Léa Kadian (2000, Brussels) is a Belgian guitarist and bassist with Armenian roots. She graduated from the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp with a Bachelor in jazz guitar performance and is currently completing a Master’s in composition under the guidance of Lennert Baerts. In her compositions, she is working to develop her own specific style. Exploring her Armenian roots through her music, searching for her own musical world, inspired from different genres.
Aside from her composition studies, Léa frequently performs as a guitarist and bassist in different projects with diverse artists such as Kunde, Aprile, Ola, Stace, Helena Casella, Teun, Oriana Ikomo, Peter Lesage, Marylène Corro, Fabiola, Birthe,... She is also currently part of the Theater Aan Zee House Band and continues this collaboration for the next few years.
She is regularly invited to play in venues and festivals such as Botanique, Bozar, Dour, Gent Jazz, Couleur Café, Suikerrock, Jazz Middelheim, Paradiso (Amsterdam), le Pop Up du Label (Paris), De Roma, Brussels Jazz Weekend, Vooruit, Trix, Francofolies de Spa, Ronquières, Villa Empain, Flagey, La Cigale (Paris)… amongst other venues in Belgium, France, Holland and Germany.
She is also accustomed to working and recording in the studio with a variety of artists. Her basslines can be heard on Ola’s album Reaper, Halibab Matador’s Souvenirs, and on Kunde’s upcoming album Latebloomer, set to be released around February 2026. She will also feature on the forthcoming albums by Helena Casella and Flavio Rio, both expected to be released the following year.
Through these projects, she explores different aspects and roles of being a musician. From specialising in session music performance that demands accurate, precise and efficient playing, to fully participating in the collaborative process, being fully involved artistically and compositionally, contributing in every aspect of the final studio work. These collaborations at diverse levels, taking on of different roles and wearing of multiple hats is what interests her. Being able to do a myriad of things and to touch multiple aspects, styles and roles in the music is what stimulates her. In the long term, she would like to further develop her own projects, including working on a new album release through the support of some generous grant subsidy support.