Sonja Kristina (born Sonia Christina Shaw; 14 April 1949)[1] is an English singer and songwriter, best known for starring in the original London production of the seminal 1960s musical Hair, and for being the lead vocalist of the 1970s progressive rock band Curved Air.

Kristina was born in Brentwood as Sonia Christina Shaw,[4] daughter of a criminologist and granddaughter of Swedish actress Gerda Lundequist.

By 1968, while studying at the New College of Speech and Drama, Kristina was helping to run, and performing at, the Wednesday evening sessions at London's Troubadour Folk Club.

She was generally known on the folk scene as "Sonja" having previously appeared several times on the British children's TV show Song and Story under that name.

[8][9] Dave Cousins remembered: "Or Am I Dreaming" (on Strawbs LP) was very much inspired by the sessions I used to do at the Troubadour with Sonja Kristina ...

She remembered sitting backstage on the theatre stairs listening to a cassette of the band's music Hanau had given her, and being much impressed.

[13] Described by Sting as a "real beauty, otherworldly and unattainable",[14] Kristina played a full creative role bringing with it a powerful female sexuality.

– Stewart Copeland[18]Including the London version of the musical Hair (1968),[19] Kristina has performed in numerous theatre and musical theatre productions from the early 1960s onwards,[20] including East Lynne (1966),[21] a lead role in Romeo and Juliet,[20] The French Have a Song For It (1979) with Helen Shapiro,[22] Man to Woman with Marsha Hunt (1982),[23] and Shona [24] In 1971, Kristina received the Sounds magazine Top Female Vocalist Award,[26] and in 2014 the 'Guiding Light Award' at the Progressive Music Awards.

The award was presented by television broadcaster, and long-standing Curved Air fan, Katie Puckrik for helping pave the way for other female artists who followed, including Kate Bush, Heather Findlay, Anne-Marie Helder and others.