Kat Harlton
Photos: Provided via artist/PR Team
Canadian country artist Angelica Appelman recently released her compelling new single “Finding My Feet” on January 31st via all streaming platforms.
Following a devastating car accident that left her with a serious brain injury and other long-lasting effects, Angelica is sharing her journey of healing, hope and resilience with “Finding My Feet”. With raw vulnerability, she carefully crafts this message as she navigates her own personal struggles. The song was co-written by Angelica, Jesse Slack (Robyn Ottolini, Jade Eagleson), Daryl Scott (Zach Brown Band, Guy Clark) and Rich Cloke (Paige Rutledge, Elias James), and is the third track to be released from her forthcoming EP.
Kitchener-born and Stratford-based artist, Angelica Appelman introduced herself to the Canadian country music scene with her 2022 debut single “Happy Place”, which has garnered over 150,000 streams to date. Building on that success, she released her A Reason or a Season EP, followed by her single“Ringtone”, which made waves at radio, earning her the Country Futures Feature on Country 93.1 and the Fresh Pick Feature on Bayshore Broadcasting Country Stations.
Angelica’s live performance experience includes playing the Cavendish Beach Music Festival Kitchen Stage, supporting Dean Brody at the Kemptville Live Music Festival and opening for Robyn Ottolini at the Country Hoedown in Chatham-Kent. She also headlined a sold-out EP release show at Toronto’s Rivoli, has graced the main stage at the Boots in the Creek Festival and showcased at the CCMA Country Crawl in Edmonton.
I had the opportunity to chat with Angelica about her new single, her musical journey so far, and what’s next.
Kat: Can you share with us a bit about yourself and your musical journey so far?
Angelica: Influenced by my love of 90’s country female powerhouse artists like Shania Twain and Martina McBride, I grew up singing the 90’s Women of Country’s Greatest Hits on Karaoke with my sisters every weekend and creating shows on our drive way for friends, family and neighbor’s. My family is very musical. My two oldest sisters play piano, my mom is a rockstar on the guitar, my dad is an undercover songwriter, and since I can remember, my Nonno and his Italian friends would serenade us in perfect harmony around the kitchen table. Because of that, I come by it honestly and knew it would be a huge part of my life.
I started taking singing lessons and was playing leads in musicals by grade two. I continued that love for the arts and later attended a high school for drama and voice where I first began my songwriting journey at the age of 13. I was penning lyrics and Taylor Swifting my way through high school so to speak. I then auditioned for a prestigious Theatre and Drama Studies program at the University of Toronto and Sheridan College and graduated with a degree and diploma in the performing arts. I have been singing professionally since I was 17, whether it was weddings, corporate gigs, musicals.
It wasn’t until 2020-21 when the world shut down that I finally decided to share my songs more publicly and I began writing in online songwriter circles. It was there that I met my producer of my first EP, connected with songwriters now credited on my projects and introduced myself to the Canadian country music landscape with my upbeat debut single “Happy Place” in January 2022. The track amassed over 150,000 streams alone, was picked up by Top of the Country/SiriusXM and continues to play to date, kickstarting my country music career. I continued that success with the release of my EP “A Reason Or A Season” racking in over 400,000 catalogue streams and since then, I have been grateful to continue to climb the ladder.
My single release, “Ringtone” made a big splash at radio, earning me a slot at major radio stations such as Country 104 and Hot Country 93.9, and the Fresh Pick Feature with Bayshore Broadcasting Country Stations. 2024 was a breakout year for me. I played at Cavendish Beach Music Festival Kitchen Stage 2024, supported Dean Brody at the Kemptville Live Music Festival to name a few and had my music showcase on popular editorial playlists across all platforms, including Apple Music’s Canada’s Country: Best of 2024 with my single Best Behaviour.
I am excited for what’s to come, having made some big goals for my new music, this single, and sophomore EP. I can’t wait to show my fans another side of me and to keep creating music that is so authentically me.
Kat: Can you share with us the inspiration behind your new single, “Finding My Feet”?
Angelica: Two years ago, I was rear ended by a truck on the 401 at 80 km/hr and he drove away. When I luckily got out of the car, I was experiencing a panic attack and pacing back and forth into oncoming traffic and was almost hit again as a pedestrian. If it weren’t for a brave Samaritan who wrapped his arms around me to save my life and bring me to safety, I would not be here today. As a result, I have had a lot to work through. I suffered a terrible concussion and now brain injury, a neck injury and copious amounts of trauma, fear, incoherence, forgetfulness, and mental health struggles. I had to move back home with my parents and leave behind my one-bedroom apartment so they could take care of me, I had to quit my job, and my music career and all the momentum I created came to a quick stop. My whole life did a 180 and things got tough. My journey of healing took a long time and was frustrating, painful and lonely, but it also brought me lots of time to reflect and learn to be the woman I want to be. This experience taught me that we humans are stronger than we know. I wrote this song to convey that. To give myself hope and to be so deeply vulnerable with my fans that I could truly make an impact.
Kat: What was the creative process like for this single? Any unique challenges or memorable moments you can share with us?
Angelica: The creative process of writing the song was deeply emotional but it was also very healing for me and my co-writers. It allowed me to take something that was once so dark in my life and bring about a new perspective and light. It didn’t take long at all for us to compose. It came pouring out just as it was supposed to. I would say recording the song was a bit of a unique challenge because I am used to really giving a full belting, big vocal with high energy and for this song, I really had to sit in the story, focus on that and keep it as simple as it needed to be. My vocal tone, emotion and storytelling was enough. That was a beautiful moment and realization for me. It was so comforting and easy.
Kat: What message or feeling do you hope listeners take away from your music?
Angelica: The message I hope to get across is quite sincerely a message of hope. Healing is not linear. It can be incredibly difficult, just keep showing up, trying your best and taking it one step at a time. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. We are all in this crazy thing called life together and I promise, it does get better. The light, growth and greatest potential is on the other side. I am so proud to be in partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association on this one to keep the conversation going, create more awareness and awareness of services and make a true impact on the mental health communities and listeners/ fans, to connect with them on a deeper level. We are all struggling with something one way or another, nobody’s perfect or has it all figured out!
Kat: What has been the most rewarding experience of your music career so far?
Angelica: Honestly, the most rewarding experience of my music career thus far has been doing the thing. Showing up, learning, growing, and connecting! Oh, do I absolutely love connecting with the fans, hearing their stories, having meaningful chats after the show or touching, cool moments during the shows. That’s why I do it. The fans have helped me get to know myself better and have encouraged a new kind of confidence within me that I have never known before. I am no longer afraid to be anything but exactly who I am. They have been so supportive of all the different sides of me… whether I am being goofy, deeply vulnerable, fun, etc. Sharing stories so personal like this and having them share their trust in me, telling me how they relate or how my music makes them feel, it’s 100% why I do it– why it is so rewarding to be an artist – and now I get the privilege of taking that a step further and truly making an impact with these important partnerships.
Kat: What else can fans expect from you this year?
Angelica: New music!! My sophomore EP, and a busy summer of shows and festivals! See you at Sauble Beach 2025! As well, the CMHA and I will be planning a fundraiser show to raise money for Youth Hubs affiliated with the CMHA. Lots of fulfilling work. ☺
Connect With Angelica
Instagram: @angelicaappelman
Facebook: @angelicaappelmanmusic
TikTok: @angelicaappelman
Website: https://www.angelicaappelman.com