LAYLA BINA

Beautiful and talented artist Layla Bina grabbed our attention recently with her new single, “White Widow,” and we can’t wait to share it with the world. The first few seconds will be enough to have you hooked for a long time.

The chorus of this song is amazing and will get stuck in your mind in no time. You may find yourself singing out by the next morning. The lyrics are well-written, easy to listen to, and mesh perfectly with the vocal melodies. The instrumental is enjoyable, the energy is incredible and the production is smart and sounds professional. Layla has one of the catchiest and most powerful voices we’ve ever heard and her performance on this record is on another level. Her vocals made us have to rewind the song over and over again the first time we heard it. She has an amazing passion and her music is different and deserves more attention.

We love what Layla Bina brought to the table today and we’re super excited to hear what other songs have up her sleeve. But until that happens, we’ll just have to keep this new single on repeat. Check it out for yourself and let us know what you think. Don’t forget to connect with Layla Bina online to stay up to date! - Bored City

With her new opus ”White Widow”, Layla Bina releases an impressive musical reflection of our complex times. The song honors rock music in all its glory while adding some touches of pop. The guitars are delightful, the rhythms are solid, the energy is infectious, and each vocal performance has this nostalgic, yet catchy vibe that makes us sing while thinking about our world. ”White Widow” now is one of our favorite tracks, a track full of hope that makes us feel alive, at the time of stress and division. Layla Bina’s voice warms our hearts, with her unique and intense tone.

Overall, ”White Widow” is a wonderful piece of art that will transcend your soul and ears. - Pretty White

Layla Bina is the greatest to land on our radar this week and we are sure you will love it as much as we did. Her latest, titled ‘White Widow’, highlighted Layla‘s rich and original writing style and clean production. It’s a gem that deserves your full attention from start to finish. Everything from the vocals, to the art direction, to Layla’s passion… there’s something iconic about the skillful artist and we can’t wait to hear more from her in the rest of 2023. - Lost In The Nordics

In "White Widow," by Layla Bina, Bina is spiraling after a failing relationship. Part of Bina's struggle is emotionally moving past it, which she clarifies by saying, "I wish we never met." However, Bina has found temporary relief in Marijuana. In her mental state, Bina has smoked through most of her Black Widow and Red Widow strains. But possessing a batch of her new favorite, White Widow, Bina allows it to continue blinding her from the harsh reality of her relationship. Unfortunately, in "White Widow," Bina resorts to a coping mechanism that she's used to and wants the freedom to do it peacefully, which may reflect a deeper issue.

"White Widow" by Layla Bina is short and to the point, spanning only two minutes and thirty-one seconds in length. From the start, Bina sets the tone for the record with aggressive staccato hits from the percussion and guitar parts as she sings through the song's chorus. Once reaching the verse, the instrumentation increases in movement, defining the track's pace. And complementing the fast tempo is not only changes in the arrangement but the expressiveness in Bina's vocal performance. In "White Widow," the use of vocals through screams, stacking, adlibs, and effects leave no room for a dull moment. Not to mention Bina's Persian influence, which allows her melodic choices to shine within the rock genre. - Pop Passion Blog

Radio interview plus an exclusive premiere of Layla Bina's second single, "White Widow." - Triple Threat FM Radio

LITN: Hi! You recently released ‘White Widow’ and it’s brilliant. For anyone who’s yet to hear it, how would you describe the track?

Layla: Thank you! When I first presented “White Widow” to my producer, Josh “igloo” Monroy, I told him that I imagined it to sound like a mid-90s skate punk song by Black Sabbath, and he helped me achieve exactly that!

------
LITN: Where did you record it?

Layla: I started recording “White Widow” with Josh in Los Angeles right before the pandemic hit, and we had to stop about halfway through; I think we only had the instruments and one vocal track recorded at that point. A few months into quarantine, he moved to Atlanta and we had to record the rest of my vocals remotely. It took some time to be able to do so, of course, because I had to save up for a studio mic to pull off the same sound, but I had to do what I had to do to get it done! It ended up being so worth it because almost everything else we have worked on since was recorded remotely, like my first single, “Brain Dead!”

------
LITN: Are you planning to make it part of a larger release, such as an EP or album?

Layla: Yes! Although I haven’t officially announced it yet per standard Instagram etiquette, “White Widow” is part of my upcoming debut album, Midnight Burnout, out this summer!

