Celebrated for making one of the “Best Albums of 2024” by Billboard, Pitchfork, and
Vibe among many other music critics for her self-produced 2024 debut project “Gap
Year!,” LAILA! (aka "Baby Genius) is an 18-year-old singer, songwriter, producer and
musician from Brooklyn, NY.
Described by Complex as "one of the most buzzing artists under 20" and praised
by People Magazine for having "unearthed a Gen-Z sound all her
own," LAILA! self-produced and wrote her chart-topping and globally viral, summer
smashes "Like That," which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s TikTok Top 50 chart and
remained in the top five for six consecutive weeks and "Not My Problem" (listed by The
New York Times as one of its “Top Songs of 2024”) which soared to #1 on multiple
charts and surpassed 100 million streams across digital platforms. “Not My Problem’s”
cultural impact extended to social media, where it garnered over 100 million plays via
reels, shorts, and stories.
LAILA!’s successful debut album has received widespread praise from fans, fellow
artists and critics alike such as Complex, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Teen Vogue,
Hypebae, USA Today and The Fader among many others. Quickly becoming a “favorite
artist’s, favorite artist,” LAILA!’s soulful and youthful yet introspective songwriting, vocals
and production on “Gap Year!,” have garnered public praise by music superstars in the
press and social media such as Rihanna, Sza, and Solange as well as Tyler, The
Creator who handpicked the alternative R&B/Pop iconoclast to make her music festival
debut as a performer at his Camp Flog Gnaw 2024 music carnival. About the rising
superstar and her debut album Refinery 29 declares "With Gap Year! Laila! is more than
a viral moment, she is here to stay."