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BY CINDY YU

Laila Biali refuses to sit back and relax. This Vancouver born and Toronto-based musician has opened for Sting, played Carnegie Hall and Tokyo’s Cotton Club, and is about to jet off to Sweden for a series of performances. Sitting back and relaxing is nowhere in her schedule.

laila bialiHer fifth album is due for a full release in Fall 2017 and is expected to stray even further from her original jazz roots. Experimenting with different sounds over the last few records, Biali has evolved into a crossover artist with a nod towards contemporary pop. Understandable

as she grew up listening to a variety of musical styles from classical opera to U2 and Michael Jackson. She immersed herself in Broadway musicals, and as a student at Toronto’s Humber College, she discovered Joni Mitchell, Björk, and other musicians who remain primary influences. 

Biali has toured with some of the greatest artists of our generation, most notably Sting, Dave Brubeck, Diana Krall, and Paula Cole. Her list doesn’t end there. “My current dream list includes (performing with) Bono, Björk, Bobby McFerrin, Peter Gabriel, and Pentatonix.” she declares.

“I have all these sounds, these swirling influences and they inevitably find their way into my arranging and writing,” says Biali. Her goal is to focus on her musical voice while retaining an element of eclecticism. “My team and I have been carefully setting up this new release,” she says with anticipation. “In many ways, it feels like a fresh start; a new way forward.”

Biali has received significant recognition for her work, including a “Best Vocal Jazz Album of the Year” JUNO nomination for her third album “Tracing Light”, plus awards for SOCAN Keyboardist of the Year, and Composer of the Year at the National Jazz Awards. She also points to a career highlight in her twenties, of performing at Carnegie Hall in New York, with the quartet she co-founded with Ben Wittman, George Kroller, and Larnell Lewis. “I’ll never forget the experience of walking into that hall,” she recalls. “It reverberates with history and grandeur. I felt quite humbled to be there.”  

How Biali’s sound will continue to evolve years from now, as she continues to draw heavily from musical influences encountered through her career will be an exciting journey. Not only for her but for fans, to imagine what heights this lively artist will achieve.

a Tr i o o f Jazz, Pop Persistence

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