Sofia-Liis Liiv says music was her only path

Singer and violinist Sofia-Liis Liiv says music always felt like the natural path for her, despite once setting aside her violin for two years, ERR reported. She spoke on Vikerraadio’s programme Heli nälg.

Liiv, born in 2001, said music runs through both sides of her family. She began singing before she could talk and started learning classical violin at the age of six. A childhood synthesiser that played Camille Saint-Saëns’ The Carnival of the Animals remains part of her early musical memories.

She later left music secondary school and moved to Tartu to study traditional music. Liiv said she did not want to spend her career competing to become a solo performer, and felt classical music performance was not the right fit for her.

For two years, she did not pick up her violin, believing others played better. She rediscovered the joy of playing at a youth folk music camp, she said.

Liiv has spent much of her career as a backing vocalist and said she once expected to remain in that role. She now performs at the front of the band Sadu, a position she says has both appeal and challenges. In 2023, she was a backing singer for Alika at Eurovision in Liverpool.

Liiv has also worked as a dance teacher, but said her busy music career leaves her without time to teach now. She enjoys working with people and is interested in teaching and youth work.