Sonya is a name used by more than one musical act. One is a Hungarian post-rock band formed in Budapest in 2014. The other is Sonya Townsend, an American Eurobeat artist from Jasper, Texas.

Hungarian post-rock band

Sonya is a Hungarian post-rock band from Budapest, formed in 2014. The group is known for having two drummers, and its members come from underground rock, hardcore and metal scenes, which shapes its sound. The band’s single Kitchenfloor receives airplay on one of Hungary’s main radio stations and is issued with a video.

Kitchenfloor also appears in the short film Stealing Silver, which stars Maisie Williams. Before the video is officially released, the band plays its first show at Toldi Cinema in Budapest. The band’s singer, Sonya Korbucz, is asked to cover Tears for Fears / Gary Jules’ Mad World for Szimfonik Live 3, a local radio event with an audience of 10,000, performed with symphonic orchestra and choruses.

Sonya Townsend

Sonya Townsend is born on 19 January 1971 in Jasper, Texas. She grows up in a religious setting, is baptised at the age of three, sings in her church choir and takes part in church activities during her school years. Her musical influences include Gladys Knight, Hall and Oates, Howard Hewitt, Shalamar, Shirley Caesar, Reverend James Cleveland and Walter Hawkins.

In 1991 she begins work on a first project with a local independent label. After that release, she marries and later has three daughters. She then steps away from music to raise her family. During this period she experiences depression, addiction to prescription medication and alcoholism, and spends time in nightclubs. In 2001, after her husband leaves, she attends a Sunday service at Wings of Eagles Fellowship, where Apostle Kelvin Hall leads a deliverance service that she says changes her life and restores her faith, family and music.

Townsend describes music as a universal form of expression and emphasises the human voice as something unique. Her work is shaped by gospel and spiritual themes, and she sees her music as carrying a message of God’s love and deliverance.