Sophia Rose Baser is a Kentucky-born model, singer, licensed pilot, motorcycle rider, and emerging actress whose multifaceted career reflects a fearless approach to life. A Tulane University graduate with degrees in Architecture and Sustainable Real Estate Develop- ment, she bridges creativity, intellect, and adventure across modeling, music with Beverly Park Band, and film. Photographed by The Perfect Liar, Sophia embodies a new generation of women defining success on their own terms—fearless, disciplined, and unapologetically expansive.
“True confidence isn’t believing nothing will go wrong—it’s
trusting yourself to respond when it does.”
You were born and raised in Kentucky before building a life in Los Angeles. What parts of your Kentucky up- bringing still influence the woman you are today?
Kentucky gave me a groundedness that I’ve carried everywhere. I grew up valuing family, hard work, humility, and treating people well regardless of who they are or what they can do for you. There is also a certain fearlessness that comes from growing up with space to explore. I was flying airplanes before I could drive. Kentucky gave me roots, but it also gave me the confidence to imagine a life far beyond what was immediately around me.
Moving from Kentucky to Los Angeles represents a major change in culture, pace, and opportunity. What was the biggest adjustment for you, and what did the move teach you about yourself?
The biggest adjustment was learning how much more intentional you have to be about building genuine relationships in a city where everyone is constantly moving and pursuing something. Los Angeles can feel limitless, but that also means you have to create your own structure and sense of home. The move taught me that I’m extremely adaptable. I can enter a completely unfamiliar world, observe it, learn from it, and still retain the core of who I am.
You have built a career across modeling, music, aviation, acting, and more. Where does your desire to explore so many different worlds come from?
I believe in building the life you want to live. Every path I pursue brings me closer to becoming the strongest version of myself. I’ve always been fearless, driven, and a little rebellious. I love breaking expectations, learning, creating, feeling strong, building community, and helping others. I bring those passions into every avenue of my life. Modeling, music, aviation, acting, athletics, and design may appear unrelated, but each allows me to express who I am.
Do you see yourself as someone who has one career with many dimensions, or as someone who is intentio nally creating several different careers at once?
My career is an extension of who I am, and living my dream life is my craft. I don’t experience these pursuits as separate versions of myself. They all come from the same curiosity, ambition, and desire to create. Each discipline gives me new skills and strengthens the others.
You studied Architecture and Sustainable Real Estate Development at Tulane University. What initially attracted you to those fields?
I was attracted to architecture because it sits at the intersection of art, psychology, engineering, and culture. A building isn’t only something you look at; it shapes how people move, feel, interact, and live. Sustainable real estate development expanded that interest by asking how creative ideas can become financially viable, environmentally responsible, real-world projects. I loved that both fields demanded imagination and practicality.
Architecture requires both creativity and technical thinking. Has your education influenced the way you approach modeling, photography, or acting?
Absolutely. Architecture trained me to think simultaneously about the entire composition and the smallest detail. In modeling, I naturally consider shape, proportion, negative space, lighting, and the relationship between a person and the environment. It also taught me to receive critique without allowing it to destroy my confidence. You learn to separate yourself from the work, assess what can be improved, and return stronger.
You’ve achieved something many people only dream about: becoming a licensed pilot. What inspired you to learn to fly?
My first exposure to aviation came in first grade, when my friend’s mother took me flying. She was a pilot with two sons and was deeply passionate about encouraging more women to enter aviation. I remember being told that women represented only around one percent of pilots at the time, and seeing this tough, educated woman succeeding in such a male-dominated world had a profound impact on me.
She ultimately taught me how to fly, and together with a group of young aviators, we founded Flight Club 502, a nonprofit dedicated to making flight education accessible to young people. The organization uses aviation not only to teach students how to fly, but also to teach responsibility, leadership, and how to run a business. I completed my first solo flight on my sixteenth birthday and earned my private pilot’s license at eighteen.
What did becoming a pilot teach you about discipline, confidence, and trusting yourself?
Funny enough, I learned the most about trusting myself when I nearly crashed while preparing for my pilot’s license. I was practicing solo touch-and-goes—landing and immediately taking off again—when a gust of wind blew the plane toward the edge of the runway. I managed to regain control, return to the center, land, and begin taking off again.
As I pulled back on the yoke, the plane wasn’t becoming airborne. I was about to abort the takeoff when the wheels finally lifted. I looked through the windshield, saw the trees directly ahead of me, and genuinely thought I might not make it.
Instead of panicking, I went through my emergency checklist, identified the problem, corrected it, and narrowly cleared the trees. In that moment, I learned something fundamental about myself: when everything is on the line, I don’t freeze. I rely on my training, remain focused, and do what needs to be done. Flying taught me that true confidence isn’t believing nothing will go wrong—it’s trusting yourself to respond when it does.
You’re also a motorcycle rider. What is it about motorcycles and flying that appeals to you, and do you see a connection between the two?
Growing up, my mom would always ask me, “Who do you want to be?” As I got older, I realized what she meant: you have the power to create yourself. I thought the coolest version of Sophia would be a supermodel and rock star who could ride motorcycles and fly planes—so that is who I decided to become.
