Sophia Angelica

Lightly edited for readability.

Sophia: Thank you so much for the invite. So excited to talk to you today.

Cynthia: I'm delighted. So Sophia, before anything else, tell everyone how the two of us ended up talking.

Sophia: Yeah, so it was quite a coincidence. My publicist as an artist that I had a few years ago for my album release, Lee Hernandez, actually introduced us. And we got to talk on the phone for a good amount of time, and I guess here we are now.

Cynthia: It's so fun and you're amazing. Hello, hello, hello. Nice to see you. I'm so good. I'm here with a little angel, and her TV debut was at six years old. Can you imagine getting started at six on Good Day New York and Dora the Explorer? You almost remember that. What do you remember about being on TV at six?

Sophia: Well, I would say I started performing at six in general, on the stages and stuff like that. Good Day New York came a little bit later, maybe around 12 or 13, and so did Dora. But I knew that that's what I wanted to do for my life. I was like, this is my passion, this is my career. I was six or seven going, this is what's happening, like this is what I'm gonna do for my life, and like very determined. And my mom's like, quiet down, you're like in grade school. And I'm like, no, I'm going to be a professional singer, songwriter, and artist and all of these things. And I did have a little bit of stage fright back then, ironically enough. Got rid of it little by little, but it was a dream to be able to start so young with the influence of my family. My mom, she's an actress and a talent manager and I spent every weekend going to her acting school and learning from her and learning from her students and like pretty much I would go on stage once a week and just dance around or sing or do things and I got that experience from there to be open to having an artistic career. So this is kind of like how it felt where yes I was a little nervous with each new experience but I was excited because I knew that this was my path in life. And that's where I am today.

Cynthia: Who first put that microphone in your hand?

Sophia: I mentioned my mom, going to her acting school every weekend and kind of forcing myself on stage. So I guess it's a combination between having my family background because also everyone else... [Sophia's lights shut off.] Look at that.

Cynthia: She looks good in whatever light. Meanwhile, we're gonna do a shout out to Robert Brooker. Thank you. He's a number one fan. And Halloween is coming up. So thank you for being here and share this out.

Sophia: This is quite perfect.

Cynthia: Yes, we are. Robert says hello, Cynthia. Hello, Sophia.

Sophia: Hi Robert, I did that on purpose, for Halloween. 100%. But yeah, it was a family background thing because everyone in my family they're artists in some way. And I would say, I mean, the person who really like put the microphone in my hand was me because I was like, this is what I want to do. So I was like, I'm gonna make it happen somehow. And you know what, with the support of my family, I did.

Cynthia: Fabulous. And Grace Cavalieri wants to know, were your parents supportive or overly motivating?

Sophia: I would say supportive because if I were to be honest, like my mom was like, I know I'm in the arts, but please don't follow after me. Like, she's like, this is a really difficult industry. Like, please, like, be careful, is this really what you want? Like, she wanted to really make sure that this was what I wanted. And once I was like really hell-bent on it, which was from the beginning, she was just kinda like, fine, okay. And since then, between her and my grandmother, my brother, my dad, my family, they're all rooting for me and they're just like, yes, we're behind you. It's never felt like I'm being forced into anything in the sense of too much, right?

Cynthia: And you have a big fan here. Congratulations, Sophia, on winning Premios Unidad in the category of video for My Princess Era.

Sophia: Yeah, that was when I was in New York recently. I won an award for best music video for my new song, My Princess Era. So this was a couple weeks ago. So thank you.

Cynthia: She should have her crown on, shouldn't she? Jake says, hi my loves. I've been doing Halloween screenings, including Cynthia's Toxic Avenger this year for Halloween. It's awesome. So much fun. Thank you, Jake. They can have a good time and a happy Halloween early. So, my darling Sophia, you sing in English and Spanish when you sit down to write. Which language shows up first? Do you think in English or Spanish?

Sophia: Probably, or both. Yeah. I mean, each song kinda comes out the way it's meant to, like whatever inspires me in the moment. Maybe it's in English, maybe it's in Spanish, 'cause I've been bilingual since I was born pretty much. Like I kind of grew up like if not listening to but also speaking Spanish and English. My grandmother only really speaks Spanish and so I grew up with both languages around and loving both languages. So when I write, it comes out in either, or sometimes in both. I'll write one verse in English, one verse in Spanish, which is why my music tends to be pretty bilingual.

Cynthia: Lovely, absolutely lovely. Grace Cavalieri says, do you feel you've achieved all you wanted?

