“I was nervous playing in front of my mom and dad. I would avoid playing live at all costs”: How Sophie Lloyd got over her performance anxiety – thanks to an arena show with mgk

British shredder Sophie Lloyd got her big break when she was scouted to play guitar for Machine Gun Kelly (mgk), and the gig has helped her navigate her performance anxiety.

Today, Lloyd boasts 1.3M YouTube subscribers, thanks to her lyrical instrumental arrangements that cover everyone from Muse to Britney Spears. Her blossoming solo career also saw her debut show at the Whisky A-Go-Go sell out in under five minutes.

But, as she reveals to Premier Guitar, her invitation into mgk’s band also saw her face one of her biggest fears head-on.

“I had an online career, and it started with a random DM,” Lloyd says of how she got the gig. “My anxiety got really bad during COVID. I was nervous playing in front of my mom and dad. I would avoid playing live at all costs, so I was almost grateful that COVID happened and I didn't have to do any live gigs.

“I knew I wanted to overcome that,” she continues. “I do enjoy performing, but the anxiety around it was crippling. I started doing things on Twitch, so I was behind a camera. There was a safety barrier there.”

Lloyd first joined mgk in 2022, debuting on his Mainstream Sellout world tour. Though the gig turned her life upside down in record time, it also provided her the opportunity to prove to herself that she was capable of playing massive shows.

“I was playing in front of 50 people the weekend before I first came out to LA [to join mgk], and then two days later I was playing my first arena in front of 13,000,” Lloyd laughs. “It was an insane jump, but it was an amazing moment. I had a moment where I looked out and felt that ‘This is where I'm meant to be.’ It was empowering.

Sophie Lloyd & Justin "Guitarslayer" Lyons Rig Rundown for mgk Band - YouTube

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“Now I can say it's pretty much completely gone. I just played the Women's Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham [London], playing by myself in front of a stadium of 80,000 people, and I felt so confident. There are always good days and bad days, but I'm proud to say I've overcome most of it. A couple of shots of tequila never hurts, either!”

Lloyd has regularly lifted the veil of what it's like being a working musician in the 2020s, including detailing what it meanas to be a successful guitarist in the social media era.

Her star-studded debut album, Imposter Syndrome, meanwhile, talks about exactly that, and it was something that she found many of her collaborators also suffered from.