My father rode motorcycles, and I learned to fly from a strong, educated woman who inspired other girls to enter aviation. Both represented freedom, fearlessness, and strength to me. They showed me that you don’t have to wait to discover who you are—you can consciously build her.
You were a collegiate athlete. How has your experience
in competitive sports shaped your approach to your career and personal goals?
I began playing sports at three years old and entered my first competitions at six. Through athletics, my mother taught me what true discipline looks like—the willingness to work consistently, push through discomfort, and remain committed long before there is any guarantee of success.
That foundation allowed me to compete as a collegiate athlete while simultaneously pursuing a double major and graduating from
Tulane in three years so I could begin chasing my dreams. I credit my mother with instilling the work ethic and determination that continue to fuel my drive. Whether I’m modeling, acting, performing, or pursuing a personal goal, I approach it with an athlete’s mindset: commit fully, do the work, and keep pushing toward the strongest version of myself.
Modeling is often associated with a very specific definition of beauty. How do you think your experiences out- side of modeling have changed the way you see beauty?
Funnily enough, becoming a model and being surrounded by so much physical beauty has actually diminished the importance of appearance alone for me. Beauty is so much more than what someone looks like, as trite as that may sound. It exists in the
smallest act of kindness, in thoughtfulness, emotion, intelligence, work ethic, passion, and the way someone engages with the world.
I believe a truly great model brings all of those qualities into the work. She breathes life into an image or campaign and makes peo-
ple feel something. In that sense, the best model isn’t necessarily the prettiest person in the room. It is the person who can create a story with a single frame.
You represent a generation of women who refuse to be defined by a single identity. Have you ever felt pressured to choose one path instead of pursuing everything that interests you?
There are moments when I prioritize certain aspects of myself and my career over others, but
that doesn’t mean the rest disappear. Life naturally has ebbs and flows, and I allow myself to move with them. Every experience has given me skills, perspectives, and discipline that I can carry into the next pursuit. My background isn’t something I have to narrow—it is what sets me apart in everything I do.
What stereotypes about models would you most like to challenge?
I would challenge the idea that modeling is easy or that it simply requires being attractive. Modeling is difficult, and it is an art form. Your body is your job, you face rejection constantly, and you have to believe in yourself every time you walk into a meeting, casting, or job—even when you have been told no a hundred times before.
A model has to understand composition, lighting, movement, emotion, and how to bring energy and life into an image. You have to make yourself vulnerable, put yourself out there, and create something compelling in a fraction of a second. More often than not, a model earning a real living in this industry has worked incredibly hard to get there. It is a genuine skill that requires discipline, artistry, and a very particular kind of mental toughness.
You combine beauty, education, athleticism, adventure, and business-minded ambition. Why is it important for you to show all of those sides of yourself?
It’s genuinely just who I am. I don’t think there is a version of me in which one of those qualities exists without all the others. Together, they form the way I think, create, and move through the world. I bring that complexity into everything I do. I believe that embracing all of who I am, rather than simplifying myself to fit one field, is ultimately what will set me apart in every endeavor I pursue.
Music has become another important part of your creative life through your work as a singer with Beverly Park Band. How did music enter your life, and what does performing give you that modeling doesn’t?
Music has been part of my life in one form or another from a young age. What I love about singing and performing is the immediacy of the connection—you can look into the audience and directly see who you are reaching and how the music is making them feel.
That isn’t to say modeling hasn’t given me moments of connection and impact. I’ve stood in front of a camera thousands of times, and I still absolutely love it. But music challenges me in a new way. It asks me to use my voice, be emotionally present in real time, and share an experience with an audience as it is happening.
What is it like stepping onto a stage as a singer compared with stepping in front of a camera as a model?
The camera has become incredibly comfortable to me. I remember when I would still feel nervous before a shoot, but after standing in front of a camera thousands of times, it has become almost like a happy place. I know what I’m doing, I trust myself, and I genuinely love the process.
Stepping onto a stage as a singer is an entirely new challenge. I am always striving to become better by pushing beyond my comfort zone, and performing with Beverly Park Band is giving me the opportunity to do exactly that. It’s unfamiliar, exciting, and vulnerable—and that is what makes it so meaningful to me.
Is there a particular song or performance with Beverly Park Band that has been especially meaningful to you so far?
There are some incredibly exciting things developing that I can’t share too much about just yet. We have multiple performances in the works for this fall, and I’m looking forward to finally bringing what we’ve been creating to a live audience. Everyone will have to stay tuned and follow @beverlyparkband for updates!
You’re also developing your presence in film. What attracts you to acting, and what kinds of characters would you love to play?
Acting draws me in because it requires empathy, collaboration, and the ability to step into another person’s perspective. Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft really inspired me as a child. I’m naturally drawn to complex, capable women and ambitious action roles. With my seemingly random collection of skills, I’ve often joked that I’m training to become the female Tom Cruise—I just need someone to give me the mission.