Sophia: Wow. That's a big question. Thank you, Grace. I feel like with any artist it's easy to get caught up in the ride and say that you want more and more and more and more and more, right? But I am really grateful for everything that I have achieved and every blessing that I've had come into my life. 'cause since I was little it's been very natural, everything that's happened to me, like the UN suddenly wanting me to perform at twelve years old and all of a sudden becoming an activist through it because I was invited to the UN and seeing all of these things and being surrounded by incredible people that inspired me to connect my music to important causes. So all the things that have happened, I feel like have happened for a reason in a way, it's been a learning experience and also extremely inspiring for me to see that anything really is possible at whatever age. Like I could not have believed that at twelve I'd be suddenly like with world leaders performing, right? Or traveling at 17, 18 across the world to perform or to speak. So I feel very blessed for all the things that have come my way and that the universe kind of put in my way and that I've gotten to experience up till now. But of course, like any artist, I still have goals I want to achieve. I still feel like there's a long road ahead of me. I would love to continue to work on new music, see my platforms grow as much as possible to have even more influence in the world in some way. Because what I believe very much so is when you do have influence to use it for positivity, for positive change, for helping someone if you can, helping multitudes if you can. So yeah, I'd love to grow my platforms to be able to do that even more. And continue traveling the world singing 'cause that's always an incredible experience connecting with other people and other cultures through music.

Cynthia: And she's done so much at such a young age. She's just getting started. Here's Susan giving you claps.

Sophia: That's my mom. That's my mom.

Cynthia: Lovely daughter, we're enjoying her so much. Fabulous, you must be so proud. Inspiring, and we have a whole bunch of amazing messages. Jake, love your energy. And yes, I agree. Let's see. Paul Blake. Hi, Cynthia, it was awesome meeting you this past weekend. It was awesome meeting you too. Thank you so much for joining The Cynthia Manion Show and meeting this lovely guest of mine. Isn't she an angel? She's got great energy. And you call yourself a multicultural Latina. So what did that look like in your house growing up?

Sophia: In my house, I mean we spoke both languages kind of growing up, English, Spanish, have a little bit of both cultures kind of in everything. Like I really did grow up heavily with Latin culture, which is why I always say I'm Latina. Like I feel like I grew up heavily with the values, and with family first, which is a big Latin value, right? Which should be a value everywhere, right? But Latin culture puts a lot of heavy focus on family, right? And so my family, they're my best friends, right? And it's a lot of things that I grew up with. I grew up in a very Hispanic community in New York because my mom, she's heavily involved in the Latin theater community, acting community. So I grew up around probably every Latin culture. Every single person we knew was from like a different country in Latin America. And that's why I kind of grew up heavily influenced by Latin culture and loving it really. And really feeling like it's a part of me. Because it feels just natural to me. And of course there's that mix of American culture, because when you grow up in America, the United States, it's always gonna be an influence, your surroundings, those around you, right? I'm very hard working, kind of a workaholic, I guess. New York culture is very workaholic based, so a lot of elements kind of fuse together to create not only who I am, but to create almost like my music style and my message around being who you are, being proud of where you come from, not spreading stereotypes, breaking stereotypes and showing that you can be from anywhere that you are, like you should be proud of who you are as a multifaceted person because neither one of us is one thing, right? People like to pigeonhole people into like, you're Latina, you're American, you're a happy person, so you're happy, right? It's like there's a lot of like pigeonholing that goes on, especially online, with niches and find your niche, right? And you really want to expand and show the world that us as human beings, we can be everything and anything. Like there's so many different sides to us. So that's kind of what formed my multicultural, which really is just like multifaceted message.

Cynthia: Yes. And she's done so many things. Yankee Stadium, Barclays Center, Times Square. Which stage made your knees shake?

Sophia: Good question. I mean, I could point out one specific memory, like when I still had a bit of stage fright. I remember it was like my second or third time singing at the United Nations, but this time it was a really big conference. And I had to stand on a stage in front of maybe like a thousand people and it was televised to like all the things. And I was 14 or something or 15. And I ran into the bathroom and locked myself in there for a little bit. And my mom came into the bathroom, poured honey down my throat and allowed me to calm down and brought me out to the stage and as soon as I started singing, it's like the world disappeared and I was fine. But yeah, that probably was the one experience that I could remember pretty clearly because I still had a bit of stage fright. It was like, I'm about to get out, everyone's gonna see me. No.

Cynthia: We have a ton of comments coming in. Let's ask one more question and then we'll hit all the comments. Well, Grace Cavalieri says, what do you think your major theme is in music?

Sophia: My major theme. Recently the music that I've been releasing is revolving around this multicultural aspect, especially because my music is bilingual, and the being-yourself aspect in different ways. Not quite as cliche as, like, be yourself, right, but manifesting in different metaphors, and following your dreams and not being afraid to dream, not thinking that anything is out of reach, because anything you put your mind to, you can do it. You just have to be passionate about it and come up with a plan, right? So my music kind of revolves around those positive themes. But at the same time of course, there's always those songs that like they don't particularly have a negative message, but they come from a negative emotion, right? And it's allowing yourself to let out your emotions. I think that would be a major theme, not being afraid to say what's on your mind and be honest about how you're feeling. So my music kind of revolves around those things.

