RECEIVES 2021 JUNO NOMINATION FOR VOCAL JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Toronto, ON – March 17, 2021 – 2021 JUNO nominated artist (Vocal Jazz Album of the Year), Laila Biali, shares a special “quarantine” live-action, stop animation video for award-wining single, Satellite. The video was created by Stephanie Haller and Nick Collingwood from Brooklyn-based creative agency, Halla Creative – who have worked with Laila since 2015. Stephanie and Nick created the entire video inside their Brooklyn apartment, where they hand cut every object and filmed the video using a combination of live action and stop motion animation. This video is meant to serve as a reminder of all we've been through "together at home" for a year now as we simultaneously look forward to a brighter future and the time when we'll all be together again – watch the full video here.

Stephanie from Halla Creative shares, "When I first heard Satellite a few years back I had the idea to tell the story with paper cutouts. The vision just came to me as I heard the song. We decided not to pursue a video for this song at the time but the idea always stuck with me. When Laila approached me again about the video a few months ago, we both felt like it was the perfect quarantine project." 

“When I first wrote Satellite, I was a relatively new Mom, still touring and often away from my immediate family,” says Laila. “The lyrics came to mind after a summer show I'd played in Niagara on the Lake. I was aching to be back home in Brooklyn with my husband and son, and as I drove my rental car back to where I was staying for the night, I tried to imagine my boys in the car with me, singing along to the radio together. Just the act of imagining them did bring them closer somehow. And when the world went into lockdown a year ago, the message behind this song took on new meaning. It became a reminder of how powerful it is that we can connect to loved ones via satellite when we can't physically be together, and of how meaningful it is to keep one another close in mind and at heart as we reflect on old times and look ahead to a future where we will be together once more.”

Satellite’s lyrics truly take on a new meaning given the past year’s events and any listener can find comfort when watching the heartfelt video. On March 9, Laila was nominated for a 2021 JUNO Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year for her 2020 album, Out of Dust – which coincidentally is approaching it’s one-year anniversary since releasing (March 27, 2020) during the beginning of the pandemic.

"I've always created music with the primary goal to connect with the world and community around me, hopeful it might bring something good to people's lives. If that happens, I feel I'm on the right path. But it's also an enormous honour and greatly encouraging to receive industry recognition in the form of a JUNO nomination – this year especially, during these unique times," says Laila.

Laila will be performing at two upcoming livestreamed concerts – Izzy Asper's Jazz Performances on Saturday, March 20 at 8:00 p.m. ET and on Friday, April 30 with Bravo Niagara!’s Sing About Freedom in celebration of International Jazz Day.

DOWNLOAD – hi-res photo | DOWNLOAD – Satellite artwork

www.lailabiali.com

About Laila Biali:
Multi award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter, pianist and CBC Music 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. This year, Laila was honoured by SOCAN Music with the Hagood Hardy Award for Excellence in Songwriting. In 2019, Laila’s eponymous release won her a JUNO (Canada's GRAMMY) for "Vocal Jazz Album of the Year.” The year prior, she was awarded top prize at the Canadian Songwriting Competition in the Jazz category. Laila was also the youngest-ever double winner at Canada’s National Jazz Awards when she was named "SOCAN Composer of the Year" and "Keyboardist of the Year." She received her first JUNO nomination for Tracing Light (2011), and a spot on DownBeat Magazine's "Best Albums of the Year" for Live in Concert (2013). In September of 2017, Laila was brought on as the host for CBC Music's national radio show, Saturday Night Jazz, a weekly show broadcast to listeners across Canada. While Laila continues to earn high honours in the Jazz world, her signature sound transcends genre as she "masterfully mixes jazz and pop, bringing virtuosity and unpredictability to songs that are concise and catchy" (Washington Post). Laila's highly anticipated album, Out of Dust – which was named one of Downbeat Magazine’s Best Albums of 2020 – features multiple GRAMMY nominees and winners including Lisa Fischer, Alan Ferber, John Ellis, and Larnell Lewis, released March 27, 2020.

About Chronograph Records:
Chronograph Records is a boutique record label that works closely with artists who are looking for an insightful and collaborative partnership. Representing some of the best jazz, urban acoustic, and blues artists in Western Canada, Chronograph Records strategically helps develop their roster, allowing the artists to evolve into exactly who they're supposed to be. Since the label's 2004 inception, Chronograph artists have garnered numerous award nominations, most recently culminating in a JUNO Award win, multiple Canadian Country Music Awards, a TD Grand Jazz Award, Global Music Awards, a CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award, and Canadian National Smooth Jazz Award winners.