UNION, NJ — On Tuesday, March 12, singer-songwriter and creative activist Sophia Angelica, a resident of Union, will be releasing the music video for her inspirational song, “Flying On,” which recently won the Marvin Hamlisch International Music Award in the category of Contemporary Pop, presented by the legendary Clive Davis.
The uplifting, impactful and emotional video will feature four stories of difficulties and challenges that were turned into hope and success.
Trenten Merrill lost his leg in a car accident, but he didn’t lose his spirit, as he represented the United States at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Paralympics in the long jump, winning a bronze medal along the way.
Kristen Cooper suffered from addiction and other life altering events, but she found a road to recovery and now has her own podcast helping others struggling with addiction. Jesus Del Orden was constantly bullied for being a young Hispanic in showbusiness, but he reached Broadway in major roles in “Kinky Boots” and “The Lion King.”
Christopher Rybin, Angelica’s own brother, went through kidney failure and dialysis in 2019, but a song and a national campaign to help find him a kidney donor succeeded. He had his transplant within a year, and now he’s an ambassador for the IgA Nephropathy Foundation, advocating to find a cure for his disease.
In fact, the video is being released in March in honor of National Kidney Month to celebrate her brother’s transplant.
“Life can be a challenging journey but it can also be full of surprises and blessings. ‘Flying On’ is simply about rising beyond negativity, leaving the past behind and moving forward knowing that anything is possible,” Angelica said about her song and music video. The song is off her 2023 album, “#Angelicas,” a fun, energy-infused, emotional roller coaster of an album that takes on heavy topics about heartbreak, resilience and self-esteem. Angelica is currently working on her next EP, which will feature fully bilingual pop songs in Spanish and English.