Cynthia: Yes, and the world needs it. The world needs everyone's message. Every person has a message to put out there to help our world. And you've sung in Taiwan and Thailand too. What takes your music that far away from home?

Sophia: So this was through the UN to some extent. It was all referrals, but I did a tour in Taiwan. It was a university tour where a human rights organization invited me and my mom actually to go out there and speak and teach about human rights. But for me, of course, it was through music. So I sang and wrote some songs about it too. And it was a beautiful experience. It was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. I will never forget it. We spent about a month there. We traveled all of Taiwan, up, down, everywhere, high-speed trains to different universities and got to connect with kids literally my age, like pretty much my age at the time, because I was starting college at the time. And it really opened my eyes. Because, I went from being like, this is so fun, I get to sing, this is like, yay, this is my life, wow. To seeing how music really does change people's lives and affect people. Like I had kids write in surveys after the performance, ways that they felt changed by it in some way. Like now I understand I should speak up for what I believe in. Now I feel like I can follow my dream. One kid saying they no longer wanted to commit suicide because of one of my songs. And it was one of those eye opening moments and I'm like, wow, music really does have this power. And I think that's when I really shifted gear one hundred percent and said, I'm doing this, like I'm really doing this. Like I'm gonna make sure that my music to some extent has this connection. That it can really support certain things that I was passionate about. On the other hand, Thailand was a few years later, it was in 2022. And a friend of mine, shout out to Trev Nomadic, he's a rapper, amazing rapper artist, who worked with the UN for many years. And he gave me a call and said that the Gates Foundation was looking for someone to represent the Latin side of music, so a Latin artist, pretty much, someone who could sing in Spanish and perform in Spanish, and said that they wanted it for a conference they were having in Thailand. And so they sent me out to Thailand to perform for a conference and write a song with another five amazing artists and perform it there alongside with some of my other music. So that was also very incredible. Life changing experience.

Cynthia: The world is your oyster. My favorite singer, isn't she? And Sophia's one of the most talented young women I've ever met. In addition to being a really wonderful human being. How lovely. And how cute. We've got some great pictures here. Let's walk our audience through some of these. I think the first one is actually Taiwan, isn't it? Let's pull it up. We've got Taiwan. Look at her. Isn't she adorable? USA, and she's there singing her heart out. You can see some children in the background. Walk us through what you were feeling then.

Sophia: Well, this was actually the final big conference of the tour that brought together also other nations and other people in this one particular like place in the middle of a bamboo forest. It was quite an experience. The middle of the forest, but a beautiful hotel called, I still remember, the Le Midi Hotel. And I was performing at the final, pretty much like the final part of the conference, and that's that picture. And so I was representing USA for that conference. And it was quite amazing having people from all over the world there. I mean, I already kind of felt that when I was performing at the UN and usually it was a lot of youth from different parts of the world coming together for a lot of those conferences at the UN when I was younger. But this was quite interesting because I was across the world, not in my own city. And seeing this in a different part of the world opened my eyes to just many factors, like things going on in other parts of the world and getting to talk to everyone and for them to, I mean, I was the only singer there, the only artist there. I've always been the only singer and artist in these rooms. And it's been quite interesting seeing their take on how music can help affect people too. And they love learning about it and I love learning about them and what they do as well. So that's kind of the background there.

Cynthia: Yeah, the world is your oyster and here you are in Thailand.

Sophia: And I do like oysters. They're good, right? So yeah, this is in Thailand. That was the first performance night, I believe. Yes, I performed twice. There I'm singing a song called Here I Am off my first album. It's pretty much a women's empowerment song saying, like one door closes, another one opens, and don't let anyone or anyone's toxic traits affect you, right? And you being who you are and saying I'm here, I'm going to get through this and I'm gonna be a better person after this, right? So that's me singing that song from my first album, #Angelicas. If you all wanna go down memory lane with me, feel free to check it out on Spotify.

Cynthia: Here she is, still in Thailand for the conference. Tell us.

Sophia: Yeah, that's with some of the artists, or no, all the artists are in there who were also singing with me. Trev Nomadic is there in the center, wearing like the brown kind of outfit. Avanti, she's super cool. She's an amazing artist from India. And we still stay in touch. Hi Avanti. Yeah, this was a really, really fun conference.

Cynthia: And now we have you. Is this the Yankee Stadium picture?

Sophia: We found it. Yes. That was me singing at Yankee Stadium a long time ago. Not that long ago. I wanna say that was 2019, 2020? No, it couldn't have been 2020. But this was really cool, for sure, singing the national anthem at Yankee Stadium.

