Laila Biali- Exclusive Interview

Join co host Avery Raquel as she interviews the lovely and talented, Laila Biali right here on Heart of Indie Radio! Multi award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter, pianist and CBC Music  national radio host Laila Biali has headlined festivals and venues  spanning five continents from New York City’s Carnegie Hall to Beijing’s  National Centre for the Performing Arts, and supported international icon Sting. This year, Laila was honoured by SOCAN Music with the Hagood  Hardy Award for Excellence in Songwriting. In 2019, Laila’s eponymous release won her a JUNO (Canada’s GRAMMY) for “Vocal Jazz Album of the  Year.” The year prior, she was awarded top prize at the Canadian Songwriting Competition in the Jazz category. Laila was also the  youngest-ever double winner at Canada’s National Jazz Awards when she was named “SOCAN Composer of the Year” and “Keyboardist of the Year.”  She received her first JUNO nomination for Tracing Light (2011), and a spot on DownBeat Magazine’s “Best Albums of the Year” for Live in Concert (2013). In  September of 2017, Laila was brought on as the host for CBC Music’s  national radio show, Saturday Night Jazz, a weekly show broadcast to  listeners across Canada. While Laila continues to earn high honours in  the Jazz world, her signature sound transcends genre as she “masterfully  mixes jazz and pop, bringing virtuosity and unpredictability to songs  that are concise and catchy” (Washington Post). Laila’s highly  anticipated album, Out of Dust, which features multiple GRAMMY nominees  and winners including Lisa Fischer, Alan Ferber, John Ellis, and Larnell  Lewis, released March 27, 2020.