'Finding Maria': How CG5 Captured Shadow the Hedgehog's Struggles in Song Ahead of Sonic the Hedgehog 3

CG5 (aka Charlie Green) has released a new Sonic-inspired single, "Finding Maria," just ahead of the highly anticipated release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 on 20 December. The track, now available on all major streaming platforms and YouTube, provides a deep dive into the emotional landscape of one of Sonic’s most complex characters - Shadow the Hedgehog.

In an exclusive interview, Green shared the inspiration behind the lyrics. “‘Finding Maria’ follows Shadow the Hedgehog finding his latest purpose,” he explained. “Maria, who he was appointed to protect, unfortunately passed away, and he's been living with that for a long time - 50 years.”

Green further detailed that the song is written from the perspective of Shadow in the Shadow the Hedgehog video game, where the character grapples with fragmented memories and a deep sense of loss. "This is probably my favorite Sonic song I've written because of how deep it cuts," Green said.

"[Shadow] doesn't remember much, and Maria is just a name in his mind," he explained. "He wants to know what that image of a person is, and he needs to recollect those moments in time where Maria asked him to be a protector of the world. But he was in such conflict that he couldn't really figure that out until he went through many bad challenges - and good stuff, of course - to get to where he needed to be." 

Although Green says his personal experiences differ a lot from Shadow’s, he has found some common ground with the character's journey.  “It resonates with me to have to find myself again and again and move on from the hardest things that I have to go through,” he shared.

While Finding Maria is heavily inspired by the video game version of Shadow, Green also shared his excitement for the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3 film that inspired the song.

"Sonic 3 is a definitely a movie for the fans and just the fans," Green said. "They hit it right on the nail with Sonic and Shadow. . . Every little detail has been accounted for, and I think that this is the Sonic movie." 

“Finding Maria” is now available on all major streaming platforms, just ahead of the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 on December 20.