ALBUM AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW

LEAD SINGLE SUGAR OUT TODAY

ON TOUR ACROSS CANADA
THROUGH FEBRUARY AND MARCH

Toronto, ON – January 31, 2020 – The last few years have been a roller-coaster for Laila Biali. For nearly every major triumph – a highly acclaimed return to jazz, winning the 2019 JUNO Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year, touring the world – the singer-songwriter has faced private debilitating crises. In just a few short years, Biali lost a close friend to cancer, mourned a family member’s suicide, and was diagnosed with two autoimmune disorders that threatened to upend her career. It was a period of change and heartache – but it was also a season of great inspiration and hope. The result is Biali’s deeply personal new album, Out of Dust.

Set for release on March 27^th on Chronograph Records, Out of Dust finds Biali luxuriating in the light she found at the end of the tunnel. Co-produced by Biali and her husband, Ben Wittman, the album is a celebration of life; warm and uplifting, even as it confronts her recent challenges – and the current political climate – head-on.

“These new songs took shape as I processed my own feelings of doubt and loss,” Biali reveals. “I believe that nothing is wasted, that even life's greatest challenges can produce something meaningful, even if only to make us more aware of and empathetic to the struggles of those around us.”

The political is personal on the brassy album opener, Revival; transforming global tumult into an inspiring call-to-arms, Biali sings with the clear-eyed confidence of a warrior, “There’s a fire underground / Come on down”. This fervour animates the entire album, even in its quieter, more personal moments, like on Wendy’s Song – a piano ballad dedicated to the friend Biali lost to cancer – turning the details of a single life into a powerful epic. Glass House – which Biali wrote with her husband – frankly addresses the after-effects of a family member’s suicide, while Take the Day Off – a lullaby written with her nine-year-old son – bluntly acknowledges the reality of healing, with Biali singing that it’s okay to “pull the sheets over your head” and “unwind” when you need to.

In addition to contributions from Biali’s husband and son, Out of Dust features multiple GRAMMY nominees and winners including Lisa Fisher, Alan Ferber, John Ellis, and Larnell Lewis. Giving fans a taste of the new music on Out Of Dust, Biali drops the lead single, Sugar, today. Inspired the writer Rebecca Reynolds’ poem about sugar addiction, the track is a funky, toe-tapping anthem for not feeling so guilty about life’s guilty pleasures. Have a listen here.

Multi-award-winning singer-songwriter and pianist, 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. In addition to her 2019 JUNO Award win, she was awarded top prize at the Canadian Songwriting Competition in the Jazz category, and was also the youngest-ever double winner at Canada’s National Jazz Awards, where 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).

OUT OF DUST TRACKLISTING:

1. Revival
2. The Monolith
3. Glass House
4. Wendy’s Song
5. Sugar
6. Alpha Waves
7. Au pays de Cocagne
8. Take Me To The Alley
9. The Baker’s Daughter
10. Broken Vessels
11. Take The Day Off

UPCOMING TOUR DATES:
February 7 – Langley, BC – Bez Arts Hub
February 8 – Sherwood Park, AB – Festival Place
February 9 – Calgary, AB – Alvin’s Jazz Club
February 10 – Penticton, BC – The Dream Café
February 11 – Seattle, WA – The Triple Door
February 12 – Bellingham, WA - WJMAC
February 13 – Duncan, BC – Cowichan Performing Arts Centre
February 14 – Regina, SK – Le Bistro, Monseigneur de Laval School
February 15 – Swift Current, SK – The Art Gallery of Swift Current
February 16 – Saskatoon, SK – The Bassment
February 23 – Sarasota, FL – Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
February 28 & 29 – Gainesville, GA – The Arts Council
March 21 – Ottawa, ON – National Arts Centre
March 28 – Toronto, ON – Aga Khan Museum
April 3 – London, ON – Aeolian Hall
April 5 – Topeka, KS – Topeka Jazz Concert Series
May 2 – Vancouver, BC – Pyatt Hall

DOWNLOAD – hi-res photo | DOWNLOAD – album cover artwork
DOWNLOAD – tour poster

www.lailabiali.com

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.