Liana Flores

Early life

Flores was born to a Brazilian mother and a British father and raised in South Norfolk, England. As a child she listened to bossa nova artists including Astrud Gilberto, Gal Costa, Caetano Veloso and João Gilberto. She began singing in primary school choir, learned piano as a child, and took up guitar in her mid-teens because she loved bossa nova and wanted to play the songs she heard. Though of Brazilian background, she did not grow up speaking Portuguese and sees music as a way to connect with her Brazilian heritage.

In her late teens she developed an interest in 1960s folk music; both genres later influenced her songwriting. She liked that folk and bossa nova can be performed with just voice and guitar. Feeling boxed in during her later teens, she used music as an outlet. Her public career began on TikTok and YouTube under the channel name Ukulili, where she uploaded ukulele covers of show tunes out of boredom with Norfolk.

At the start of the COVID-19 shutdown she began exploring music production. While finishing her zoology studies, her 2019 song 'rises the moon' went viral on TikTok in 2021. She initially focused on her degree but the song's success allowed her to pursue music, and she signed with Verve Records. She graduated with a first in Zoology from the University of St Andrews in 2022.

Career

Flores independently released the EPs The Water's Fine! in 2018 and Recently in 2019. Her 2019 song 'Rises the Moon' gained viral traction in 2021. In 2022 she opened for Laufey on the Everything I Know About Love Tour. After signing with Verve Records in 2024, she began her first headlining tour in June 2024, a month-long run through the UK and US.

Her debut album Flower of the Soul was released on 28 June 2024, and she toured the US, UK, Europe and Asia in support. That year she also opened for Matt Maltese. In October 2025 she toured with Men I Trust on the European leg of their Equus tour. On 31 March 2026 she performed as a supporting artist for Ichiko Aoba at the Royal Albert Hall.

On 24 June 2026 she announced an international tour including her first Mexico shows, alongside the single 'So It Goes'. She plans to perform with Muco on the European leg, Temachii in Mexico City, and Allie Sandt on the American leg. The single 'Silvershoes' was released on 31 July 2026, and her third EP And so it goes... was announced on 4 September 2026.

Did You Know?

• Flores cites Vashti Bunyan, Caetano Veloso, Nick Drake and Joan Baez as influences.
• She creates lyric collages as a starting point when writing songs.
• Many tracks on her debut album center on relationships with people or with the natural world and animals.