Vika & Linda

As part of our commitment to capturing and sharing great Australian music stories, the Australian Music Vault asked some of the country’s most influential trailblazers and unsung heroes to open up about their lives in music.

The vocal harmonies of sister duo Vika & Linda are one of the most recognised sounds in Australian music. Taught by their mother to sing in harmony, Vika and Linda Bull performed at their local Tongan church in Melbourne in the 1970s. In 1988, they rose to fame as the backing vocalists of Joe Camilleri’s blues-rock band, The Black Sorrows. After performing for six years and winning Best Group at the ARIA Awards in 1990, they left the band and released their self-titled debut studio album in 1994, which reached No. 7 on the ARIA Charts and became certified double platinum.

Over almost four decades, the pair have adorned the stage and studio with some of the country’s best artists including Paul Kelly, Archie Roach, Renée Geyer and Kasey Chambers. As a duo they have released seven studio albums, four live albums, and their first No. 1 anthology, ‘Akilotoa (2020). By exploring numerous genres such as rock, country, soul, and gospel, Vika & Linda are renowned for their versatility yet distinct sound.

In 2016, they received a Special Recognition Award at the Pacific Music Awards, were inducted into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame in 2019 and received a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2022.

In this interview, Vika & Linda discuss embracing their Tongan heritage and its impact on their music career, recording Paul Kelly’s song ‘I Know Where to Go to Feel Good’ with Iggy Pop at Peter Gabriel’s recording studio in London, and returning to music after raising their children.

Interviewer: Brian Nankervis

Location: Bakehouse Studios, Richmond, 2022