Sofia Cordoba marks her English-language debut with bright acoustic ballad “Symptom of Love”

“Symptom of Love” introduces the first taste of Cordoba's forthcoming EP, and showcases the full breadth of her bilingual songwriting. Raised on a rich blend of American and British rock alongside Colombian and Cuban music, Cordoba’s relationship with music was shaped early by the sounds constantly surrounding her. “I remember music being everywhere, I’m lucky my parents have good taste in music,” she says. Formative influences include U2, Guns N' Roses and Shakira, alongside artists emerging from her hometown of Bogotá.

That fascination only deepened through live performance, where she first recognised music’s unique power to connect people. “I also had the fortune of going to a lot of live shows,” Cordoba shares. “Very early on, I realised it was one of the things that makes humanity special. We can gather together and concentrate energy towards something as beautiful as music. I became obsessed with the idea of one day being able to connect in that same way.”

Though she has been writing in English for years, latest single “Symptom of Love” marks the first time Cordoba has officially released music in a language outside of her native Spanish, a step she admits initially came with some hesitation. “I had a bit of imposter syndrome at first,” she admits. “I’d been writing in English for a long time, but putting music out that wasn’t in my native language seemed scary to me.”

She found that exploring both languages within her songwriting allowed her to expand how she can express herself within her music. “They’re very different languages. Spanish is a complicated language to write in, you have to be quite metaphorical so it doesn’t sound too cheesy or on the nose, but English allows for a different way of saying things. I feel lucky to be able to write and express in both languages and reach more people,” she adds.

A catchy, acoustic guitar-driven pop ballad, “Symptom of Love” balances warmth and uplift with emotional complexity, pairing diaristic songwriting with melodic immediacy that is both nostalgic and distinctly fresh. Its emotional richness is subtly informed by the music currently shaping Cordoba’s listening world, from the intimate acoustic songwriting of Big Thief and Adrianne Lenker to the layered textures of Latin American rock.

“I’m not sure how those are a reference sonically for the song, but it’s what I listen to. I love Shakira’s early music, it was my favourite growing up. It’s energetic and happy, but still has a certain complexity to the lyrics, a sadness and deepness. I find it hard to write these more upbeat, energetic, happy-feeling songs, I lean towards the slower, melancholic ones. I like it when a happy song is not necessarily always about a happy thing.”

That tension between brightness and longing sits at the heart of “Symptom of Love”. Written after years spent away from loved ones while studying in America, and later pursuing music, the lyrics reframe distance as something unexpectedly hopeful. “I learned that you could turn the negative feeling into a positive one, by realising it’s love you feel towards people that you don’t know where to put, so it lives inside you. It’s a fortunate feeling to love and miss someone.”

The song serves as the opening statement for an EP due later this summer, which will continue Cordoba's move into English-language material while exploring a wider emotional spectrum: “I think “Symptom of Love” is a good introduction to my music. It’s always good to start with a broad, warm emotion, before getting into some of the more complex, deeper and slower songs. I’m happy for it to coexist with a body of work that reflects me over the past years.”