During high school, Sophia Gonzon experienced CPTSD. This led to her being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, Arthritis and debilitating daily Chronic Migraines—all the result of her being bullied during elementary, middle school, and the beginning of her freshman year of high school in Key West. Doctors believe that the major trauma she endured through escalated bullying incidents in seventh grade was the onset of her chronic pain diseases. When bullying escalated again early in her freshman year of high school, her family moved to Boca Raton seeking a better school environment and medical treatments. At 16, the Boca Raton resident didn’t want to go to talk therapy anymore, so her mother booked her a recording studio session to express herself in a new way.
“I booked a recording session and recorded a song to get my feelings out,” said Gonzon. “It wasn’t supposed to be anything, and the results that came from it were unexpected.”
Since she was a child, Sophia Gonzon loved to sing. Even though she wasn’t formally trained, she successfully participated and performed in her fifth-grade talent show. However, school days would later become unbearable as she dealt with anxiety and suffering from the constant bullying during pivotal moments in her life.
Finding inspiration from musicians like Ariana Grande and the band Green Day, she channeled her intentions into her music. The singer-songwriter overcame her bullying and her music career officially began in November 2018 with the purpose of promoting peace and self-worth through her lyrics, beats and Pop/Punk style of music.
Her first recorded song has almost three million views on Spotify, and the now 20-year-old singer is currently ranked as the number one Pop artist locally/regionally, number 10 nationally, and 17 globally on ReverbNation. She was just offered a publishing deal by the founder of ReverbNation, and A&R for Sentricmusic.com. Lou Plaia. Another offer on the table is through Co-owner of Mi5 Recordings (a Universal Music Group label), Thomas McDonough with his Newly formed label Creek Music. At the Indie Music Channel Awards (IMA) out of Hollywood, Calif. She was nominated for 13 awards and took home Best Pop Song, Best Pop Video, Best Alternative Video, Best Female Pop Singer, and the coveted Best New Female Artist of the year award in 2022.
Gonzon was 15 years old when her first ever recorded single “Daddy Issues” was released on January 21, 2019. Within the first two months of the release, her song gained over 100,000 streams on Spotify, and is now up to 3 million.
“‘Daddy Issues’ is the most popular song,” said Gonzon. “And ‘Dancing with the Devil’. But ‘Daddy Issues’ is relatable because it deals with bullying and overcoming it. It’s about finding reason in the way people treat you.”
Similarly, Gonzon brings awareness to the rise in bullying, hatred, and violence her generation has endured with the song “Enough”, which samples audio from news reports and police scanners while also showcasing powerful lyrics written to inspire unity.
With the music industry being fast-paced, Gonzon has worked through the unexpected. One of those unexpected moments happened during a trip to Los Angeles where Gonzon had the opportunity to work with producer Leon “Roccstar” Youngblood Jr., who has written and produced songs for artists such as J.Lo, Kendrick Lamar and Post Malone. On this trip, she recorded a 10-song album in 5 days despite a full-blown migraine on the third day. She also has seven other new unreleased songs on deck produced by Ryan Curtis and Cesar Da Emperor (Cesar Peralta), who also produced her hit “Dancing With the Devil”.
Gonzon was a spokesperson for the Association of Migraine Disorder’s Shades for Migraine Campaign, and she was selected for and participated in Music Beats Cancer’s Campaign supporting cancer-fighting innovation and research. Sophia’s dream is to start a festival tour supporting other artists while also raising funds for children with learning and social disabilities/disorders. She envisions the festival being kid-friendly, with a petting zoo and interactive experiences with various therapy animals.
“Opportunities can come in an instant,” said Gonzon. “You either have to hop on it or let it go. Jumping into the unknown feels very foreign to me. But I tell myself to have faith in the process.” Gonzon hopes to take her music on tour with events and live performances. She’s also taking dance lessons. Despite the difficulties she’s faced, her efforts behind her music are to promote unity.
“Despite what they’ve been through, I want people to feel not alone,” said Gonzon. “That we can all get through our troubles together.”
Listen to Sophia on Spotify. Visit her at sophiagonzon.com and at facebook.com/sophiagonzonoriginal. Find her on tik tok, Snapchat & Instagram: @sophiagonzon