------
LITN: I’m very interested in how you started your adventure with music, and did you know from the beginning that this is what you wanted to do?

Layla: Like most kids, I grew up loving all kinds of music, singing, the whole bit. I even started writing songs when I was 10 years old, but as much as I loved it, I thought that singing and songwriting couldn’t be anything more than a hobby. I’m Persian, so growing up, there was a lot of cultural pressure to be a doctor, lawyer or business executive; being a musician wasn’t an option. I thought it wasn’t even possible for a “normal” person like me––I didn’t have any famous family members and I wasn’t a child star, so I didn’t even have a chance, right?

It wasn’t until my senior year at UCLA when I chose to make a “rockumentary” about Kurt Cobain for my final project in my Punk & Medicine class that I realized I was totally wrong in having that mentality. I had been a fan of Nirvana for almost 10 years at that point, but I never took as deep of a dive into Kurt Cobain’s life as I had for this project. It was through examining his life and career that I realized you don’t have to be born into the industry, or “meant to be” a musician, or uber-famous to have a career in music (though he was). Anyone, literally anyone, can be an artist if they really wanted to, and knowing that changed everything for me.

------
LITN: Your music interweaves so many different styles and sounds. If you could collaborate with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?

Layla: Iggy Pop, because he’s Iggy Pop.

------
LITN: What’s been your favorite musical experience to date?

Layla: Honestly, just releasing my first two songs has been such a liberating experience. I was always so afraid of what would happen if I released my music. I honestly didn’t know what I was afraid of because I knew that, for most artists, literally nothing happens when you release your first however many songs—which is exactly what my experience ended up being—but I still overthought everything to the point where I just decided to hold my songs hostage for the longest time, so just having my music out there is a huge deal for me.

------
LITN: Where are you based? Can you tell us how the music scene there has inspired your sound at all?

Layla: Growing up in Irvine, CA as an artist was miserable; there wasn’t any music scene, unless you consider the school talent show a music scene. I knew only two other kids in high school that wrote songs, and that was basically it. In a sense, being an artist in a city like that was very isolating. I never really felt like I fit in, and as much as I wanted to feel like I belonged to something, I definitely didn’t want to be a part of anything in Irvine. Although I couldn’t see it at the time, I think my angst, boredom and frustration with my hometown contributed heavily to my sound and approach to songwriting today.

------
LITN: If you could perform at any venue in the world, where would it be and why?

Layla: I would go back in time to CBGB in its heyday.

------
LITN: And what was the first album you remember owning?

Layla: It’s so embarrassing, I’d rather not admit that… Everyone was a kid with lame music taste at some point, right?

------
LITN: Finally, have you got anything to share regarding upcoming gigs, and what have you got planned for 2023?

Layla: New music, new music and more new music. :) - Lost In The Nordics

Bored City: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?

Layla: I was born in a Southern California suburb called Irvine to Iranian immigrant parents. There wasn’t really any music scene growing up in Irvine and having a career in the arts is a big no-no in the Persian community, but pursuing music as an extra curricular in school was still encouraged, so I milked those opportunities as much as I could because I thought it was all I would ever have. It wasn’t until I moved to LA for college when the idea of pursuing a career in music became more real, so I guess you could call me a late bloomer!

------
Bored City: And what other artists have you found yourself listening to lately?

Layla: I’m such a bad musician! All I do is listen to classic rock, punk and grunge. People have told me that I need to listen to more current music, but I like what I like, what can I say?

------
Bored City: Who were your first and strongest musical influences?

Layla: As a songwriter and “rocker,” Muse was my first and biggest influence, particularly their first four albums. They were the first rock band that I got into, and are the reason why I started exploring other rock artists that came before them. Most importantly, Matt Bellamy made me want to play the guitar so badly that I decided to just teach myself when I was 14, which ended up being one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

------
Bored City: You have just released your new single, ‘White Widow’. Is there a story behind it?

Layla: This sounds ridiculous, but I originally wrote the chorus of “White Widow” right after a disagreement with my college roommates as a way of metaphorically “drowning out the noise.” The lyrics of the chorus remain the same from that night, but the song quickly took a very different turn as I finished writing it out. What started as a defense for self-medication effortlessly became a cautionary tale of addiction.

------
Bored City: Can we expect a new EP or even an album from you in the near future?

