STRATFORD - A devastating car crash two years ago on Highway 401, nearly derailed everything for Angelica Appelman.
The singer songwriter, who was born in Kitchener but eventually wound up living in Stratford, was rear-ended at 80 km/hr in the collision.
“Luckily by the grace of God, I was able to get out of the car, but I was pacing back and forth not knowing who hit me because the truck took off and I was almost stuck again as a pedestrian, until a man and his family came up to me. He wrapped his arm around me and brought me to the side of the road and basically saved my life.”
The collision caused Appelman to hit her head off the steering wheel and head rest as well as the side window, and the car was crushed. She suffered a terrible concussion that developed some complications later, so she had to move back in with her parents so they could take care of her. Appelman was speaking in scrambled sentences and her balance was off, and she was forced to quit her job. Things got really tough for a while.
“I had some really, really tough days, and things got pretty dark, and now I have a bunch of different mental health struggles,” she said.
Throughout her struggles, her parents and sister acted as her support system, with her sister going as far as taking her to doctors appointments because for a long time Angelica was not comprehending what the doctor was saying.
Despite a love for music, which was influenced by the women of 90s country–Shania Twain, Martina McBride, Faith Hill, and Gretchen Wilson, Appelman took a year off music, not singing or putting out any music.
“I just couldn’t sing for a whole year which is so crazy,” Appelman said. “For some reason, I found my solace through music again, and I started learning how to play the guitar, and I slowly started to find my footing again, and when I finally was getting to that healing stage I wrote my newest single Finding My Feet.”
The single, which will be released on Jan. 31 was co-written by Jesse Slack who has worked with artists like Jade Eagleson, Daryl Scott who has worked with artists like Zach Brown Band, and Rich Cloke who has worked with Appelman in the past.
Finding My Feet was an intense song to write, with Appelman shedding plenty of tears while writing the song, but she says she really wants it to be a beacon of hope that shows the other side of her trauma and her healing journey.
“Jesse, Daryl, and Rich are so great at what they do, and they just listened to my concept, and my whole story, and they were really great about mentoring me throughout the process. I wanted to write this song to show people that yes, it can be a really really hard journey, but no matter what you are going through, we are all struggling with something. I want people to know there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and I want people to know that they are not alone, and there were times that felt very lonely for me.”
She has been playing her new song at shows and it always draws a response from the audience who come to her after the show to talk about the song.
“Not everyone has gone through a traumatic car crash, sometimes it's something like starting over after a divorce. I’ve had a super fan, who’s experienced some struggles, reach out and tell me the song makes him feel like he has hope, and that’s why I got into music in the first place.”
Music has always been a part of Appelman’s life, as even from a young age she performed karaoke shows for her family. She started writing her own songs at the age of 13 to deal with difficult times she was experiencing.
“I was kind of being bullied in high school, so I wrote songs, and it was a comfort for me, and to know that now I am doing that for other people is honestly what it is all about,” she said. “I’m trying to let people in on my journey, and let everyone know that no one is perfect, and I try and be as authentic as possible.”
2025 is slated to be a big year for Appelman, and not just when it comes to music, as she has entered into a partnership with the Waterloo branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association.
“I met with my moms friend who works for CMHA, and I told her my story, and played her Finding My Feet and she decided right then and there that we were going to be partners. We are going to share my song with the CMHA community, and work together to make a difference. The song will be promoted on their social media, in their newsletter, and I will be involved with their podcast. The thing I am really excited about is helping with initiatives with helping to raise money for youth hubs.”
The partnership will also see Appelman use her skills as a performer to do a show to help further raise awareness and funding for CMHA in Waterloo before expanding across Ontario.
With her first single, which is entitled Happy Place garnering over 150,000 streams to date, Angelica Appelman is a rising star, who will be extremely busy this year and fans can expect to hear even more new tracks from the Stratford singer songwriter.
“I’m going to be releasing lots of new music, which is going to be a part of my sophomore EP called Breaking the Habit,” she said. “The focus will be my journey of healing, hope and resilience, and all the songs kind of encompass that.”