Los Angeles-based DJ, producer, and violinist Lila Kova has built her musical identity at the intersection of classical training and underground electronic music. A graduate of the Moscow State Conservatory and The Juilliard School, she began her career as a classical musician before moving into electronic production, bringing her experience with orchestral composition and live performance into a new creative setting.
Photo credit: Lila Kova – Official
Her relationship with club culture began in her teenage years, when she developed an interest in trance, house, and drum and bass while continuing her classical studies. Today, her work brings together electronic production and live violin, reflecting two musical worlds that once existed separately in her life.
With her debut seven-track album, ‘Where I Become Sound’, Lila Kova takes a more personal approach to composition, moving away from genre expectations to explore her own artistic identity.
In conversation with EG, she discusses her classical roots, finding creative independence, the challenges of originality, and her ambition to develop a live show combining electronic music with orchestral instruments.
EG: Hi Lila, welcome to Electronic Groove! Where are you today, and how are you feeling as you prepare to share ‘Where I Become Sound’ with the world?
Lila Kova: Hi Electronic Groove! I’m currently in Los Angeles, and I’m feeling really good about the upcoming release. I’ve spent months working on these seven tracks, exploring different musical ideas and bringing everything together into one album. It’s exciting to finally reach the point where I can share the music with everyone. I’m really happy with how the album turned out and looking forward to hearing how people connect with it.
EG: Music entered your life at a young age. Looking back, can you remember a particular moment when it stopped being something you practiced and became something you genuinely needed in your life?
Lila Kova: I grew up studying at a specialized music school, so from a very young age, I already knew I was expected to become a professional musician. Music was a huge part of my life, but for a long time, I felt like that path had been chosen for me by my parents rather than something I had chosen myself.
After graduating from the Moscow State Conservatory with my bachelor’s degree, I moved to New York and stopped playing violin completely for almost two years. During that time, I continued working in nightlife and honestly thought I might never return to playing violin.
But eventually, I realized that I already had a profession I had spent most of my life developing. I didn’t need to give it up completely; I just needed to find a way to pursue it on my own terms. So I picked up the violin again and started preparing for auditions.
I was accepted into The Juilliard School, where I completed my master’s degree. Interestingly, that’s also where I first started learning music production. I took my first production lessons there, and they opened my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities beyond classical music. It was the beginning of a completely new creative direction for me.
EG: Classical training often comes with a strong emphasis on precision and discipline, while electronic music can invite experimentation and unpredictability. Have you ever had to unlearn something from your classical background to find your own creative voice?
Lila Kova: Absolutely! When I first started producing electronic music, my classical background was actually getting in the way. I was so used to thinking in terms of complex compositions and orchestral arrangements that I kept trying to put too many elements into my tracks. I wanted everything to be musically interesting, with multiple melodies, harmonies, and layers happening at once.
Having spent so many years studying classical music and listening to complex compositions, the hardest part for me was learning how to simplify the music and not overcomplicate it. I had to learn that sometimes less is more, and that a simple idea can be incredibly powerful when you give it enough space.
EG: You’ve spent years developing your relationship with music through different disciplines. Was there a particular artist, performance, or unexpected encounter that fundamentally changed how you thought about what music could be?
Lila Kova: Growing up in Russia, I was exposed to electronic music from a very young age. I started going to raves when I was around 16, listening to house, trance, and drum and bass. Trance was always my favorite, especially psychedelic trance. I was really into artists like Astrix, Shpongle, Infected Mushroom, and Armin van Buuren, but I also loved drum and bass, particularly Pendulum.
I also started working in nightclubs at a young age, so electronic music and nightlife were always a natural part of my life. In a way, I was living two completely separate lives at the same time. During the day, I was studying classical music and playing violin, and at night, I was immersed in club culture and electronic music.
For a long time, those two worlds existed independently of each other. I never really thought about bringing them together, but looking back, both were equally important in shaping my musical identity.
“I had to learn that sometimes less is more, and that a simple idea can be incredibly powerful when you give it enough space”
EG: Your new album is titled ‘Where I Become Sound’. It’s a deeply personal statement. What does that title mean to you beyond the music, and what does it reveal about where you are in your life today?
Lila Kova: For me, ‘Where I Become Sound’ is about finding my own voice as an artist. I spent most of my life studying and performing classical music, interpreting compositions written by other people. Even though I could express myself through those performances, I was still working within someone else’s musical ideas.
Producing electronic music gave me a completely different kind of freedom. But when I started releasing my own tracks, I realized there was still this pressure to fit into a particular sound or style, especially when submitting music to record labels. I often found myself thinking about whether a track would fit a certain label rather than simply making the music I wanted to make.
With this album, I wanted to leave all of that behind and create something entirely on my own terms, without trying to fit into any particular genre, label, or expectation.
The title reflects where I am in my life right now. I’m no longer trying to define myself strictly as a classical violinist or a techno producer. I’m bringing together everything I’ve learned and experienced, and allowing myself the freedom to create whatever feels right to me. In that sense, ‘Where I Become Sound’ represents the freedom to finally make music without boundaries.
EG: When you’re creating, how do you distinguish between an idea that is technically impressive and one that genuinely moves you? Have you ever abandoned something beautiful because it simply didn’t feel honest?
Lila Kova: There have been many times when I’ve spent hours working on a melody or arrangement that sounded great on its own, but eventually I realized it wasn’t right for the track.
One of the things I’ve learned through producing music is not to become too attached to an idea just because I’ve invested a lot of time in it. Sometimes I’ll work on something for hours, only to realize that the track actually sounds better without it.
For me, the most important thing is how the music feels as a whole. If removing something makes the track stronger, even if it’s an idea I really like, I’m happy to let it go.