Layla: Yes! My debut album, Midnight Burnout, is due for release this summer!

------
Bored City: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

Layla: I’m really hoping my lyrics resonate with people. I know it doesn’t sound “artistic,” but I honestly put a lot of thought into the lyric part of my songwriting. Melodies are something that come naturally to me and I never really overthink them, so the lyrics are where I really get to express myself and write with intention.

------
Bored City: Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more?

Layla: There’s nothing more fulfilling than believing in yourself, and that’s exactly what I’m getting out of finally putting work into my music.

------
Bored City: Could you describe your creative processes? How do you usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?

Layla: The melodies always come first. I think I’ve written lyrics first only a handful of times, but melodies just come to me so easily. I’ll be driving in the car or cooking at home, and a new melody will just pop into my head. I’m always quick to record a voice memo so I don’t forget it, but it’s really the melody that I can’t stop singing that I decide to flesh out and write lyrics for, because if a melody is stuck in my head days later, I know it’s worth turning into a song. Of course, there’s always those melodies that I get so enthralled by the moment I hear them, that I just have to grab my guitar right then and there, and write the entire song in one sitting.

------
Bored City: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?

Layla: My crippling self-doubt and holding my songs hostage.

------
Bored City: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

Layla: Overcoming my self-doubt and releasing my songs. - Bored City

Pop Passion: What does your song “White Widow” mean to you? What are you trying to tell your listeners?*

Layla: “White Widow” started as a subpar diss track to my college roommates after a trivial disagreement, but as I played with it more and more, the song began digging deeper into what I was personally dealing with at the time. If you really read into the lyrics, they reveal a lot more about my private life than I’d like to admit! Today, the song is a personal reminder of the dangers of self-medicating; it’s really a cautionary tale for myself.

------
Pop Passion: In your song “White Widow,” listeners can hear you mention three colors: black, red, and white. What are these colors supposed to represent?

Layla: I love this question! The “black widow” represents a very intrusive, dreadful memory, and the “red widow” is the enduring, trauma-related guilt associated with said memory; their recurring emergence impels the speaker to, almost instinctively, use the last of her White Widow stash to numb herself from the ever-present black and red widows (trauma and regret) that she can’t bear to live with.

------
Pop Passion: How does being Iranian and American affect the way you create your music? Were you raised around both American and Iranian music or what types of genres did your family introduce you to?

Layla: Absolutely! Growing up with both Persian and American music has empowered me to take more chances and tap into multiple genres within a single song. A lot of the songs that I’m writing at the moment have a Middle Eastern flare to them, and I look forward to exploring more of that Persian influence in the studio. Now that I have my first album recorded, which feels very authentic to me and my pure love of rock, I feel more open to experimenting with different sounds from my upbringing and fusing that with rock.

------
Pop Passion: In the music industry, if you could work with anyone, who would it be and why?

Layla: Oh, this is a tough one! I can’t pick just one! It would either be Iggy Pop or Dave Grohl. I absolutely admire Iggy Pop—he’s the godfather of punk, and I think he’s been a lot more influential over so many different rock and pop artists through the decades than he’s given credit for. I think he’s an incredibly talented songwriter, yet so underrated, and I’d give anything to write with him. I’d also love to work with Dave Grohl because he’s such a strong advocate for young artists and keeping rock a relevant genre. Nirvana has also been one of my favorite bands since I was 12 years old, so working with him has been on my mind forever!

------
Pop Passion: As someone who studied psychology and has a passion for bringing awareness to mental health issues, how are you working to achieve those goals? Are there any big projects in the future you hope to be working on?

Layla: Most of my songs are about my own experiences with mental health, but there are times when I try to write from a hypothetical perspective outside of myself. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know everything, and I will only ever really know mental health as far as my own experience goes, but I’ll always try to educate myself on other mental health issues. Studying psychology has helped me better articulate my interest in mental health and learn about others’ experiences with it. The most I can do is try to understand and perhaps write a song about the things I can comprehend, in hopes that it will resonate with someone. It’s exciting to see mental health finally being included in more public conversations, but I believe there still needs to be more attention given to those who have been historically underrepresented.

------
Pop Passion: You are currently recording your debut album with Grammy Award-winning producer Josh “igloo” Monroy, how exciting! Do you want to tell listeners what they can expect to hear from this new album?

Layla: People can expect to rock the f*** out! - Pop Passion Blog