Vocal Jazz Album of the Year 2019
Laila Biali
Vocal Jazz Album of the Year
Chronograph*Fontana North/Universal
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 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 2018, debuted at #1 on iTunes Canada and won Laila the top prize for Jazz in this year's Canadian Songwriting Competition. 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)