I was born in a small town outside Moscow in a traditional Russian-Armenian family. As a child I was talented in a little bit of everything – dancing, piano, singing, poetry – but my curiosity and patience never lasted long enough to master any of these properly. As I was growing up I kept changing my mind as to what I wanted to become – a doctor, ballerina, singer, producer, etc. I could see myself being anything I wanted because I had no self-doubt and was a very courageous girl.
However, grown-ups who “knew life better” soon told me I was wrong.
“Be realistic Sofiya,” they would say. “You cannot always do what you love, especially if you want to earn a living. Those people who have made it happen are one-in-a-million. Are you sure you can do that?”