Sonya Tomlinson

Sonya Tomlinson a local hip-hop artis, who performs as Sontiago, has been killing it since she moved to Maine 13 years ago. In 2001, her sister encouraged to try out her skills at a local hip-hop open mic night. Her 2004 debut album, Abuse My Adoration,  was released through a grant from the Maine Arts Commission. Two years later Steel Yourself, Sontiago’s sophomore album, was released on Endemik. The album earned her a number six spot on the CMJ hip-hop charts, landed her on the pages of URB’s Next 100, and was called “your Ipod’s best friend,” in Bust Magazine.  Since her last release, Sontiago has worked as a teaching artist with a non-profit writing center in Portland, leading songwriting and video workshops for area high school students. The results can be seen in a series of recently completed video shorts titled, “The Whole World Waiting.” Sonya was featured in the June 2010 issue of Maine Magazine.