Cynthia: Yeah, I love it. Absolutely love it. Love it. Love it. We have a pile. Wait a minute, let's finish this one. This is so cute.

Sophia: Yeah, that was me singing recently here on Fifth Avenue for the Hispanic Day Parade in New York. Yeah, that was a lot of fun. It was raining. I was with an umbrella in one hand and the microphone in the other, trying not to get electrocuted, but you know. It was a full hour of singing in the rain, literally.

Cynthia: Yeah, yes. We're gonna have her sing for us in a few minutes.

Sophia: That was recent, about last year. I was doing a panel at the UN for a human rights conference. So the panel was about how art can help educate about human rights. So educating through art and I was one of the panelists, so that was a lot of fun.

Cynthia: And we have a couple more. No more? Okay. We've got lots of comments though. Let's pop up some of these comments that went flying by and let people know. Jay Oakley. Hi Jay. Thanks for joining. Your show is always great, Cynthia. Thank you, Jay. Appreciate that. Love seeing you. I love seeing you too. It was a great little show, your little vampire and devil vamp. Yes. You're fabulous, guys. And your music sounds great, Sophia.

Sophia: Thank you.

Cynthia: And Jenny Morris, Australian artist, sends best wishes. She's lost her vocals, but she was a very well known Australian singer. Blessed. Thank you for letting us know. And let's see, complete four years performing the national anthem at Yankee Stadium. Dale, New York, NY.

Sophia: Daniel, New York.

Cynthia: Nice. Are we caught up now at the moment? I think I missed a few other ones. I apologize. But we will come back to them because we're now we're gonna talk about your song Flying On, which won the Marvin Hamlisch International Music Award presented by Clive Davis. What did it mean to you?

Sophia: So obviously it was unexpected and quite a blessing. So Marvin Hamlisch, if those watching don't know, Marvin Hamlisch was an incredible composer known for writing A Chorus Line, writing music for Barbra Streisand, like really incredible composer. And he has these awards, well, he passed away, but in his honor they have these awards once a year. And so I'd applied for what was it, contemporary pop, the contemporary pop category with Flying On, which is also off my first album. And the song is about resilience, flying above any negative energy and simply showing that anything's possible. The music video revolves around empowering stories of incredible people who have gone through difficulties and have come out on the other side better and stronger. One of those stories actually was my brother who he was in need of a kidney transplant. And through a song I wrote, long story short, we were able to find a kidney donor through social media. And six years later now he's strong and kidney strong, as we say. So I had applied with Flying On and it's one of those things that you apply for and I just like forgot about it for a while and I was like, okay, moving forward, right? And popped up in my email that I was winning. And the ceremony was virtual because it was still kind of during the pandemic. And then we had an in-person ceremony a few years later, when everything started reopening again. But yeah, the fact that Clive Davis handed me the award virtually before he passed, which was recent, may you rest in peace, was pretty unforgettable. I mean, it's one of those things where you say, wow, I'm doing something right. My dream is actually coming true, right? So very blessed.

Cynthia: You glossed over this very big chapter. Let's go back to it for a second. When your brother needed a kidney transplant, ladies and gentlemen, she wrote My Brother, Big Brother and created a national music awareness campaign. So how is he today? And tell us some more about that, because that's huge.

Sophia: Yeah, well, this was quite a story. In 2019 he went into kidney failure. He needed a kidney transplant. That's when we found out he's had something called IgA nephropathy since he was little. And I was the one who actually brought him to the hospital when his kidneys were failing. Apparently, the doctor says if I would have brought him 24 hours later, he would have passed. So thank God we got there in time, but his kidneys did fail, and he had to be on dialysis. So he went into emergency dialysis and he was on dialysis for about a year. And throughout this year, we did plenty of campaigns with different organizations, which were amazing people, amazing organizations that helped us do educational campaigns on how you can live with one kidney. Trying to find a donor that would match, especially with blood type and everything, it's difficult. And the way that we found it: I'd written a song to connect to the campaign called My Brother, Big Brother. And pretty much the song is about him, about siblings. And I did a music video actually like a compilation of sibling videos of friends of mine and family and students and stuff like that to celebrate siblings, and we had connected it to this campaign, constantly posting on Facebook, on Instagram, etc. during the pandemic, because this was all during the pandemic. And we had a mutual friend on Facebook who saw the campaign and she went, wait, I might know someone who can help. She was speaking about a friend of hers that she only knew through Facebook, the power of social media. And they were having a phone call and her son was passing away from too many strokes. And he was around my brother's age. And so they immediately called my brother. 'cause she had asked her, would you be willing to donate? 'Cause on his driver's license it said he was an organ donor. So would you be willing to donate directly to a kid in need that I know? She said, yes, of course. And they called my brother. He immediately was on a flight over to Florida, because it was in Florida. And here's the kicker. He had actually already signed up in Cleveland Clinic for the waiting list for kidney donations, right? Which was less time than other hospitals. And this amazing mother and her son, they were in Cleveland Clinic. And so they didn't even need to transfer any files, do anything for my brother, because they had all of his stuff there already. Talk about fate in the way things happen. And we went over to Florida. And he had his kidney two or three days later and we lived in Florida for about two months. The irony that now I'm here back in Florida living in Miami. But yeah, that was an incredible time in our lives that miracles do happen. But now Alejandro, that was the name of the donor, is living through my brother in a way. And bless him and his family.

