Interview, New Artists, New Fire Music, R&B/SOUL
Get To Know Layla, The New York-Based, Eritrean-Born Singer/Songwriter
May
New York-based Layla is one of the more interesting artists you’ll ever meet. The Eritrean-born singer/songwriter describes herself as a nomad, spending her early years watching her mother perform live all throughout East Africa until moving to the states, now ready to take her music to the next level. Her latest release ‘Vacation‘ is available everywhere. The music video is approaching 50k views in under a month!
We had to reach out to this up and coming R&B artist to find out more about what she has in the works! Check out her responses below.
I’ve always been in to music with my mom as a musician growing up. I just really was in to poetry, and then some of my poems became songs. I did music in college, but moving to New York gave me the opportunity to take this seriously.I started taking vocal classes and recording regularly. Two to three years later here we are. I am so happy and I haven’t looked back since.
‘Vacation’ was inspired by a relationship and a time in my life where I was just so focused on music that I wasn’t able to take a lavish vacation or get away at all. The relationship became the vacation in itself. It was just like you know… this is love. I don’t need anything fancy. I don’t need any lavish getaways.
Every time I wake up, I see you. That’s my vacation (lyrics).
Yeah, nomad is definitely my personality. I love new spaces, new people, and I don’t like being confined to one thing in one place for too long. I get anxious, I don’t like that at all. So all my songs thus far are a reflection of that. Geographically, spiritually, and mentally, everything is different all the time and that’s definitely a big part of my personality.
For myself, every day when I wake up I make my coffee and maybe watch a sermon. Just trying to keep myself right spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. Getting in to that space allows me to be creative and write songs or poetry.
So I live in New York but I’m from Seattle… so I’m actually in Seattle with my family for the quarantine and I haven’t spent this much time at home since 2015 and it’s been so nice! Being here with my family, getting back to my roots, eating Eritrean food every day… just being able to focus on writing on my own. The worst part is probably not being able to see my friends and not being able to link up!
Honestly going to the studio. I have so much written that I have to record it at this point. I’m just getting antsy so I’m already trying to book my studio sessions in advance. That’s what I’m looking forward to!
I just released the visuals for ‘Vacation’ so definitely please go check that out, link is in my bio. The project is ready, it just needs to get mixed so I’m working on that. I’m always torn between a project and dropping singles. I’m still trying to figure that out. I pray for the best and do all that I can to be different. I just kind of go off of how I feel.. maybe it’s the artist in me. I guess we’ll wait and see what’s coming next.
I would say don’t give up hope, things will get better. There are better days ahead and don’t ever lose faith in yourselves. God is with us, just pray and don’t forget to put your faith in him.
