SOPHIA RAMOS

Photo by Trevor Gale

WHAT’S BEEN SAID…

A Bronx-bred banshee ... Imagine Chaka Khan morphing into Ozzy Ozbourne mid-wail..."- Village Voice, Greg Tate,

"The music of Sophia Ramos defies stereotypes. The Bronx-born Nuyorican singer stops short of nothing but deeply passionate rock n' roll." - The New Yorker Magazine

“Sophia Ramos was the showstopper. She carried ''Ball and Chain'' and ''Get It While You Can'' to peak after peak, then stopped the band to wail a cappella, working her way up to ululating howls.” – New York Times, Jon Pareles

Photo by Katrina Del Mar

BIO

Singer/Songwriter/Actor Sophia Ramos is a native New Yorker, and the third and youngest child of Puerto Rican parents. Ramos inherited her father's interest in music; he was a singer and performer who pursued an early musical career before the demands of life in the hard streets of the Bronx took over. Sophia also fought the gritty reality of life in the South Bronx but found refuge in her musical talent and attended New York City’s LaGuardia High School for Music & Art

Sophia’s powerful voice, work ethic and commanding stage presence quickly made her a factor in the 1990’s band scene where funk, punk and metal collided. A succession of stints in several bands culminated in SOPHIA’S TOY, a now-legendary soulful hard rock band of the mid-90s. A stalwart member of the Black Rock Coalition, SOPHIA’S TOY toured Europe, built a local following and was pursued by several major labels, including Virgin Records and Sony/Epic. The band was ultimately signed by Epic.

Sophia began the next fruitful period of her career as a freelance touring and session vocalist. She soon branched out into commercial jingles and voiceover work. Along the way, Sophia attracted a star-studded list of studio and stage collaborators: Jason Newsted of Metallica; Paul Simon; Karl Wallinger; Billy Bragg; Joey Ramone and Psychotica, with who she appeared as featured vocalist on their main stage Lollapalooza tour with Soundgarden and Rage Against The Machine.

During this time, Sophia was sought out by prominent downtown performance artists Carmelita Tropicana, Uzi Parnes, and Elena Troyano. She performed at iconic venues such as P.S. 122 and La MaMa, and appeared in the award-winning film Your Kunst Is Your Waffen. Max Ferra and Irene Fornés of INTAR Theater praised her performances and encouraged her to pursue acting more seriously. However, Sophia’s artistic identity remained deeply rooted in music, which continued to drive her creative ambitions.

Through mutual friends, Sophia connected with Texas/Mexico-based guitarist Billy White and together have written and produced two independent award winning album releaseses Her Majesty and REVELATOR.

The authenticity of her lyrics and intriguing arrangements render hard-edged ballads and classic rock chants into a cohesive cycle of songs, synthesizing a near devotional, eerily luminescent vocal range with layered melodies that can feel strangely unsettling and comforting at the same time. 

Acting found it’s way back into Sophia’s life, working with the acclaimed theater group UNIVERSES. She also had the honor of working with TONY nominated director Liesl Tommy on Macbeth at Shakespeare Theater Co. in DC. Artistic Director, Michael Khan called her work as Thane Ross, “Revelatory.”

In 2018 Sophia began to develop her one woman show “No Parental Guidance”, produced by both Social Justice Activist JoAnn Chase and Rock Icon Nona Hendryx. The show takes you on a journey through the gritty streets of 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s downtown New York—a raw, electric landscape of music and counterculture that helped shape the irreverent and powerful artist she is today.

Her deliverance is nothing short of soul-defining as she breaks through traditional artistic barriers. Sophia is a woman with a heart of gold and a vision of rock n' roll that refuses to be constrained by any predetermined opinions of who, and what, she should be. 

UPCOMING CONCERT

Presented by Rabbit Fighter Prod. Inc. in collaboration with Executive Producer JoAnn Chase, No Parental Guidance is a storytelling journey wrapped in grit, soul, and guitars. It’s a raw and riveting chronicle of a perpetually irreverent Nuyorican singer who carved out her voice in the underground clubs of New York City’s 1980s and ’90s music scene. As the late critic Greg Tate once wrote, “Imagine Chaka Khan and Ozzy Osbourne morphing in mid-wail.” And The New Yorker put it plainly: “The music of Sophia Ramos defies stereotypes.”

Through powerhouse vocals, original songs, and lived-in stories, No Parental Guidance explores identity, survival, artistic rebellion, and the transformative power of owning your voice in a world that often tries to silence it.

The evening also features special guest Sean Harkness on guitar, delivering a bold surge of sound to an already high-voltage experience.

Photo by Carlos E. Ganzalez, Design by Michelle Liu Coughlin

Photo by Trevor Gale

EVENT DETAILS

What: Sophia Ramos in No Parental Guidance
When: Monday, July 28, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Where: Pangea NYC – 178 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003