Cynthia: Yeah, it's a beautiful story. I lost my brother way too young too. He was younger than I, but it's very, very good to hear the stories where you did something to help and make a positive effect, and he's living because of you.

Sophia: Well, six years later, 'cause he got his transplant in September of 2020, in the middle of the pandemic. And he's doing great now just living his life.

Cynthia: And your debut album came out in 2023 and that took on heartbreak and self-esteem. What song was the hardest for you to write?

Sophia: So actually, like I spoke about it a little bit before, but yeah, my album, #Angelicas, was kind of, I like to say, an exploration album. I kind of explored a bunch of genres and feelings and took out songs that have been sitting there for forever to try and get them out there and see what happens. But probably the hardest song to write, because a lot of them were from different stages in my life actually. Had them sitting in a book for a while. But I would say that Here I Am was one of them. Because that was the most recent one that I grabbed and was like, okay, this one's going in the album. And probably like if I was looking back in time, like Speak Up, that was a remix of a song I had already released, but that song in particular I had written maybe at 15 or 16, because I was hearing about school shootings and about, I don't know, I would say wars and things happening in the world and learning about them in school on top of it. And I was always the kind of kid that I would get really mad when something was unfair or not right in the world. And so that's kind of poured out in my songwriting and speak up was one of them. Trying to understand why there was so much hate in the world, why there was so much judgment. Why so many people tried to hurt each other on purpose and what is the meaning behind all of that. Actually, speaking of Halloween, I was watching Carrie the other night. The new series, actually. And at the very end they said a quote that I really loved and it was just like something along the lines of like why is it so hard to find nice people in the world? Like Carrie was really, really nice and look what we turned her into. Like why is there so much hate, right? Why is there so much pain? And I was that kind of kid that I would get angry about those things and that would just kind of come out in my songwriting in whatever form it came out in. And to this day it still messes with me. My mom always says that I was gonna be the president of the United States or a lawyer or something.

Cynthia: Well, we'll all be watching, won't we? It's absolutely beautiful. ASCAP invited you to Los Angeles for the Latin Beat songwriting camp. What was that like?

Sophia: ASCAP, yeah, ASCAP is a PRO, so a performers' rights organization. And they focus on pretty much helping collect your royalties and get opportunities. And yeah, so I got invited by them to go to their Latin Beat songwriting camp in LA in October of 2024. And the idea was to meet with a producer, write a song, and record a demo in one day. Kind of just pop out a song. And that was a lot of fun. I'm still waiting to release that song. Like it's still there in the back burner. Like it's gonna happen someday, but it's there. It was a great experience.

Cynthia: For someday.

Sophia: But I met a lot of amazing other artists and people and it was a fun trip.

Cynthia: Sounds like lots of fun. You've worked with the United Nations against bullying and discrimination. So how does a singer end up at the UN even though she's got very strong beliefs?

Sophia: I was singing at a family party and like singing for someone's birthday. Actually I was singing for a really famous director. Her name was Anita Vélez-Mitchell, she's passed, but I was performing at her party, her birthday party, and like I just sang one song. Like I sang I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston. And that's like my song. And all of a sudden some amazing woman, her name is Dr. Judy Kuriansky, she was the head of a mental health NGO, and she came up to me and said, I want you to sing at my next conference at the UN. And I was 12. I was like, I have no idea what that is, but okay. Like, I'm here watching cartoons, I'm here singing randomly in my shower and going to my mom's acting classes and singing there and taking singing lessons and whatever. She goes, Why don't you come sing at the UN? I'm like, sure, whatever that is. And I went and I learned and surrounded by leaders performing and she wanted me to sing the same song, same Whitney Houston song, and that became a snowball effect. Sing at my conference, sing at my events. And eventually I became UN singer girl. But because of that I already had really strong beliefs as a child. I was still very stubborn as a child and very like wanting to make a change somehow. I didn't know how. So I was like, okay, now I have a platform, let me like put ideas to action and just kind of do it through these amazing organizations and these incredible leaders who are giving me this opportunity. So that's pretty much how that happens.

