Layla Kaylif

Described by Curious For Music as "one of the UK's most intriguing under-the-radar voices – a boundary-walker between genres and cultures," Layla Kaylif is an English-Arab singer-songwriter who first gained international attention with Shakespeare in Love—a BBC Radio Record of the Week that achieved chart success across Southeast Asia—Kaylif has since built a global audience spanning 169 countries and more than 15 million streams. Her critically acclaimed album Lovers Don't Meet was praised by outlets including Americana UK, Folking Magazine and Buzz Magazine, which described the record as "enthralling in a manner akin to Joni Mitchell's timeless Blue LP." Following a creative hiatus, Kaylif returned with Call of the Yoni (2026), a seven-song cycle blending oud, ney, chamber strings and contemporary songwriting. The album received support from college and specialty radio stations across North America, reaching #3 on US college radio charts and introducing a new generation of listeners to her distinctive fusion of storytelling and songcraft. Her new single Black Is The Colour is a contemporary adaptation of the traditional folk ballad, incorporating original lyrics alongside the traditional text. Recorded at AIR Studios, London and produced by Rupert Coulson, it reimagines one of the English-speaking world's oldest folk songs through a modern folk-rock lens, drawing on both British and Appalachian folk traditions.