A multi-talented musician working at the University of Leeds has played a key role on the soundtrack to hit TV show Adolescence.
Sophie Lim, who works as a Student Information Adviser, performs piano on the heart-wrenching rendition of Sting’s classic album track ‘Fragile’ for the Netflix series.
The drama focuses on the fatal stabbing of a schoolgirl with the performance appearing at the end of the second of four episodes. The haunting lyrics become even more poignant in the unfolding context of the story.
But Sophie had no idea what the story was about when she was initially contacted.
I felt incredibly lucky they were prepared to take a chance on me and believed in me. It was an awesome experience.
The link-up came about through Sophie’s University connections. She has stayed in contact with many friends since graduating from Leeds with a First in Music in December 2023, after which she secured a role with the University’s Student Information Service.
Friend and former colleague Mia Windsor – an experimental musician currently completing a funded PhD project at Leeds – recommended Sophie to Adolescence composers David Ridley and Aaron May.
They were searching for a contributor who lives and works in the region where the series is set, and spotted Mia’s work on the web.
When they explained they required the services of a pianist, Sophie’s name was the first that sprang to Mia’s mind.
Sophie playing at The Wardrobe, a live music venue in Leeds. Photo: Milo Jacobs.
Sophie said: “I worked on a piece Mia composed a couple of years ago. We had a great time, but she doesn’t play piano, so it was lovely of her to think of me in this way.
David Ridley contacted me and I sent him a few amateur recordings because I don’t have a professional portfolio. I didn’t expect anything to come from it, but he said they were exactly what they were looking for.”
The only furniture was a grand piano and rows of chairs for the schoolchildren who sang the lyrics alongside Sophie’s accompaniment.
Sophie said: “I had to sign a non-disclosure agreement and the details were quite vague at first – they couldn’t even tell me what the working title was. I was only sent the music a week before, together with a bit more information about the storyline.
“I was really excited to eventually find out what the song was. I hadn’t heard it before, but I could see the vision they had and why they wanted it to be a stripped back and more haunting version of the original.
“The music plays during a particularly poignant moment in the series at the end of the second episode. They wanted it to be really moving – to evoke the heavy emotion of the scene. I felt it perfectly captured this – the fragility of the situation; that it’s incredibly difficult to be a child in this world right now.”
While an emotionally charged experience, Sophie said she really enjoyed the process.
People really liked this version of Fragile – it sounds so different from the rest of the soundtrack, which made it stand out.
“It was constant fun,” she said. “None of the children were musically trained, so they had to learn to sing from scratch and learn the song by heart.”
Sophie said she has been overwhelmed with the response now the TV series is being aired. “Adolescence is everywhere on my social media,” she said.
“People really liked this version of Fragile – it sounds so different from the rest of the soundtrack, which made it stand out.”
Sophie comes from a musical family and also plays the clarinet and saxophone.
She said “Music has always been a big part of my life. All my family are multi-instrumentalists – it was pretty loud in our house!
“They’re all really excited for me and very proud. They really liked the Netflix series and were quite moved by it. It really resonated with them.”
Despite her involvement in the series, Sophie had to wait like everyone else until it first aired earlier this month.
“I have to confess it was a slightly weird experience hearing the song I’d recorded, but I think it perfectly captured the conflict between the themes of innocence and the harsh realities explored in the show. I’m really happy with how it all came across.”
For further information
For further information contact Jane Lewis by emailing j.lewis3@leeds.ac.uk or the University’s press office by contacting pressoffice@leeds.ac.uk