Cynthia: Yeah. And in 2018 you went to Taiwan as the lead speaker and a performer on the university human rights tour. We were talking about that, but what did those students ask of you? Because they must have felt this energy from you.

Sophia: I mean, there wasn't like a lot of questions, if anything. It was very just like I go, I speak, I perform. And then afterwards they would come up to me and speak to me. And tell me their thoughts or just say hello or take a picture. But if anything, what that taught me is how music really goes beyond culture, goes beyond anything. It connects people no matter what language you speak and no matter what you believe in, no matter where you come from, what your family is, music crosses borders in ways that speaking can't. I spoke for 40 minutes. I did a 40-minute presentation about human rights and music and my journey and saying if I could do it, you could do it too. And no one listened to that 40-minute speech, I guarantee you. They listened to the 30-minute concert after that that had the same message but through music. And whoever came up to me, it wasn't about what I said, it was about what I sang. So it definitely taught me a lot of valuable lessons about how music really just does transcend anything else.

Cynthia: So true, and it's so enjoyable and it lifts everyone's spirit up. You received the President's Volunteer Service Award for your human rights work. What was the work that made them give you that award? That's pretty cool.

Sophia: It was actually related to my Taiwan university tour. It was that same year. And so when I got back from Taiwan, because it was volunteer work, it was something that I wanted to do and wanted to make happen. And so they contacted me to say that, I was receiving the President's Volunteer Service Award. So I had to go to Washington DC that April, a month after I got back from Taiwan and go to Congress and have meetings with Congresswomen and senators and stuff like that, just to like talk to them about human rights and connect with them. And there was a ceremony like right there at Capitol Hill. It was quite an experience and I felt very blessed. I was like, is this really happening? I was receiving commendations and letters from the New Jersey state legislature, New York mayor, like all these incredible leaders like recognizing my work and it was amazing. I mean, I was like eighteen, nineteen. I was like, this is impossible at my age. But again, anything's possible.

Cynthia: It's amazing, absolutely amazing. And if you look on her Instagram, I think there's some picture there with all of these letters that you're holding.

Sophia: Yeah, I put it in my highlights.

Cynthia: Cool. I love it. Yeah, it's amazing. You sang on a float in the Hispanic Day Parade on Fifth Avenue. What does New York sound like from up there? And do you want to sing a few lines for us? Because I promised people you would sing, and I'm like, my gosh, where's the time going? I have this many more questions.

Sophia: No, time flies when you're having fun.

Cynthia: Right? I know. I'm like, my goodness. Well, I said you would sing, so tell us how you felt at the New York parade on Fifth Avenue, up on the float.

Sophia: That was a lot of fun. I already said it was raining. That put a bit of a damper on things here and there because it was hard. But it was a lot of fun. I want to shout out the organization AHF and their sister organization, SOMOS Loud, for... [Her lights go out again.] I swear, me and technology. Anyone who knows me knows that when I touch anything technological, it will die.

Cynthia: That's because she's got so much magic pulsating out of her.

Sophia: I literally touch a computer and it's like, why are you here? But anyway, yes, I will sing for you. Do you want... or do you want one of my songs?

Cynthia: Whatever you would like, my darling. You can do both.

Sophia: I could do both. Okay, so I'll sing a little bit from my last song. Yes, very Halloween-y, thank you. I think it's the spirit in my apartment. I'll sing a little bit of my song and I'll sing a little bit of the song that started it all. Let me start with the song that started it all. Just a little snippet. [Sophia sings a few lines of I Will Always Love You.] And my song is called My Princess Era. I just released it not too long ago, a few months ago, and you can check out the music video on YouTube. It's a fun one. We filmed it at a castle and it revolves around my rebrand of non-conformity. Pretty much being you, embracing your multifaceted self and being proud of it. So that's kind of what My Princess Era talks about, being royalty, just being who you are. So that's the main message behind it. But I'll sing a tiny snippet from there. [She sings a snippet of My Princess Era.]

Cynthia: I know all of our audience, present, past, and future are all clapping for you. That was so beautiful. What do you want the young woman watching tonight? The one who's been told she has to pick one world to hear from you.

Sophia: I would say you don't have to pick one world, you have to pick you. You have to pick yourself. Yourself can be surrounded by many worlds, can hold many worlds. So you don't need to pick one world. I've been told I need to pick between, well, the Latin community, the American community. I have to pick between different images online and messages that I should share. Stuff like that. Like you just have to share what's in your heart. You have to be you. You have to be proud of where you come from. No one has the right to tell you who you are and who you should be. So my message is always: don't feel like you have to pick. Pick all of it, pick all of you. And if that means 20,000 different things in your head, then let it live like that. Don't hide anything, don't hide anything.

