Mia Lailani puts positivity, growth and self-empowerment front and centre on her debut album Blink Of An Eye — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Backed by dulcet-ballads and fresh beats, the Latin-pop singer-songwriter’s breakthrough offering explores love, self-awareness, and the world around her — as seen through the eyes of a natural storyteller who is reflective, insightful and wise beyond her years.
“If I had to use one word to describe this release, it would be ‘growth,’ ” Lailani shares. “In truth, this word not only describes my past year as an artist, but as a person. In the process of making this album, I realized and analyzed how each of these experiences helped me to develop, and become a more mature and understanding young woman. I also considered just how much time flew during that moment in my life. It made me think, ‘Wow, everything just passed in a blink of an eye.’ ”
As an album, Blink Of An Eye also delves further into the concept that “people connect with music for several reasons, but one thing they have in common is that they go through an evolution,” she adds. To that end, songs like Sweet Dreams and Mama Said — a soulful, R&B swooner about self-improvement and embodying one’s self-worth, and a track touching on political issues in the world, and its effect on the younger generation, respectively — are mere starts at spanning the breadth of this 16-year-old Bronx artist’s rich and varied perspective.
While primarily a Latin-pop effort, Blink Of An Eye soars with added elements of retro-R&B and reggaeton. The confidence in Lailani’s vocal execution — combined with a diverse lyrical content and instrumentation — makes for an infectious listening experience. While it is Lailani’s first full-length release, but she first stepped onto the scene in 2018 with the single We Have, following up with Magic Hour, The Love You Owe, Clue and more. She also just unveiled a new official mini-documentary You Found Me First, chronicling her unique story to date.
To say Lailani has been a singer from the start would be an understatement; discovered in her crib at age two singing Alicia Keys’ No One, her mother and their musical family would waste little time starting to nurture her craft. With her first songwriting credit by age 10, Lailani’s track Be With You was also the start of her work being produced by her brother, DJ and producer Devan Ibiza. “The energy that was created by both of us was unintentional,” she says of working with her sibling in the studio. “But it captured instantaneous magic. He brought the incredible beats, which were so effortless for me to write to. Together, we’ve been unstoppable.”
Listen to Blink Of An Eye above, watch You Found Me First below and keep up with Mia Lailani on her website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
