COLUMBUS, Ohio — Every artist needs that one big break, and you could help one Columbus woman get hers. Gabrielle Solange is a singer and musician who goes by the stage name “7HO3NIX,” which is pronounced “Phoenix.”
As a runaway teen who grew up in the foster care system, Solange found music comforting. It was an escape. It was her safe place.
In 2021, 10TV interviewed Solange for a holiday giving story. She said she felt unseen and unheard as a child. Eventually, she just learned to be invisible. She’d spend hours locked away in her room, writing about how she felt.
“I wanted to not feel like a burden,” she told 10TV back then. “I knew that I didn’t feel like anybody was my true family or it was my true home.”
On her darkest days, she often thought about taking her own life.
“I remember specifically, writing an entire page that said I’m sorry. It just said I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I felt I was apologizing to God because my parents didn’t want me or something,” she said.
Her own thoughts of suicide are what makes this opportunity so much more important to her. It’s the chance of a lifetime for any musician. Solange recently made it to the quarterfinals of a competition to perform at Audacy’s “We Can Survive” benefit concert. This is the 10th year for the event which raises awareness and supports the efforts of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
If she wins this year, Solange will be the opening act for Kelly Clarkson, Maroon 5 and OneRepublic at the Prudential Center Arena in Newark, New Jersey on Oct. 14th.
“I didn’t want to bother people at first. There were 22,000 people in this contest. But once I started making the cut and kept making the cut and kept making the cut, I was like I can do this,” Solange says.
But she needs central Ohio’s help to win.
“Honestly, the influx of support has been overwhelming,” said Solange. “Also, because of what this concert is actually about, it just all felt meant to be. I was just like, you know what, I can do this, but I need help. Asking for help put me in a vulnerable place but here I am and look how far we’ve come.”
You can help Solange represent Central Ohio and help raise awareness for suicide prevention by casting your vote. You can also choose to donate to the cause. To vote for Gabrielle “7ho3nix” Solange click here. To learn more about the contest click here.