Modeling, music, and acting all require you to perform in front of an audience, but each demands something different emotionally. What have you learned from moving between these worlds?
I’m constantly working to become a better performer in each world. Acting teaches me to get out of my head and be willing to feel a little silly. Music challenges the child in me who once had terrible stage fright. That is exactly why I love them.
I’ve learned that when you fully lean into the passion and emotion behind what you’re creating, the work becomes special. There is always another level to reach, another fear to overcome, and another way to improve—and as someone who is always chasing a higher goal, I love that.
Your collaboration with photographer The Perfect Liar captures a particular image of you. What did you want those photographs to communicate about who you are?
I wanted the photographs to communicate strength, mystery, and self-possession. There is a confidence in the images, but also something more beneath the surface. I liked the idea of creating photographs that initially draw you in through their beauty and composition, but make you curious about the person behind them. They represent a woman who understands the power of being seen while still retaining ownership of herself
How important is it for you to work with creative teams who understand the person behind the image rather than simply the model in front of the camera?
Creating emotion, story, and art is one of my greatest joys as a model. It’s incredibly special to work with creative teams who have a real vision and collaborate to bring an entire world to life in just a few frames. The best teams recognize something authentic in you and help magnify it. Working with artists like @theperfectliar, where there is trust and genuine creative collaboration, is what transforms a beautiful image into something truly memorable.
You seem to embrace reinvention rather than staying comfortable. When was the last time you took a major risk that changed the direction of your life?
Moving to Los Angeles was one of the biggest risks I’ve taken. I left my job in historic real estate development to pursue modeling full-time and moved across the country without any connections in the city or guarantees that it would work.
More recently, committing seriously to music and acting has required the willingness to become a beginner again. It’s humbling to enter new disciplines where talent is only the starting point. Those decisions have all made my life feel more aligned with the person I’m becoming.
What does adventure mean to you beyond travel or adrenaline?
Adventure is something I integrate into everything I do—that is why I’ve chosen the path I have. It can be flying a plane or riding a motorcycle, but it can also be moving across the country, walking into an audition, entering a recording studio, or pursuing a dream without any guarantee of success.
It can be scary, but it’s also exciting. It challenges me, brings incredible highs and inevitable lows, and constantly pushes me beyond what I already know. At the end of the day, I trust myself. No matter how uncertain the path becomes, I believe I will find a way to get where I want to be.
Do you believe people discover who they are through taking risks, or do they need to know who they are before taking them?
I think it moves in both directions. You need enough self-knowledge to recognize which risks are genuinely yours and which are being chosen for someone else. But you also cannot fully know yourself through introspection alone. Certain parts of you are only revealed under pressure, uncertainty, success, failure, or change. Risk introduces you to versions of yourself you may never meet while remaining comfortable.
With so many different ambitions, how do you define success for yourself?
Success is having the freedom to build a life that feels expansive and authentic. Of course, I have concrete goals, but I don’t want to become so focused on reaching them that I miss the life happening around me. I want to create meaningful work, continue learning, remain close to the people I love, and eventually use what I build to create opportunities for others. Success is not only being recognized—it is becoming someone I respect.
What is something people might be surprised to learn about you when they meet you away from the camera, stage, or runway?
People are often surprised by how playful and slightly eccentric I am. My work can create a very polished or serious image, but in person I’m warm, down-to-earth, and a little silly. I make strange noises, and have a snort laugh that catches everyone off gaurd. People sometimes expect the model first and are surprised to meet the Kentucky girl, nerd, athlete, and complete goofball underneath it all.
Looking ahead, what would you like to accomplish in aviation, music, modeling, and film that you haven’t achieved yet?
In aviation, I want to own my own plane and fly myself, my friends, and my family around the world. I want to reach the highest level as a music artist, earn challenging film roles that genuinely move audiences, and continue collaborating with incredible people, brands, and publications in modeling.
Beyond my individual goals, I want to build communities around everything I pursue, create opportunities for emerging artists, and show people what becomes possible when they truly believe in themselves and are willing to do the work.
If you could give your younger self—the girl growing up in Kentucky—one piece of advice about the life she was going to build, what would you tell her?
Trust your gut, never change who you are to make someone else comfortable, and choose the people around you carefully. The people you surround yourself with will either expand your vision or convince you to shrink it. There is no time to waste living according to someone else’s expectations—believe in yourself and start building the life you want.
What does being a modern, ambitious woman mean to you?
It means putting yourself in a position to build the life you want and become the person you want to be. A modern woman should have the freedom to define ambition for herself without rejecting her femininity, limiting her dreams, or confining herself to what others consider reasonable or practical.
She can pursue art, business, adventure, love, family, independence—or any combination that brings her fulfillment. To me, ambition means choosing your own path instead of accepting the
one prescribed to you.
Finally, if you could describe the woman you are becoming in three words, what would they be—and why?
Fearless, disciplined, and expansive. Fearless because I refuse to let uncertainty stop me from pursuing the life I envision. Disciplined
because dreams only become reality through consistent action. Expansive because I will never
confine myself to one identity, passion, or definition of what my life can be.