Laila Biali

Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter and pianist Laila Biali has toured with Chris Botti, Paula Cole, Suzanne Vega and Sting. She has headlined festivals and venues spanning five continents including Carnegie Hall. Her accolades include “SOCAN Composer of the Year” and “Keyboardist of the Year” at Canada’s National Jazz Awards, a JUNO nomination for her studio recording Tracing Light, and a spot on DownBeat Magazine’s “Best Albums of the Year” list for her follow-up Live in Concert. In 2015, Laila released her first album of entirely original music, House of Many Rooms – an indie-pop project featuring a star-studded lineup including the vocalist Lisa Fischer, who is featured in the Academy Award-winning documentary 20 Feet From Stardom. In September of 2017, Laila was brought on as the host for CBC Music’s national radio show, Saturday Night Jazz. Her latest project, a self-titled album released in January of 2018, debuted at #1 on iTunes Canada and won Laila the top prize for Jazz in this year’s Canadian Songwriting Competition. And while she continues to earn high honours in the Jazz world, Laila’s unique genre-bending sound is what sets her apart as she “masterfully mixes jazz and pop, bringing virtuosity and unpredictability to songs that are concise and catchy.” (Washington Post)

Awards

• 2018: won Canadian Songwriting Competition, Jazz category, for original song Satellite • 2016: nominated for the 2016 Premier’s Awards for Outstanding College Graduates • 2012: Nominated for BCTC Award - Touring Act of the Year • 2011: Nominated for a JUNO Award - Vocal Jazz Album of the Year • 2006: Selected by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to represent Canada as pianist in international ensemble, Swinging Europe, under the direction of BBC Big Band composer and conductor, Barry Forgie • 2005: Youngest double winner at National Jazz Awards – SOCAN Composer of the Year and Keyboardist of the Year • 2004: Fraser McPherson Jazz Scholarship recipient (British Columbia) • 2003: Fish Middleton Jazz Scholarship recipient (North American wide competition) • 2003: Issued CBC-Galaxie Rising Star Award at National Jazz Awards (*award issued for original big band composition/arrangement, And Not a Dream) • 2001: Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) Scholarship

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