Sophia James

Sophia Louise Wackerman (born September 1, 1999) is an Australian–American[1] singer and songwriter who appeared on the 18th season of American Idol in 2020.

Life and career

Born in Australia to a family of musicians, James moved to the United States when she was five years old.[1] Her father is drummer Chad Wackerman,[2] and her late mother was Naomi Star.[1] Wackerman changed her stage name to Sophia James in honor of her brother James, who lives with fragile X syndrome.[1]

James studied music at the University of California, Los Angeles during which she entered the eighteenth season of the singing competition television show American Idol, finishing in 11th place.[3] Since, James has entered a career in music.[2] In addition to singing, she also plays the piano and guitar.[4] In 2021, James released her first EP called Stand Beneath The Sky, followed by her second, titled Lines on the Freeway.[3] Her third EP, Clockwork, was released in 2024[5] and features a live performance of "Valerie" by Amy Winehouse.[6]

Aside from writing and performing her own music, James has also written music for the animated television shows Phineas and Ferb and Hamster & Gretel, and appeared as the musical director in the short film Cold Cold Man.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Sophia James: Life as a Sibling of Someone with Fragile X Syndrome". NFXF. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  2. ^ a b "Music is the soundtrack of her life, and now she's in the 'American Idol' Top 20". UCLA. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  3. ^ a b "Underrated artist: Sophia James". Underrated artist: Sophia James – The Post. Retrieved 2025-10-05.
  4. ^ Xia, Yinan (2024-04-16). "Write On Time". VISUAL TALES. Retrieved 2025-10-05.
  5. ^ McClain, Larry (2024-05-16). "Sophia James is astonishing on "Heat Death (The End Of Everything)"". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved 2025-10-05.
  6. ^ Curry, Julia (2024-05-02). "Lindsey Lomis meets Lizzy McAlpine: Sophia James and her Clockwork EP". STRAND Magazine. Retrieved 2025-10-05.
  7. ^ "Sophia James | Actress, Music Department, Soundtrack". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-10-05.
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