Sophie Faith is timeless in the jazz-inflected "Pinky Blues"

Sophie Faith is a big believer in fluke moments. A rising star of London's soul and blues scene, she has garnered attention through a mixture of hard graft and chance encounters: from Stormzy fanboying one of her songs on Instagram to hearing "You Are the Best Thing" played on Love Island after she got stranded on a beach in Thailand and happened to approach one of its producers for help.

But there are some moments in life that call for cold, hard decision-making. "Pinky Blues" takes on the thorny topic of deciding to start a family, only to find out your partner doesn't feel the same way. Like earlier songs which explore such emotionally raw subjects as squabbling with her mother, being taken for granted by men and learning to trust her gut in the face of other people's criticisms, the song showcases Sophie's capacity for real talk, getting straight to the heart of the matter with disarming honesty.

Unlikely as it seems, "Pinky Blues" was originally penned for an advert. Sophie was approached by a microphone company with the brief to compose a track that would capture what 2021 had meant to her. Rather than reach for platitudes about personal growth, she instead came up with a set of lyrics that cut to the quick, delving into her recent split from a partner, and the shattering effect the question of parenthood can have on a relationship.

"The main focal point for us breaking up was the conversation around whether we were aligned on having children," she says. "I think it became really evident that we weren’t, and even having a small part of me that wants to fulfil dreams of being a mother... it felt like in order for me to be in the relationship I would have to sacrifice that.”

The song is intended as "an ode to anyone who has had to make a decision based on what they want," and to part ways with a loved one "even if that person is still beautiful and amazing". It was a story she felt compelled to tell, not only as a way of coming to terms with her own experiences but as a testament to the struggles faced by friends as they confronted equally difficult questions about their futures.

"I genuinely knew a lot of women in their twenties having to think really hard about their decisions of what they want from their partners or relationships," Sophie muses. Writing the song was a prompt to talk sincerely about a topic that is not easy to broach, particularly with the sense of ultimatum it places on relationships. It also marked "the first time I’d written and recorded by myself in my room during lockdown, and it gave me the opportunity to be really honest and comfortable."

With the smokiness of her voice and sombre percussion that chimes through the track like a ticking clock, "Pinky Blues" is undeniably bittersweet. But the song doesn't deal with broodiness or parenthood so much as self-preservation: letting go of familiar comforts to plunge into an unknowable, yet hopeful, future. Despite the pain that comes from arriving at a crossroads, it's about making sure to choose those next steps, rather than surrendering to fate.