Why this 23-year-old Brit’s MILLION-PLUS social media followers can’t be wrong BY AMIT SHARMA
WHEN GUITAR WORLD CONGRATULATES English guitarist Sophie Burrell on being voted one of the greatest players in the world right now, we soon get the impression she’s as shocked as she is thrilled.
“It’s pretty insane!” she grins, talking to GW via video conference, before very humbly explaining she never thought she’d be considered such a thing. The million-plus followers and subscribers she has amassed online, however, would perhaps beg to differ — high praise coming far and wide for her note-perfect videos covering artists as varied as John Mayer, Billie Eilish and Slipknot.
“I know I’m getting there, but I almost don’t consider myself worthy because I haven’t released much original stuff yet,” continues Burrell, who sits among the youngest players in our list and is usually seen playing PRS guitars in her vibrantly lit home studio. “I do have some exciting things in the pipeline, though! Honestly, it’s all very appreciated because I didn’t try too hard to get votes, I just put it up on my Instagram stories and that’s about it. It means a lot that people must have taken the time to vote, which is really sweet!”
When exactly did you decide to start documenting your guitar journey online?
It’s been quite a while since I started. A lot of people assume I’ve been doing this for the last couple of years, but it’s been closer to 10. I first started posting on the Facebook PRS Guitar Owners Worldwide group, sharing YouTube videos to that community. I was only 16, so really shy and self-conscious, but I was using it as a way to chat to other players. People were always kind and supportive. Then I started going to music college, posting more clips as well as getting into my first band. But I guess 2019 is when I really started ramping it up and trying to build a following. It’s been a bit of a slow climb since then, a lot of people might not realize that, but because I’ve been working so much over that time it’s kinda felt long and slow!
Which guitar players have inspired you most over the years?
If I had a top three, it would be Slash, David Gilmour and Mark Tremonti. Those guys feel like the core, the people that absolutely changed the game for me. And when I was just starting out, because I was singing and playing guitar, it was Avril Lavigne. [Laughs] I was obsessed! But then my brother started telling me to listen to “real music” and h
