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

News from a Sniffling Singer-Songwriter

Hey beauties,

Just thought I'd update you all - my show at S.O.B.'s went splendidly well! Not only was the crowd awesome (if you were there, thank you), but there was just such a great vibe in the room. I really haven't had that much fun playing in a while. There were so many new faces, and I met so many great people who were really just there to enjoy all the fresh, undiscovered talent that's out there. It's wonderful to know that people are interested in music beyond what's on the Top 40. After all, those artists had to start somewhere too!

Allen Stone (the artist I opened for) KILLED it. If you haven't seen or heard of this guy, check out this little clip of the show that night. I was even more impressed by his music when I saw him live, which is saying a lot. The guy really puts on a great show. I had so much fun, both performing and listening to all the other great acts.

Since the show I've been really trying to focus on my songwriting. I wrote two new songs, both of which are babies in need of some nurturing. For now I'm giving them time to grow into whatever they are supposed to be. Sometimes I wait a really long time before playing new songs for people - let's face it, newborns don't just start walking right away. ;)

I'll keep you guys posted! For now, I'm sniffling, drinking a lot of tea (and EmergenC), and trying to get over this cold before my recording session tomorrow.

Have a great week, everyone!
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.

My Summer Away from the Computer

Hey all! I'm sorry that I haven't blogged in so long. This has been a crazy summer for me in a lot of ways, and the funny thing is, I've been swamped in everything but music. Even so, I can't say I haven't learned a lot this summer.

Italy was a completely incredible experience. Aside from the beautiful sights, I witnessed a quality of life that people in America unfortunately don't get to experience. Americans may be some of the most fortunate people in the world, but what I'm referring to is not financial success. I never realized how little time we have to enjoy the life we work so hard to maintain, and how stressed we are in comparison to other cultures. I was delighted to watch the Italian people enjoying life - relaxing at cafes, eating gelato, and drinking wine in the middle of the day when most Americans would be at their 9 to 5 jobs. I found myself envious, wishing that I could say goodbye to my neurotic tendencies and take in the simple pleasures all around me.

Picture I took of the Amalifi Coast. If I saw this view every day, I'd be enjoying life like the Italians do!

That being said, I found that I needed a break from everything. My obsession with facebook and twitter started to dwindle, and I'm sorry to say that I wasn't very thrilled to touch the computer at all (hence my lack of blog posts). My office job probably didn't help either, because I began to associate being on the computer with work. What I really needed was to get away from it all - to learn how to relax. Before Italy, my version of relaxing would have been to stare at facebook because I had free time, but this just stopped cutting it for me. I needed to sit down, ignore my phone, forget about facebook, and be in a place where no one could contact me. In a day and age where everyone can be reached within seconds, we all deserve to be unavailable from time to time.

Now, that doesn't mean that I don't love you all. To those of you who read my blog posts, thank you. To all my facebook and twitter followers, I thank you as well. You're all wonderful, and I really do enjoy reaching out to you through all of these amazing forms of social media. I just wish I could meet all of you face to face, because there are so many great things I'll never know about you simply by checking out your online profiles. 

Wishing you all peace of mind, in a world that never stops,

Leila

Lesson on Writer's Block: Go to Italy

I couldn't be more excited right now. In two hours I'll be leaving for Italy, which means I'm about to partake in two weeks of memorable experiences. Considering that I'm leaving so soon, I should probably finish up the rest of the packing I still have to do, but I couldn't fight the urge to write this little blog post.

I have a very funny feeling that this trip to Italy might be the cure for my writer's block. The thing is, being a songwriter is much more complicated than just being a musician (not to say it's better or worse - it's just different). Classical and jazz musicians need to practice for hours a day to keep up with their instruments, and this kind of dedication sometimes requires a bit of isolation from the outside world. Unfortunately, the ability to write usually competes with this necessary isolation, because staying locked in a room all day doesn't inspire someone to write anything meaningful. A huge part of being a songwriter is living life so that you can write about it, and that's exactly what I'm about to do. I'm taking a step back from the piano, and going out to live life for a little while. The truth is, most inspiration comes from the outside world, not the practice room. So maybe I'll find it in Italy. 

Who knows? Maybe when I come back I won't be able to stop writing.

Ecstatic beyond belief,

Leila

Hello Summer!!!

Hey all! Sorry I've fallen off the face of the earth for the past couple of weeks! I just finished my junior year of college, moved into an apartment, and started my new job for the summer. Needless to say, things have been a little nuts these days, but I'm glad to be back on track. Time to have a ball in good old NYC! (and Italy, which I will definitely have to post about as soon as I come back...)

My odd schedule for the summer has been making it super hard to book gigs, but I'm doing the best I can. As of now, I have a full set scheduled at the Bitter End on August 11. Although this seems incredibly far away,I'm super excited for it because it's my first time headlining there.

"What do you mean?" you ask. "Didn't you just play there two weeks ago and once before that?"

Well, yes. But I'll tell you why this show is different.

The past two times I've played at the Bitter End, I was a part of a thing called "Singer-Songwriter Sessions." For these events I would always play acoustic for exactly half an hour, and I would be one of many artists who played that particular night. "Singer-Songwriter Sessions" would also be on Sunday nights, which were sometimes difficult for people who had work or school in the morning. Nevertheless, I still had a great time, and I was happy to be a part of it.

The thing that separates my August 11th show from the past two Bitter End shows I've done is that this one is MY show. I'll be playing with a band for 50 minutes, and my sister Omnia (check out her website) will be opening for me - PS. she's awesome, and that's not my sibling-bias talking.

So that's just the beginning of what I have planned for the summer. Of course I will try to write and perform as much as I possibly can - that being said, I'll also make sure to live life a little so that I have something to write about.

Stay tuned.

Love and light,
Leila

PS - I'll be leaving for Italy next week, so if that's not inspiration, I don't know what is. ;)