Sophie Lloyd offers advice on dealing with haters and puts guitar makers on notice to take women’s body shapes into account in her recent discussion with The Mistress Carrie Podcast.
Since launching her YouTube channel in 2011, Lloyd has become an internationally recognized rock and metal guitarist. Her virtuoso skills — demonstrated in cover songs, original compositions and techniques videos — led to her landing a gig as a guitarist in Machine Gun Kelly’s touring group in 2022 and releasing her debut solo album, Imposter Syndrome, in 2023.
Along the way, Lloyd became the first female signature artist for Kiesel Guitars, an experience that allowed her to design her own model. In doing so, she says, she was able to create an instrument that not only meets her tonal requirements but also fits her frame and body shape.
Lloyd says she chose black limba for her signature model electric guitar not only because it has a warm, round tone similar to mahogany but also because its light weight makes it better suited to someone of her size.
“I really like that kind of tone,” she says of mahogany, “but I also wanted it to be really lightweight, because I'm very weak. I have little arms. I can't like stand and hold a super-heavy Les Paul for a two-hour gig and be able to throw it around and run around. That's just not really viable for me.”
Just as important, though, Lloyd says designing her own guitar meant she could develop a body shape that suits her own. While a guitar’s curves matters less when a player is standing, it matters particularly to women who play seated.
“I had trouble before, you know, because we have boobs,” she says. “Sometimes you get a guitar and the place where it cuts really hurts when it kind of leans into you.
“And that's something that people wouldn't really think, you know? If there's men making them, they wouldn't really think about that. But that's something we need to think about.
“So that's why the shape of mine fits really nicely and cradles my boob very well,” she adds with a laugh. “It really does make such a difference, because I spend a lot of time sitting down in front of the computer writing and stuff. When you stand up, I guess it doesn't make as much of a difference, but that's why I needed it to fit my frame. And then girls can go out and get something that they know is going to fit them and they're not going to have any issues with that.”
Lloyd — who uses EVH and Diezel guitar amplifiers and Boss effects pedals — made her big solo move in 2023 with her debut album, Imposter Syndrome. The record featured a range of guest singers, including Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale, who wrote lyrics for the title track and appeared in its music video.
In her interview with The Mistress Carrie Podcast, Lloyd also discusses the backlash she received when she began posting her performance videos online. She explains that she had been prepared for it by her guitar teacher, Mike Hurst, the British producer and guitarist, who had previously performed with singer Dusty Springfield.
“He was sort of like, ‘Because you're a girl, you can't just be a good guitarist — you have to be the best guitarist,'” she says.
“At the time I was really kind of upset about it. I was really like, Well why does that make a difference? I mean, I should be able to do what I want.
“’I’ve always like struggled with self-confidence or feeling like I wasn't the best at anything. That really kind of put me off for a little bit, but especially now I do kind of understand.”
In the end, Lloyd says she learned to take vindication from the haters.
“I think the thing for me was I really had good people around me,” she says. "And now, I kind of think, you know, a hate view is worth the same as a love view, you know? I always say, when you've got your first hate comment, you should go out and celebrate because that means you’re making it!”
Elsewhere in their talk, Lloyd reveals the first riffs she played correctly — “Wild Thing” and “Sweet Home Alabama” — and notes that she was able to score a PRS guitar when she nailed the guitar solo in Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.”
“My dad said, ‘If you can play this whole solo, I'll get you this guitar. I just spent so long trying to nail this solo.”
Eventually she was able to perform tapping and got Eddie Van Halen’s “Eruption” under her fingers. “That was a moment for me,” she says. “I would not stop playing it constantly. I still play it constantly. I'm still like I can't believe I can do this.”
You can hear Lloyd's full interview with The Mistress Carrie Podcast below.
