in my last dream

Wo sich eifach immer gliecht
Where everything always stays the same

Lueg, mir isch schwindlig
Look, I'm dizzy

Aber schwindlig bini nid
But I'm not actually dizzy

Lueg, I han es Riesse
Look, I have a crack

Riesse chani nüt
But the crack doesn't affect me

Chum und bring mi bald ids Wanke
Come and take me for a walk soon