Page 79 of So This Is Love

Two pink lines.

One much fainter than the other but still visibly there.

No.

I go to my kitchen, grabbing a glass from the cabinet and filling it with water. I chug the whole glass, hoping it will fill my bladder quickly so that I can take the other test because the first one was clearly wrong.

I pace back and forth in my bathroom until I have the smallest inkling that I have something to use for the test. I set the test down on the counter and wash my hands. A little clock appears on the test.. I brace myself on the counter, my eyes fixated on the little window on the test as I anxiously wait for it to tell me that the first one was just faulty. My eyes burn as I watch the test until the little clock disappears and something else takes its place.

yes +

29

Sonny

For my first interviewin half a decade, Morgan wanted to come back with a bang which meant starting with the best. In this instance, the best is Danika Riley. Danika is one of the most popular interviewers in the game. Her backlog of guests on her show,Let’s Catch Up, is not only extensive but also diverse. She sits down with everyone from professional athletes to actors to entertainers.

The stage is set up to feel cozy. Two large armchairs facing each other with a side table in between us with branded mugs filled with water. A plush rug under our feet and plants in the background. Everything in a color scheme of creams and browns and olive greens to help with the impression that Danika and her guest are old friends catching up with each other and not on a set with cameras and crew all around.

“Are you ready?” Danika asks when her hair and makeup team is done with their final touch ups.

I’m not. I don’t want to be here today. I even told Morgan to cancel my appearance but she flat out refused. She told me that I owed it to myself and to the album to give it everything that Ihad to make it successful. I could spend the rest of the day holed up in my place, sad, but first I had to do the work. She was right and so here I am on set, poised with a microphone in front of me.

I nod and smile. “Yeah, let’s do it.”

A moment later the cameras start rolling.

“Sonny, it’s so good to see you. How are you doing?” Danika asks, her voice chipper.

“I’m doing really well. Thank you for having me.”

“You’ve been out of the spotlight for some time now, some even thought that your career was done. How does it feel to be back?”

“It doesn’t feel like I’m ‘back’ because I don’t feel like I left," I say. "Even though I wasn’t sharing it or performing, I never stopped creating, making music never stopped being a part of me. Now it just feels like I can share it with the world again and I’m forever grateful for that opportunity.”

“So all this time you’ve been writing songs still?”

I chuckle. “Yeah, as crazy as it may sound, I’ve been writing songs since I was a teenager. I don’t really remember what it’s like to not have lyrics floating around in my head most days.”

“And one of those songs turned into your latest release,Love Notes. It’s been rapidly climbing the charts since your surprise release and is now in competition with some of your previous songs in initial popularity. Can you tell us a little about your inspiration forLove Notes.

“Love Notesis all about self love, doing what’s best for you even if others think you shouldn’t. It’s about putting yourself first. While working with my team to figure out what song I wanted to release first, this one always stuck out to me because I feel like it embodies the vibe and the message that I want to portray for the entire album.”

“That’s amazing,” Danika says. “Long time fans of yours know that you were previously signed to a label and now you’ve chosento be independent. Can you tell us more about how you came to that decision?”

“I was young when I signed my deal and over the course of it, I grew not only as an artist but also as a man. I lost myself a little bit and I needed time to figure out what the journey forward looked like for me. I try my hardest not to live life with regrets because I wouldn’t be where I am now without the things I’ve been through, the good and the bad. I couldn’t find anywhere that felt like a good fit for me so I decided to take the chance on myself and release on my own.”

“Speaking of your new release, what does it feel like after nearly half a decade away?”

“Exhilarating,” I reply easily. “But also terrifying and emotional.”

“So it’s safe to say you’re bringing a new energy with this album,” Danika says with a chuckle.

“Absolutely. I want this next chapter of my life to feel more authentic to who I am as a person and I hope that’s reflected in not only this next album but all my future work.”

“So I was doing my research,” Danika says. “And in all the things I could find about you, you’ve never told the story of your name. How did you decide on Sonny?”

I pick up the mug and take a sip of water.

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