"A spine chilling talent..."- Toronto Star
"...Funky-Jazzy-Reggae conscious Folk-Pop that enters your ear like cotton candy melts on your tongue."
- Northeast In Tune Magazine
"Stunning vocals...Emotionally compelling and multi-layered..."
- Monkeybiz.ca
Soul-Folk songstress Layah Jane is a hearty young musician with a mission. With soulful vocals and a poetic, articulate tongue, Layah's sound recalls Joni Mitchell, Rickie Lee Jones and Phoebe Snow, with a resonance all her own.
Both piano and guitar became tools for writing and accompaniment as Layah began to create and perform original material at the age of thirteen. Since the completion of her first demo in 2000, Layah has been invited to play countless shows and festival showcases including the Rochester International Jazz Festival, Winterfolk Festival, North by Northeast Music Festival, Toronto Indie Music Week, Toronto City Roots Festival, the Ottawa Folk Festival, and New Music West.
Following the release of her debut album "Grievance and Gratitude" (Grace Note Records, 2005), Layah won a 2005 CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award, and the award for Best Political Song in the Ontario Council of Folk Festival's 2005 songwriting competition. In 2006, she received a Toronto Independent Music Award for Best Jazz, and a nomination in the Best Live Acoustic Act category, as well as a nomination for an American Independent Music Award in the Folk/Singer-Songwriter category.
In 2007, Layah's second release, an EP entitled "Patience" (Grace Note Record, 2007), won an Ontario Independent Music Award (Best Folk), and received nominations for two Toronto Independent Music Awards (Best Folk and Best Female Fronted Band).
Layah's highly anticipated full-length sophomore release, "Brightness & Bravery" (Grace Note Records, 2008) is receiving critical acclaim, and has garnered nominations for a 2008 Toronto Independent Music Award (Best Folk), and two 2008 Ontario Independent Music Awards (Best Female Artist, Best Song).
"Brightness & Bravery" was produced by Oliver Johnson (Esthero, Divine Brown), and is a rich and sonically intimate offering. A collection of Canada's finest players offered their musical blessing: Ben Riley (Bruce Cockburn), Mark Mariash (Ron Sexsmith, Sarah Slean), Bryden Baird (Feist), Lyle Molzan (Jann Arden), Marc Rogers (K'naan, Philosopher Kings), Brian MacMillan (Kevin Hearn, Wailin' Jennys) and Burke Carroll (Kathleen Edwards) among others.
In the realm of TV, radio, and film, Layah's songs have been licensed for Global TV's "Blue Murder", and ESPN's primetime drama "Tilt". Layah has appeared on late night entertainment TV shows across Canada, and her songs have been licensed for use in several internationally distributed documentary films. Through regular college and CBC radio play, as well as a fortunate invitation to be the voice of the Dove Self Esteem Fund's 2006 "True Colors" TV Campaign, listeners all over the world are being introduced to Layah Jane through the airwaves.
Morphing from singer-songwriter to DJ, Layah co-founded the Move Collective, a Toronto dance jam that spread west to Calgary and east to Halifax. Voted Best Non-smoking Dance Event in Toronto by Now Magazine in 2003, rotating DJs pack dance floors each week.
Equally at home onstage as in the studio or the DJ booth, 2007 and 2008 have proven to be the busiest touring years to date for Layah, with shows all over QC, ON, MB, SK, AB, BC, NY, MA, VT, NC, and TX.
Personal, political and passionate, Layah Jane's music will speak courageous and tender, to the hungry hearts of poets, activists, and lovers alike.
Both piano and guitar became tools for writing and accompaniment as Layah began to create and perform original material at the age of thirteen. Since the completion of her first demo in 2000, Layah has been invited to play countless shows and festival showcases including the Rochester International Jazz Festival, Winterfolk Festival, North by Northeast Music Festival, Toronto Indie Music Week, Toronto City Roots Festival, the Ottawa Folk Festival, and New Music West.
Following the release of her debut album "Grievance and Gratitude" (Grace Note Records, 2005), Layah won a 2005 CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award, and the award for Best Political Song in the Ontario Council of Folk Festival's 2005 songwriting competition. In 2006, she received a Toronto Independent Music Award for Best Jazz, and a nomination in the Best Live Acoustic Act category, as well as a nomination for an American Independent Music Award in the Folk/Singer-Songwriter category.
In 2007, Layah's second release, an EP entitled "Patience" (Grace Note Record, 2007), won an Ontario Independent Music Award (Best Folk), and received nominations for two Toronto Independent Music Awards (Best Folk and Best Female Fronted Band).
Layah's highly anticipated full-length sophomore release, "Brightness & Bravery" (Grace Note Records, 2008) is receiving critical acclaim, and has garnered nominations for a 2008 Toronto Independent Music Award (Best Folk), and two 2008 Ontario Independent Music Awards (Best Female Artist, Best Song).
"Brightness & Bravery" was produced by Oliver Johnson (Esthero, Divine Brown), and is a rich and sonically intimate offering. A collection of Canada's finest players offered their musical blessing: Ben Riley (Bruce Cockburn), Mark Mariash (Ron Sexsmith, Sarah Slean), Bryden Baird (Feist), Lyle Molzan (Jann Arden), Marc Rogers (K'naan, Philosopher Kings), Brian MacMillan (Kevin Hearn, Wailin' Jennys) and Burke Carroll (Kathleen Edwards) among others.
In the realm of TV, radio, and film, Layah's songs have been licensed for Global TV's "Blue Murder", and ESPN's primetime drama "Tilt". Layah has appeared on late night entertainment TV shows across Canada, and her songs have been licensed for use in several internationally distributed documentary films. Through regular college and CBC radio play, as well as a fortunate invitation to be the voice of the Dove Self Esteem Fund's 2006 "True Colors" TV Campaign, listeners all over the world are being introduced to Layah Jane through the airwaves.
Morphing from singer-songwriter to DJ, Layah co-founded the Move Collective, a Toronto dance jam that spread west to Calgary and east to Halifax. Voted Best Non-smoking Dance Event in Toronto by Now Magazine in 2003, rotating DJs pack dance floors each week.
Equally at home onstage as in the studio or the DJ booth, 2007 and 2008 have proven to be the busiest touring years to date for Layah, with shows all over QC, ON, MB, SK, AB, BC, NY, MA, VT, NC, and TX.
Personal, political and passionate, Layah Jane's music will speak courageous and tender, to the hungry hearts of poets, activists, and lovers alike.
