American-born, London-based electronic pop singer Sofi Vonn’s deep lyrics and light melodies create a set of contradictions that somehow fit together perfectly to tell a relatable narrative of youth. With her exceptional voice, she deftly expresses emotions and opinions on society, love, sexuality, and all the other things that everyone goes through.
Vonn knows about these things from personal experience, which has taken her across the world and back several times. Born and raised in New York City to German parents, she grew up in the picturesque, artistic West Village neighborhood. She discovered she loved singing after joining the choirs at both her school and at church.
Growing up, Vonn’s interest in music was varied enough that even now, she can subconsciously tap into all of these influences. This has given her the freedom to come up with an artistic style that is uniquely her own.
While she was in high school, Vonn and her family moved to Zürich, Switzerland. Her love of singing continued there, though she felt confused as she considered what to do post-graduation. “I liked music but I didn’t know how to get into it, because when I was applying to college for anything musical, they wanted me to be a Steinway Fellow already, basically,” she says.
Stymied, Vonn put her music dreams on hold, returning to the United States to attend Tulane University in New Orleans. She ended up earning a degree in psychology (with a German minor), but as fate would have it, she was brought back to music when she studied abroad in Berlin, Germany for a year.
“I loved Berlin, so I moved back there after I graduated from college – and that’s how I got into techno and DJing,” Vonn says. “The techno scene there is huge.” Besides DJing at a festival, she also studied sound engineering for a bit before finally landing a full-time job with the BMG record label.
BMG brought Vonn back to her hometown of New York City. Her work at the label taught her marketing skills that she then used to help her advance her DJ career at night. She became an in-demand house and techno DJ, booking numerous shows around the city for the next two years.
As she DJed, Vonn would often sing along to the music. Hearing her, a fellow DJ was impressed by her talent and hired her to sing on a track. It was the catalyst Vonn needed to make her return to the idea of seriously pursuing a singing career.
At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, giving Vonn even more incentive to think about what she really wanted to do – and in the end, she quit her record label job. “I had a great time working at BMG, but it just was time to go,” she says. “When corona happened, I realized that pursuing my own music career is what will truly make me happy.”
With all the knowledge she’d gained as a performer and at the record label, Vonn realized that she finally had both the skill and the experience that music schools wanted. She was accepted into several Masters degree programs, and chose to study popular music at the highly prestigious Goldsmiths, University of London.
Last September, Vonn made yet another trans-Atlantic move so she could begin her graduate studies. Her time there has already paid off: as a school project, she wrote the emotive song “Is It a Crime,” which she says “is about wanting a meaningful relationship and feeling embarrassed about it, but also being like, ‘Is it a crime?’” That song is set for release later this year.
Unlike many pop singers, Vonn writes all of her own material. A vibrant storyteller, her depth of feeling and love for her craft is evident in every track. Her warm and powerful voice is the perfect means for conveying her lyrics, which are at once introspective yet universal.
Concurrent with her formal music education, Vonn continues to learn about the business aspect of things whenever she can. She found an especially powerful ally when she met renowned music executive Charlie Walk (who helped launch the careers of Lorde, Ariana Grande, and The Weeknd, among many others). Impressed with Vonn’s voice and writing, Walk immediately offered to mentor her, bringing her into his prestigious Music Mastery program earlier this year.
Now that Vonn finally has the necessary experience and support, everything seems to be falling into place with her singing career. She recently recorded a number of songs in Los Angeles, which she plans to release as singles during the coming months. She’s also performed two well-received shows at the prestigious New York City clubs Arlene’s Grocery and Pete’s Candy Store, and she plans to do more shows now that she’s back in London to continue school.
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Vonn is also keeping her DJ career going – but now, she is able to put techno remixes of her own songs into her playlists, such as the remix of her song “Stranger” that’s coming out on August 12. “That’s the beauty of what I’m doing now – it’s the best of both worlds,” she says of this multifaceted approach. “I’m making pop songs, having shows, having other people remix my pop songs. I already know how to DJ so I’ll play the songs. It’s so convenient!”
Vonn recently graduated from Goldsmiths. But beyond that, she is prepared to continue letting life lead her where it will. After all, that attitude seems to have worked out well for her so far. “I didn’t plan for what’s happening right now – but I know that everything I’ve done was necessary to get here now,” she says.
Wherever Vonn ends up, she’ll undoubtedly find more opportunities to create music that is authentic, honest, and real. Even though her colorful life has led her on a more wide-ranging path than what most people will follow, she is still able to make music that will resonate with listeners anywhere.
