KSA-born and bred influencer Layla Akil has just dropped her first single Kel El Deni on Razz Production’s YouTube Channel. The song explores love at first sight – and how your whole life can change when you meet a person who sets your heart on fire.
This is Layla’s first music debut. After rising to fame on YouTube, the beauty influencer eventually became the host for the ITP Original Series Perfection 101 – which tears down beauty standards set by the media and beauty industries. Layla’s bright and charismatic personality helped make it the number one Arabic show on Snapchat – which led her to win the Best Snapchatter of the Year 2020 at the Cosmopolitan Beauty and Influencer Awards, beating out other nominees Yara AlNamlah, Mashael Jamal, Lama Al Akeel, and Nora Bo Awadh.
Layla’s passion for music started out as a hobby – with the influencer never having the intention to take it beyond that. She attributes the debut of her first single to her social media followers – who became obsessed with Layla’s voice after she jokingly sang on her live stream videos on Instagram:
“My followers and I love to joke around on my live streams. A few times – I started singing – and they asked me why I didn’t have an album out yet. I felt so flattered and supported by them – that I decided to take the challenge and step out of my comfort zone”.
Layla shares – however – that she almost didn’t release the single:
“The lyrics had been finished for 7 to 8 months, but I never had the courage to record it. Sometimes – I would hum or sing the lyrics – and friends would ask where the song was from and that they liked it. This gave me the courage to finally sit down and record it”.
We are glad that Layla rose above her fear: her smooth, angelic voice is too good not to be heard. We are looking forward to more song releases from her in the future: could a full album be next on the table? Follow Layla Akil on Instagram (@laylaakil) to be the first to find out!