Sophia Louise Wackerman (born September 1, 1999) is an American singer and songwriter who appeared on American Idol season 18.
Born in Australia to a family of musicians, Sophia 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 Angelos where she entered the eighteenth season of the singing competition, 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 has 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, Sophia has also written music for the animated television shows, Phineas and Ferb, Hamster and Gretel, as well as acted as the musical director for the short film, Cold Cold Man. [7]