MY FULL-LENGTH ALBUM: COMING IN SUMMER 2012

Here's the scoop.

I am really excited. A little more than a year ago, I released my debut EP ("Black and White"), and now I'm ready to take on a much bigger project.

The Black and White EP: my first release ever! Photography by Lizzy Sullivan, artwork by Daniel Nanni

For the next several months, I will be recording my first-ever full-length album. Of course this sounds like the next obvious step, but I really am sooo pumped.


As much as I love my EP, I know that this new album will be a greater testament to who I am as an artist. The truth is, when I first began recording my EP, I wasn't really sure what I wanted the end result to sound like. I used the songs that I felt would resonate the most, and had experienced session players come in to overdub parts over piano/vocal recordings. All in all, I would say it was a great learning experience for me, and I wouldn't take it back for anything. Most importantly, I had a great mentor and producer help me through the kinks of the project, handle all the logistics, and calm me down when I was being my usual high-strung, perfectionist self. Thank you, Joe Ferry - I really don't think I could have done it without you.

After learning so much from the whole process, I now have an even better idea of what I want to accomplish with this new album. Without giving too much away, I am treating this album almost like a novel - each individual song will in many ways, be like a small chapter. In other words, if you didn't get to know me based on my EP, you're gonna know me now!

The last and most awesome detail that I will divulge to you all, is that my new album will feature my live band. These guys have been working tirelessly with me for over a year, and it's time to give them some shine. I know you all will be able to hear the camaraderie that we've built up over the time we've been playing together, and I assure you that the album sound very different because of it.


So stay tuned! There's a lot happening over the next year ;)

With love and excitement,

Leila

Opening for Allen Stone Tomorrow!!!

 Tomorrow is a big day for me! At 9pm tomorrow night, my band and I will be opening for Allen Stone, an awesome up and coming artist from Washington who has been creating a lot of buzz in the soul music scene. The show is at the legendary S.O.B.'s, a famous Brazilian restaurant/nightclub/venue that has produced many successful artists. Some of their past acts include Celia Cruz, John Legend, Erykah Badu, Tito Puente, and Marc Anthony, just to name a few. As you can see, this is kind of a big deal!

Needless to say, I would greatly appreciate your support. It would be wonderful to see all of you there, and I'm really looking forward to this gig. S.O.B.'s is a great venue and I'm so thankful that I was given the opportunity to play there.

This is going to be a load of fun, and I hope you guys will join me. Check out the  Facebook Event  for more details, or go to the  S.O.B.'s website  for more information about the venue.

I'll leave you with a video of Allen Stone, who I am truly looking forward to seeing tomorrow night.

                     Impressed? Come out to the show tomorrow night and show your support!!


See you there ;)
Leila

BIG SHOW TOMORROW!!

So I have a confession to make...

I'm a twin. I don't talk about it often, especially where music is concerned - but here's why I decided to bring it up now.

Tomorrow, we will both be headlining at the Bitter End, in NYC. Yes, she's a singer-songwriter too. Click here to check out Omnia's blog, and see what she's all about.

If you come to our show tomorrow, you will see that although we are both musicians, our music is completely different. Sure, our voices may share some similar qualities, but the songwriting styles are like day and night. I also must admit that in an attempt to separate myself musically from my sister, I was very reluctant to play the same show with her. Although we've played a few local shows together in the past,  I decided after my EP was released that it was time to separate myself from Omnia as an artist. When two musicians look as much alike as we do, it is very easy for people to get a little confused. Some may also ask why we're not in a band together, and the answer is that our music is too different. As my sister has referenced in her own blog post about the show, we are two different people with varying opinions, experiences, and things to say.

We hope to see you there!
 Leila


Check out the Facebook event for more details.

The Next Alicia Keys?

So when you're a girl who happens to play piano and sing at the same time, there are a few questions that people often ask.

"Is it hard to concentrate on playing and singing at the same time?"

"How old were you when you started playing piano?"

All reasonable questions. Here's the one I have the greatest love/hate relationship with:

"Are you the next Alicia Keys?"

Let me get one thing straight. There were many people who sang and played piano long before Alicia Keys came around. Did everyone forget Aretha Franklin, Carole King, Billy Joel, Elton John, and at least 100 other people?

Don't get me wrong, I adore Alicia, and actually went to see her live during her "Diary" tour at Radio City She is a fantastic woman - she's beautiful, talented, and compassionate, (Click here to read Alicia's Blog and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about). There's no doubt that she's been a huge influence in my music, and that she's one of the best talents in the mainstream music industry right now. Aside from being a classically-trained pianist, Alicia Keys has an undeniable raw talent and keen sense of style that sets her apart from a lot of other artists. The reason why I am grateful to her, however, is that she made playing piano look like the coolest thing someone can do. When Alicia Keys hit the charts, everyone admired her for her talent. If a beautiful girl from Harlem could be a classically-trained pianist and still be hip at the same time, then who could say that all pianists are stuffy nerds with wire-framed glasses? I'm not sure how old I was at the time when Alicia Keys hit it big, but I do remember that all of sudden I was proud to say that I played piano. And I wished I had practiced a little more Beethoven...

Sometimes the biggest challenge for me as an artist is trying to be distinguishable from other artists in my genre, while still trying to associate myself with these artists so that people have a clue as to what I sound like. Chances are, if you like Alicia Keys I'm probably girl. Even though my style is not as blatantly R&B, there are a lot of musical qualities that we share. I could say the same for Norah Jones. I've been listening to so much Norah Jones over the past three years, that I'd be lying if I tried to tell you that she didn't impact my music. So maybe that's it: maybe my sound is a happy medium between the classic/urban R&B sound of Alicia Keys and the more mellow, soft jazz/pop quality of Norah Jones. I am perfectly fine with this description. But you know what? Maybe it doesn't matter so much.

I am not the next Alicia Keys. Or the next Norah Jones. And although being known by any one of these titles would probably make me feel flattered, I would still have to say that neither one is accurate. I am the next me - the only me, and my music consists of three things: my thoughts, my voice, and my experiences. And from the bottom of my heart, I thank all of you for listening.

Yours truly,
Leila