The 21 year old singer and songwriter, Sophia Schöenau, was born and raised in the suburbs just outside of New York City. Her mother, being a prior hippie and music fanatic, would always blast James Taylor and Norah Jones around the house, naturally connecting Sophia to music. At 8 years young, Sophia began playing both the guitar and the violin, which led to the formation of her childhood band “Chilax.” In the following years, Sophia released her first original single called “Reality” at only 12 years old. Receiving great feedback from her friends and family, Sophia continued to write songs, and by the time she was 14 years old, she recorded and released over 15 originals. Sophia’s music at a young age has affected more people than just those close to her. Journalist, producer, and writer Geralyn Lucas used her song “I AM” as the theme song to promote his movement for breast cancer awareness. Sophia has now entered her junior year at Tulane University in New Orleans, and with performances at venues such as Republic and The Willow, she has quickly made an impact on the local music scene. Seeing high attendance at all her shows, Sophia headed up to New York, during the summer of 2016, where she hosted multiple sold out events at venues like Hudson Terrace and Prohibition. As Sophia’s following grows, so does her music abilities. In 2015, Sophia won first place in the “Make Me Famous” competition, which is an online international competition for artists; was featured on an 88-Keys track; was the nonprofit Music Beats Hearts’ artist of the month in June 2016, and is now collaborating with artists from all over the US, as well as from France, Belgium, Spain, Chile, and Vancouver. The versatility of Sophia’s music is what makes her stand out. Her songs are meaningful, soulful, and powerful created to share her own life experiences to help others in a positive and uplifting way. Expect big things from Sophia in 2017.