Leaphia Darko: My Musical Journey

I’m not an academic, not mathsy – but I realised I understood sound in a way that other kids didn’t.

Effective communication is a talent in its own right, and for some people the initial glimmers can appear in strange and unconventional ways. For actor and musician Leaphia Darko, this began at a very young age when she found herself connecting with sounds in a way other children her age simply weren’t able to. A nursery teacher asked the class to wrap elastic bands around a shoebox and prang away, and Leaphia vividly recalls her fascination with the myriad sounds such a simple instrument could produce. This proved to be a defining moment in her life, one that set the tone for years to come.

Moving from Junior Trinity music school to studying at RADA, which she described as a “dream come true,” Leaphia has never forgotten the power of that early experience. Now both a professional actor and musician, she sees communication as central to her two creative lives. As she puts it: “music and acting are both about talking to people.” And all because of a bit of elastic tied around a shoebox…

Part of our 20th anniversary project: My Musical Journey