SONIA
BARCELONA
Musician | Photographer
8TH EDITION — FEATURED ARTISTS
About Sonia —
Sonia Barcelona is both a musician & photographer. Named Best of Las Vegas by the Las Vegas Weekly & Desert Companion. She has opened for Imogen Heap, Japanese Breakfast, SALES, Deap Vally, and Pearl Charles. She has been featured on VICE TV, Fox5, and ABC networks.
She sites her upbringing as her main influence. Born in Guam half Indian & half Filipino, she was raised by her Filipino mother and Mexican stepfather in North Las Vegas. “On weekends I’d help my mom sell at the Broadacres Flea Market. It kept me from making bad decisions. It’s those memories that inform my perspective on life. I told myself then that I’d do my best to uplift my family.” It wasn’t until after graduating college that she discovered she had any musical talent. After a few years performing at open mics she took a leap of faith and quit her job to become a full-time musician and photographer. Her 2019 debut album "Bitter Melon" touches on her perspective as an Asian woman in America, bringing a new and bigger sound reflective of her 90s grunge rock influences. As an independent musician, all music is written by Sonia and produced under her direction.
REFERENCE WORK
MUSICIAN
NEW RELEASE
TELL ME
TELL ME MUSIC VIDEO
JOURNAL ENTRY
"FIRST FRIDAY MARCH"
WRITTEN BY SONIA BARCELONA
Preview —
"First Friday March. It's been so long since I went out and saw a crowd of people. The pandemic transformed me into a homebody and now I'm desperately seeking the passion of life. So I head out with my new camera, the thing that has been getting me out of the house lately. It's Charleston and Main and I see all the people walking about, smiling, and enjoying the night. The air is cool and holds a sense of newness, spring is here. I head to the Arts Factory and am greeted to the sounds of music, the smells of food cooking, and beautiful artwork everywhere I turn. I feel the liveliness of the city again, I thought I had lost it and here it was all along..."
To read the rest of Sonia's Journal Entry, please click on the button below! Be sure to check out the rest of our entries as well!
REFERENCE WORK
PHOTOS 4 THE PEOPLE
Photos 4 The People is a one woman operation run by Vegas native Sonia Barcelona. It began with an idea to take portraits of her friends on her birthday in September which eventually blossomed into a monthly portrait event. Established in 2017, P4TP provides affordable photography to the Las Vegas community. It is the mission of Photos 4 the People to capture the beauty of Vegas through photography and create lasting memories with fun and joy. Whether it be in-studio or on the streets, all are welcome in front of the camera. Images from P4TP have been featured in Forbes Magazine, Las Vegas Weekly, Afropunk, Vice, and Breedlove Guitars.
LINKS:
Insta: @photos4thepeople
Email: info@photos4thepeople.com
Website: https://photos4thepeople.com
CHECK OUT SONIA'S INTERVIEW WITH
VICE TV
Eccentric Artists
Selection Statement
Listening to Sonia’s music, you feel as if you’re being transported back to the dreamy, grunge-y indie-scapes of the 90s and early 2000s. Sonia has opened for acts such as Japanese Breakfast, Imogen Heap, SALES, and Pearl Charles. She has also been featured on ABC networks and VICE TV. It’s clear Sonia Barcelona is not an act to miss. In tandem with music, she’s also a professional photographer, running Photos 4 The People—work that’s been featured on Forbes, Afropunk, and many more! Her mission as an artist is to uplift and connect with others through her art. To check out Sonia’s work, follow her on instagram @artofsonia and @photos4thepeople.