Laila Biali
“Masterfully mixes jazz and pop, bringing virtuosity and unpredictability to songs that are concise and catchy.”
— The Washington Post
Laila Biali
Genre: Pop-Jazz
2026 GRAMMY nominee and multi award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter, pianist and national radio host Laila Biali has headlined festivals and venues spanning five continents from New York City's Carnegie Hall to Beijing's National Centre for the Performing Arts, and supported international icon Sting. Her JUNO-nominated 2023 album, Your Requests, featured a stellar cast of guests and received a 4.5 star rave review in All About Jazz. Her previous release, Out of Dust, was also JUNO nominated (in 2021) and won Biali spots on “Best Album” lists around the globe.
In 2020, she was honoured by SOCAN Music with the Hagood Hardy Award for Excellence in Songwriting. The previous year, Biali's eponymous release won her a JUNO for “Vocal Jazz Album of the Year” and top prize at the Canadian Songwriting Competition. She was the youngest-ever double winner at Canada’s National Jazz Awards, named “SOCAN Composer of the Year” and “Keyboardist of the Year” in 2006, and she received her first JUNO nomination for Tracing Light in 2011. When Biali isn’t on stage or in the studio, she’s busy hosting CBC Music’s national radio show, Saturday Night Jazz – a weekly program broadcast to millions of listeners across Canada. And while she continues to earn high honours in the jazz world, Biali's signature sound transcends genre, making her a favourite among audiences globally. Her highly anticipated seasonal album, Wintersongs, featuring Jane Bunnett, members of the Venuti String Quartet and chamber orchestra, was just nominated for a 2025 JUNO Award, Biali's 5th nomination as a solo artist.
“A keyboard virtuoso with a distinctive sultry voice - intimate and emotional.”
— Toronto Star