Cynthia: Exactly. Exactly. Where can everyone find you and which song should they play first tonight? And Jake wants to know, do you have a CD to buy?

Sophia: So you can find me on all platforms at Sophia Angelica Music. Sophia with the PH, there we go. You can find all my music on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, all of it. So any platform that you do have, Pandora, whatever, any platform that you do have, you can find all my music. I do not have a physical CD at the moment. But hopefully at some point I will be selling CDs. But if you're interested in...

Cynthia: Yes. What would the six-year-old Sophia think of the woman on this screen tonight?

Sophia: I think six-year-old Sophia will be very confused and be like, huh, this is your life? Really? Actually, I was talking to someone today about a trend that's happening on social media, and it's like little girl version of you versus the present version of you, and how the little girl is reacting to everything that's happening to the present version of you. And I feel like everything is a question, you're a professional artist now? You're traveling the world? Really? So I would say it's surprise and excitement for what's to come and saying the journey's not over yet.

Cynthia: It's just getting started. What's next for The Non-Conform(ess)?

Sophia: Well, The Non-Conform(ess), actually, so if I would explain a little bit, it's the combination of the words nonconformist and princess. The idea is that non-conformity can look like positivity, can look like butterflies and rainbows, can look like happiness and joy and spreading empowerment and positive messages. Sometimes there's that stereotype within nonconformity that it's like more related to darkness. Rebellion, right? I say you can rebel in any way that makes your heart content. So that's what The Non-Conform(ess) is about. Not conforming to those societal expectations or what people think that you should be and just being 100% you to succeed rather than following a formula to succeed. Because that's the way you actually create your own success and last in your own success by being unique. So that's what that rebrand is about. And it's connected to my upcoming music, which I'll be working on and I am working on, and hopefully to be released in the new year, as well as my podcast, which is The Non-Conform(ess), that you can also find on Spotify and on YouTube. And that's interviewing people who are doing something completely different to succeed in life, right? Who are taking a unique path and showing how they took that path to success no matter what they were told to do. So that's what the podcast is about. Always content on social media. Since I'm a content creator, I like to share a lot of these messages on social media through my music, but also through interviews, fun bits. I actually went viral speaking about breaking Latin stereotypes and being multicultural and being diverse and being multifaceted. So a lot of these topics have taken me to where I am now in the past couple of years. So I'm excited to continue that journey too.

Cynthia: You filmed My Princess Era, the video, at Wing's Castle in upstate New York. So what was the strangest moment on that set?

Sophia: Strangest moment. I mean I wouldn't say there was anything strange. I would say that it was pretty magical. And the castle is beautiful. I mean it was sculpted by someone over the course of 50 years and now their family still lives there and it's a B and B now but it's absolutely beautiful. Like there's stone carvings throughout the entire castle. If we're talking about Halloween, I guess there are faces popping out of everywhere that are carved into the stone. So I guess that could be a little spooky, but it was a beautiful experience. Full day of filming, and I always thank my incredible videographer, cinematographer Manny Garcia. He's always like my right hand when it comes to anything video. Kevin Chacon, who played the prince in the music video. He's actually in Dark Matter now on Apple TV Plus, Percy Jackson on Disney Plus. So amazing actor. Go check him out. He's also a musician. And we also had Wilfrey Vasquez as a stylist. He's an amazing stylist. So a lot of people to thank. Of course, my family always, my mom that I mentioned a lot. She's always behind the scenes producing and being there and making things happen. So always a blessing to do these amazing projects together with amazing people, and that video was a lot of fun. It came out really, really good. So check it out.

Cynthia: And your new single has a Spanish title. Say it for us and tell everyone what it means to you.

Sophia: You're probably thinking of the one that came before My Princess Era.

Cynthia: That's called...

Sophia: Yeah, it's called No Me Voy A Detener. That is, I will not stop, so nothing will stop me. So the idea is nothing stopping you in your dreams, talking about the fact that many people might try to stop you, might hurt you along the way, but you have to get back up and keep going and keep fighting for your dream and that at some point it will come true if you fight hard enough. So that's what the song is about and the music video kind of follows suit.

Cynthia: It's fantastic. Yeah, both songs were written and produced in, how do you say, Medellín in Colombia?

Sophia: Medellín, Colombia.

Cynthia: Why there?

Sophia: So we had a producer that we wanted to work with out there, so we decided to go out there. While we were at it, we actually filmed a music video of my previous song called Volvernos a Ver, which is to see each other again. But the song ironically enough was about travel, like about seeing a place or a person again that you fell in love with in some way, and connecting with the culture and connecting with the people and so we made that music video like a travelogue around Medellín and a place called Guatapé, which is nearby. It has this incredible giant stone that you can walk up the stairs to get to the top. It's pretty amazing. So that was an incredible experience. This was last year. I will never forget my trip to Medellín. And yeah, we decided to do that while also working with this producer for these two songs, OPLUS and Ruso Beats. So that's where these two songs came from.