EG: An album can sometimes reveal things about its creator that weren’t obvious at the beginning. Did making this record change the way you see yourself, either as a musician or as a person?
Lila Kova: When I first started working on these tracks, I wasn’t actually planning to make an album. I was simply creating music that I liked and wanted to perform live. It wasn’t until I had about four tracks finished that I started thinking about bringing them together into one album and connecting them into a complete project.
I think the biggest thing I gained from this experience was more confidence in myself as a producer. Creating an entire album independently allowed me to take full responsibility for every creative decision, from the direction of individual tracks to how they all work together. It taught me to trust my own musical instincts and feel more confident in the choices I make.
Finishing my first album has also given me even more motivation to keep creating. I’m already thinking about what I want to do next, exploring new ideas and considering which musical direction I want to take. If anything, this experience made me realize that I’m only getting started, and there’s still so much I want to explore as a producer.
EG: Electronic music has become increasingly shaped by algorithms, social media, and the pressure to remain visible. Do you think artists today have enough freedom to develop their own identities, or has originality become harder to protect?
Lila Kova: I think every artist chooses their own path. There are definitely a lot of artists who are trying to stay relevant by creating music they think people expect to hear. They follow what’s popular, and sometimes, in that process, they never really get the chance to discover their own artistic identity. To me, the biggest challenge isn’t necessarily a lack of creative freedom, but the pressure to make music that’s already proven to work.
I can relate to that because, for a long time, I was also trying to fit in. When I first started my project, a lot of people told me that violin wouldn’t work in techno, and their opinions really affected me. I listened to them and started focusing more on creating music that would fit into a particular sound rather than exploring what I could bring to it myself.
But my perspective has completely changed. Now, I actually don’t want to create what everyone else is doing. Even when I’m searching for music for my DJ sets, I’m always looking for something different, interesting, and fresh. I want to hear tracks that have their own character, not just one track that sounds almost identical to the next.
As for social media, of course it creates additional pressure. Artists are expected to constantly produce content, stay visible, and keep up with algorithms, often while trying to find enough time to actually make music. But I think that pressure is manageable. You have to find a balance that works for you and approach it on your own terms, rather than allowing it to dictate your creative direction.
Ultimately, I think originality is still very much possible. It’s about having the confidence to follow your own ideas instead of constantly adapting to what everyone else is doing.
EG: There’s a particular vulnerability in bringing a physical instrument into a live electronic performance. How does being onstage with your violin change your relationship with the audience compared to performing a DJ set?
Lila Kova: I think there’s a completely different kind of connection with the audience when I’m playing violin live. During a DJ set, I’m communicating through the music I select, the energy I build, and the way I guide the crowd throughout the performance.
But when I bring out my violin, that connection becomes much more direct. People can actually see and hear me creating something in the moment, and I can immediately feel their reaction. The audience really responds to it, and I think the combination of live violin and electronic music creates an experience they don’t necessarily expect from a typical DJ set.
At the same time, there’s definitely an additional level of pressure. When I’m DJing, I’m focused on the music and the energy of the crowd, but when I’m playing violin, I also have to make sure I’m technically prepared, in good physical shape, and, of course, playing in tune! (laughs) It’s a live instrument, so there’s no hiding behind anything.
I think that’s also what makes it exciting. There’s an element of spontaneity, and every performance feels a little different. I really enjoy bringing those two worlds together and seeing how the audience responds.
“Ultimately, I think originality is still very much possible. It’s about having the confidence to follow your own ideas instead of constantly adapting to what everyone else is doing”
EG: Every artist encounters moments of doubt. What has been the hardest lesson you’ve had to learn about pursuing a creative life, and how has that lesson influenced the decisions you make today?
Lila Kova: My life has always revolved around creating something, so I’ve been used to uncertainty from a very young age. Even when I was working as a professional classical violinist, I had to create opportunities for myself rather than wait for them to come along.
Over the years, I’ve started several different musical projects. I played in a rock band, had a DJ and violin duo, and explored different directions before starting my current project. One thing I’ve learned through all of those experiences is not to hold on to something for too long when it isn’t working. I don’t spend too much time worrying about what went wrong. My mind almost immediately starts thinking about what I can do next.
Of course, I still have moments of doubt, like everyone else. But I’ve learned not to let those thoughts take over or stay in my head for too long. I try to move past them quickly and focus on what I can do rather than what I can’t.
I think the most important lesson for me has been learning to follow my intuition rather than overthinking everything. When something feels right to me, I trust that feeling, even if I don’t know exactly where it will lead.
EG: Imagine you could speak to the younger version of yourself, just beginning her musical education, without revealing anything about the future. What is the one thing you would want her to understand?
Lila Kova: I’d tell her to stop worrying so much about everything and just enjoy the journey. She has no idea how much fun her life is going to be! (laughs)
EG: Finally, looking beyond this album, what are you most curious to explore next? Is there a creative risk you’ve been thinking about taking but haven’t quite found the courage or opportunity to pursue?
Lila Kova: Absolutely! One of my biggest dreams is to create my own live show that brings electronic music together with live instruments, perhaps even a small orchestra on stage. I have so many ideas about how I would want it to sound and look, but it’s also a little intimidating because it would be a much bigger production than anything I’ve done before.
It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and I know it will take a lot of planning, resources, and the right people to bring it to life. But I’m sure that one day I’ll make it happen!
EG: Thanks for the time and all the best!
Lila Kova: Thank you for having me!
Lila Kova’s ‘Where I Become Sound’ is available on Symphotek. Stream and download here.
Follow Lila Kova: Spotify | SoundCloud | Instagram
