Born in the 1980s into a family of classical musicians with a broad outlook on the world, Leïla developed a passion for the performing arts at a very early age and, at the age of 10, left home to board at the Collège de Marciac, where she studied jazz and, in particular, improvisation – which would become her greatest passion. A student brimming with curiosity, she turned her attention to theatre for a while whilst taking dance classes, before devoting herself fully to music at the age of 16. She then enrolled at the CNR in Toulouse, obtained her DEM with a unanimous decision from the jury, and attended a number of schools (Music’halle in Toulouse, the CNSM in San Sebastian, the CNR in Montpellier, etc.)
In 2009, having only just arrived in Paris, she won the 1st SOLOIST PRIZE at the National Jazz Competition at La Défense – the first time this prize had been awarded to a female singer – as well as 3rd prize in the group category. It was with this same group that, two years later, she recorded her debut album, *Dance Floor*, which brought her to the attention of the jazz world.
With travel and encounters at the heart of her creative process, she gradually developed an imaginative musical language blending scat and gromelo, which became her trademark. The joy she derives from singing is evident, and she creates spaces of freedom that blend emotional commitment with technical virtuosity. 1er PRIX DE SOLISTE au concours National de Jazz à la Défense – pour la première fois décerné à une chanteuse- ainsi que le 3ème prix de groupe. C’est avec ce même groupe qu’elle enregistre 2 ans plus tard son premier album Dance floor qui la révèlera au monde du jazz.
Le voyage et la rencontre étant au coeur de sa démarche créative, elle développe petit à petit un langage imaginaire entre scat et gromelo, qui fera sa marque de fabrique. La joie qu’elle éprouve à chanter est manifeste et elle ouvre des espaces de liberté qui mêlent engagement émotionnel et virtuosité technique.
In 2013, she won FIRST PRIZE FOR SOLOISTS at the Crest Jazz Vocal Competition and, in 2014, was named a winner of the Jazz Migration tour. She then set up a new project, BAA BOX, with two other multi-instrumentalists (Eric Perez and Pierre Tereygeol), which went on to produce two albums, *Baabel* and *Warm Canto*, on the Laborie label, and to perform all over the world. 1ER PRIX DE SOLISTE au concours de Crest jazz vocal puis en 2014, est nommée lauréate de la tournée Jazz Migration. Elle monte alors un nouveau projet BAA BOX avec deux autres poly-instrumentistes (Eric Perez & Pierre Tereygeol) qui donnera naissance à deux albums Baabel & Warm Canto sur le label Laborie et se produira dans le monde entier.
Alongside her musical activities, Leïla is training as a clown and exploring her whimsical side in a variety of formats, always with a strong emphasis on improvisation (Furia with Marlène Rostaing).Furia avec Marlène Rostaing).
Her curiosity about certain vocal traditions goes hand in hand with an interest in the way of life that accompanies them. An ethnologist at heart, she discovered later in life the connection that underlies her three passions (Gypsy music, Pygmy polyphony and Inuit throat singing): they all stem from nomadic peoples.
She sees this as an extension of her own life, and above all recognises that nomadism gives rise to distinctive songs, whose resonating chamber is not a dwelling but a body—or bodies—moving through space and vibrating with it: a sort of mobile house of sound that makes the world sing.
Elle y voit une émanation de sa vie, et surtout le fait que le nomadisme produit des chants particuliers, dont la caisse de résonance n’est pas un habitacle mais un corps/des corps qui bougent dans l’espace et vibrent avec lui, sortes de maisons de sons mobiles qui font chanter le monde.
Sensitive to the beauty of living things, environmental issues have become a pressing concern for her, and she has joined forces with a few friends to draft an appeal entitled ‘For an Ecology of Living Music’, accompanied by concrete proposals inviting those involved in the music industry to transform their practices so as to make them compatible with the conservation of species and the ecosystem. “It is time to change our model (…) and imagine a living art that is also an art of life.”un appel «Pour une écologie de la musique vivante » accompagné de propositions concrètes invitant les acteurs de la musique à transformer leurs pratiques afin de les rendre compatibles avec une sauvegarde des espèces et de l’écosystème. « Il est temps de changer de modèle (…) et imaginer un art vivant qui soit aussi un art du vivant »
The year 2020 brought her several accolades, as she received the Académie du Jazz award for her album *Warm Canto* and was nominated in the vocal artist category at the Victoires du Jazz. prix de l’académie du Jazz pour son album Warm canto et est promue artiste vocale aux Victoires du Jazz.
At the same time, she was appointed associate artist and composer at Les Scènes du Jura and began working with the Full Rhizome cooperative (a support organisation), which helped her set up her company, La Barde, in her home region of Occitanie. Full Rhizome (bureau d’accompagnement) qui l’aide à monter sa compagnie La Barde sur sa terre d’origine l’Occitanie.
Elle peut enfin mener à bien des projets au long cours comme ÄKÄ -Free voices of forest She can finally see long-term projects through to completion, such as ÄKÄ – Free Voices of the Forest (an intercultural project with the Pygmies, also known as the Aka, of the Congo) and, above all, her solo project Jubilä (album and live show). Jubilä became his flagship project – the quintessence of all his explorations – and took the form of two projects: a stage show and an album. (disque + spectacle).
Jubilä became his flagship project – the quintessence of all his explorations – and took the form of two projects: a stage show and an album. devient son projet phare – quintessence de toutes ses explorations- et se décline en 2 projets : Un spectacle est un disque.
- Le spectacle Jubilä-solo pour vocaliste multi-timbrée The show *Jubilä-solo* for a multi-voiced vocalist is a multidisciplinary one-woman show in which Leïla breaks free from the rigid confines of a traditional concert to embrace her true nature as a vocalist, clown and performer with many facets. The album *Jubilä 432* serves as both the gateway to and the culmination of this signature project; it reflects Leïla’s vocal world in all its diversity and bears witness to all her vocal explorations from childhood to the present day.
- Le disque Jubilä 432 est à la fois la porte d’entrée et de sortie de ce projet signature; Il reflète l’univers vocal de Leïla dans sa dimension plurielle et est le témoin de toutes ses explorations vocales depuis l’enfance jusqu’à ce jour.
Parallèlement, Leïla poursuit ses collaborations avec des projets au long cours : Le jardin des délices (duo w/ Valentin Ceccaldi), ÄKÄ-Free voices of forest (projet inter-culturel avec des pygmées akas), Atrahasis (Octotrip) et des projets nouveaux : HaïKaï (trio vocal contemporain), Karma Bazar (duo clavier-voix w/Elie Dufour ) et un projet intitulé Latza Lüz en cours de création avec la violoniste belge Maritsa Ney + ensemble à cordes.
The year 2026 marks a new beginning and a consolidation of her presence in Occitanie with the launch of the ‘associate composer’ scheme with Le Parvis Scène nationale (plus L’Astrada in Marciac), her partnership with the Métronum in Toulouse, and her new collaboration with Alexandra Cirotteau in managing her company, La Barde.
April 2026 saw the release of the album *Jubilä 432*, which was unanimously praised by the press. A month later, Leïla was nominated in the Vocalist category at the Victoires du Jazz. sortie de l’album Jubilä 432 qui est unanimement salué par la presse. Un mois plus tard Leïla est promue Artiste vocale aux Victoires du Jazz.
Spring has lived up to its promise.