The Leila

Born in Oujda in the East of Morocco, Leila grew up in a culturally rich environment finding her inspiration in the multiple musical styles of the country Regada, Âarfa, Mechiakha, Gharnati, Ray and Algerian Chaâbi.

Leila belongs to a conservative environment where she had to fight for her right to live her passion for music. She started performing at a very young age and recorded her first single at the age of fifteen where you can hear the influence of her regional roots and world music.

In 2015 The Leila co-founds « Snitra » her first group with which she will make a tour of concerts punctuated by an artistic residence in Nouakchott in Mauritania in 2017.

In 2018, Leila will leave Oujda to settle down in Casablanca where underground music is at its finest meeting some of the most successful and talented musicians of the country.

Leila is an authentic singer, with a powerful voice with a sense of fragility, smart and beautiful songwriting that mixes Arabic darija and English.

Her lively music is a harmonious mixture of the various styles of her region which she marries with grace and lightness to her Rock influences, which made her create her own style that she named « North African Rock ».

Leila and her band have toured Morocco, Spain and Belgium, performing at such important venues and festivals as Fundacion très culturas, Fête De La Mer, Visa for Music, the American Arts Center of Casablanca, Fira Mediterrània De Manresa and Jazzablanca. They have also performed at Bassline Festival in South Africa.

“Ya Sahbi” was Leila’s first single released in 2019.  In the Arab world, especially in a conservative environment, the friendship between women and men remains unnatural and subject to criticism. Through the song “Ya Sahbi,” Leila reveals this dark side of conservative Arab society.

This song is also a true declaration of the love of the friend that we cherish and who shares memories that remain firmly in the heart forever. A sweet invitation to break taboos and celebrate friendship without discrimination between the sexes.

In 2020, during quarantine, Leila releases her second single. “Rgueb Rgueb” is an original song written and composed by Leila. This song tells a story of a girl who loved a young man and asks him about the promised day, the day when he proposes to her, after they had a wild love story. She asks him about this day to complete their lives side by side for the love of their relationship and not Subject to tradition that did not prevent them from enjoying each other’s company. For the music, it is a mix between “Reguada” and “rai” with modern rhythms.

In 2023, Leila releases her first album “Lghit اللغيط“. This original record written and composed by THE LEILA is an echo of her regional roots tinged with the influence of world music and modern rhythms, the album is a mixture of many musical heritages such as Reggada, Arfa, Mechiakha, Gharnati and Rai.