B-Side Guys

Sophia Bouvier frames “Poison Apple” around “the push and pull of temptation, trust, and heartbreak,” which is ambitious thematic territory for a debut single, but makes sense when you know she’s been performing since age eight. The 17-year-old Vancouver singer-songwriter started with ukulele on city streets, graduated to cafes and local bars, and now emerges with a track that explores what happens when something sweet reveals its sting. The production leans into blues-inflected pop rock, drawing from her stated influences of Lana Del Rey, Nina Simone, and Amy Winehouse without directly copying any of them.

What “Poison Apple” gets right is emotional specificity over broad gestures. Bouvier describes wanting listeners to hear “a little of their own story in it,” which requires writing sharply enough that personal experience becomes recognizable rather than generic. The song sits with choices and their bittersweet aftermath instead of rushing toward resolution, treating consequence as something worth examining rather than escaping. For someone who organizes monthly youth open mics to create space for other young artists, that attention to making room for complexity tracks perfectly.

The track establishes Bouvier’s songwriting voice as intimate and reflective, unafraid to lean into messy emotional territory. Performing covers of timeless artists has clearly taught her how classic songs handle heartbreak without melodrama, and “Poison Apple” applies those lessons to her own material. At seventeen, debuting with blues and pop rock that prioritizes storytelling over production tricks suggests she’s building toward something substantial rather than chasing immediate impact. Whether the poison apple metaphor sustains an entire career remains to be seen, but as first impressions go, this one trusts the listener enough to let the bittersweet linger.