Sorry About That: SONiA’s Bon Voyage
SONiA gets ready to embark on a European tour to apologize for Trump
SONiA wants to make amends with her German fans.
“I was there last September and I promised everyone that Trump would not become our president,” says the singer-songwriter. “So now I have to go back and apologize.”
She will do so chiefly by singing from her repertoire of progressive-minded folk songs, including new single “Abraham.” “I’ve gotten very positive responses on it. People have said, ‘that’s exactly what I needed to hear.'” And despite feeling a bit sheepish, the Jewish, lesbian musician from Baltimore is mostly looking forward to her return to Germany, a two-month trek that will mark her seventh tour of the country. “I’m doing very well in Europe,” she says. “They have a great respect for the arts and…just great connections with people.”
“It’s very empowering to be with people who feel this way as well,” she adds, “because it forwards our motion and it forwards our ideals.” That’s both inspiring and important because, as she points out, “in Europe, they’re fighting the same situation that we are…. The last election in Germany before [Angela] Merkel became leader again, 25 percent voted for a person that was like Trump, who really wanted to destroy democracy — the same kind of person [with] isolationist ideas.”
Between bouts of “feeling very angry and very sad” in the months after the U.S. election, SONiA found moments of inspiration when she saw that “so many people feel exactly and think exactly the way you do.” And she’s still on a high from the Women’s March on Washington in January. “It was amazing,” she says. “And every time I wear my pussy hat so many people smile and nod or give me thumbs up on the street. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.”
Before departing for overseas, SONiA will present a local “Bon Voyage” concert that also doubles as a benefit for her “very, very, very gay-friendly” Reconstructionist synagogue, Beit Tikvah. The “House of Hope” shares space in Baltimore with several progressive Christian denominations in what used to be known as First Christian Church, but last fall became known as the Corner Community Center.
“It’s nice to use the same facility and also share cultures with different groups. We all take care of the landscaping together, and it’s in a very beautiful building,” she says. “It’s very open and very, very multicultural.”
SONiA & Disappear Fear performs Saturday, March 4, at 7 p.m. at the Corner Community Center, 5802 Roland Ave. in Baltimore. Tickets are $10 to $20. Call 410-913-2773 or visit soniadisappearfear.com.
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.