Cynthia: Living the dream, living in the dream. Some of your posts about identity have sparked viral comments. What's a comment from a stranger that stayed with you?

Sophia: A comment that stayed with me a lot, it's like a lot of these comments, like people saying, I feel the same way. So those viral videos that I spoke about earlier related to Latin identity, or someone not believing that I can speak Spanish or be Latin in any way. My main message is, when you go to Latin America, you see immense diversity no matter where you go. So it's not even fully about me, right? The message is there's diversity everywhere. And we should not pigeonhole people into one culture or one country just based off of the way that they look. And people tend to do that a lot. So it's kind of education about that. And so these videos sparked that online controversy a little bit. But the comments that stuck with me were a lot, like I feel the same way. Like there was one girl who said I'm Egyptian and nobody can ever believe I'm Egyptian, and they keep fighting me on it even though I'm Egyptian. And like people saying the same exact thing that's happened to me all my life. Because my family is partially Latin American, yes, partially American. But half my genes come from there. And my grandmother, who doesn't even speak English, she's like blonde, like features, everything, and people can't even believe it with her. So it's one of those things that is just kind of educating about the topic of like diversity. Like really there's diversity in every country that you go to and let's just see each other as human beings, not as stereotypes.

Cynthia: My little angel, what's the first song you ever learned by heart?

Sophia: The first song I ever learned by heart, probably a Phantom of the Opera song. I was obsessed with Phantom of the Opera growing up. When I was like seven, I discovered it and I started watching it like every day after school. And I'm pretty sure that's a big part of what inspired me to start singing. So I would get up and start singing all the songs in the middle of the movie and all of that, and that's how my mom was like, okay. So I pretty much know, if not a song, I'd probably know the entire movie by heart, and the Broadway show.

Cynthia: I know a couple of Phantoms. I can't believe it. Finish the sentence: a nonconformist is...

Sophia: A nonconformist is someone who believes in every part of themselves and allows the world to see it.

Cynthia: Birdland or the Stone Pony?

Sophia: I don't think I could choose a better experience, but I will say Birdland was amazing, to be able to perform with Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra.

Cynthia: Woo. Who's a Latina artist who made you want to sing?

Sophia: The Latina artist who made me want to sing. I'm gonna change that to Latino, and Marc Anthony.

Cynthia: Marc Anthony. How did the actor who plays the prince end up in your video?

Sophia: He's actually a client of my mom's because my mom's a talent manager. So he's been with my mom since he was nine years old. And I saw him grow up practically. So he's like family.

Cynthia: Two more questions. I know we're out of time. What's the best songwriting advice anyone ever gave you?

Sophia: Songwriting advice. I would say don't think too much, just spew out whatever's in your head, whatever you're feeling, and go back to it later to edit it. Don't edit while you write, because if not, it's just not gonna be the same.

Cynthia: But she does it in two languages. Which song of yours do you wish more people knew?

Sophia: That's a good one. Honestly, I would say Flying On. It had that recognition, right? But it didn't have that kind of explosion that I wish it did. And also this other one called Época that I released a few years ago. I really love that one in Spanish. It's pretty special.

Cynthia: So let's put up her Instagram and where people can reach out and listen to these. You can go to Spotify, Instagram, Sophia Angelica Music. That's S-O-P-H-I-A A-N-G-E-L-I-C-A Music. Got it, guys? For those of you who are driving and listening on iHeart, there's also YouTube. You can catch this and watch the replay. Share it out. Sophia Angelica on Spotify. Our Sophia is everywhere. So just look for her. Join her, subscribe, follow her, hire her, let her know how much you love her. And we love all of you. Thank you so much for being on the show today. You're amazing. We love you. We love our audience. We love everyone who comes to The Cynthia Manion Show. Share this out. And thank you, thank you. And we will see you next Wednesday, 7 PM Eastern Standard Time, wherever you live in the whole world. And we thank you for being with us.

Sophia: Happy Halloween, courtesy of my mess of lights. Happy Halloween.

Cynthia: And Orrin Checkmate Hudson. He is a chess player and he is gonna be on the show in a few weeks, but he's in a contest right now, so you can vote for him right here. And he once played fifty chess games at the same time. Think about that, ladies and gentlemen. So he's doing a whole lot of wonderful things. Maybe you two will meet and you'll sing at one of his events. Maybe when he wins this thing, you never know. Putting it out there. It was my pleasure. She is an angel. Keep sparkling with fairy dust. Be your best self. You're amazing, Sophia. Thank you, thank you.

Sophia: So are you, Cynthia. Thank you. Woohoo.