Life in Seven Songs

How actress Pepi Sonuga keeps the faith, even when Hollywood says 'We don't need you'


Listen Later

Pepi Sonuga always knew she would become a performer. Even as a little girl in Lagos, Nigeria, watching “Barney” tapes that her flight attendant mother brought home, Pepi felt certain that someday, she’d be the one onscreen. That childhood conviction helped Pepi survive the culture shock of moving to Los Angeles at age 10, teen bullying, and years of grinding in an industry that tried to tell her, over and over, that she was replaceable.

With her star now on the rise – with roles in Tyler Perry’s “The Six Triple Eight” and Hulu’s “Pam & Tommy” – Pepi joins Sophie to reflect on her journey so far, the songs that defined her girlhood, and her ultimate dream: to lift up the country she came from and “the little girl just like me who deserves everything she dreams about, too.” Here are her songs.

  1. "I Wanna Be a Rockstar" – Barney
  2. "You Gotta Be" – Des’ree
  3. "This Is What Makes Us Girls" – Lana Del Rey
  4. "The Only Exception" – Paramore
  5. "Dreamer" – Charli XCX
  6. "Ready" – Tems
  7. "Ojuelegba" – Wizkid
  8. ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    Life in Seven SongsBy The San Francisco Standard

    • 4.9
    • 4.9
    • 4.9
    • 4.9
    • 4.9

    4.9

    69 ratings


    More shows like Life in Seven Songs

    View all
    Fresh Air by NPR

    Fresh Air

    38,466 Listeners

    The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

    The New Yorker Radio Hour

    6,794 Listeners

    99% Invisible by Roman Mars

    99% Invisible

    26,225 Listeners

    Song Exploder by Hrishikesh Hirway

    Song Exploder

    6,023 Listeners

    The Book Review by The New York Times

    The Book Review

    3,900 Listeners

    Switched on Pop by Vulture

    Switched on Pop

    2,669 Listeners

    Design Matters with Debbie Millman by Design Matters Media

    Design Matters with Debbie Millman

    1,233 Listeners

    Death, Sex & Money by Slate Podcasts

    Death, Sex & Money

    7,733 Listeners

    Revisionist History: The Alabama Murders by Pushkin Industries

    Revisionist History: The Alabama Murders

    59,183 Listeners

    Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso by Lemonada Media

    Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

    1,406 Listeners

    The Daily by The New York Times

    The Daily

    112,835 Listeners

    The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

    The Ezra Klein Show

    16,096 Listeners

    The Interview by The New York Times

    The Interview

    1,609 Listeners

    On with Kara Swisher by Vox Media

    On with Kara Swisher

    3,443 Listeners

    Wild Card with Rachel Martin by NPR

    Wild Card with Rachel Martin

    915 Listeners