PaperTrail: Shay Lia
Author: Jamal Jordan, Detroit Hub | jamal@thepapertag.com
Sometimes, if you want to find a new artist to enjoy, you just have to look in your neighboring country! This week, PaperTag took a mini-road trip to discover an amazing vocalist in Canada. The artist highlighted this week is none other than Shay Lia!
Interestingly, Shay Lia was born in France and raised in Djibouti. At the age of 18, she moved to Montreal and began immersing herself in the music community within Canada while studying music at UQAM. Her style revolves around funky instrumentals and her own smooth and soulful voice. Her first single, entitled 3 Months and produced by KAYTRANADA, was released in 2014. This song boldly introduces Shay Lia to the world as an amazing lyricist and vocalist. However, she found widespread acclaim with frequent collaborator KAYTRANADA on his song LEAVE ME ALONE in 2016. Shay Lia's confidence in her songwriting abilities can be attributed to this song and the sessions preceding it.
Following the critical reception to LEAVE ME ALONE, Shay Lia decided to work on music at her own pace. Within a few short years, she released over 5 amazing singles, some of which were produced by KAYTRANADA. At this point in her career, she became a well-recognized and supported artists with thousands of fans around the globe. She then collaborated with KAYTRANADA again on the funky and electrifying track CHANCES.
In 2019, Shay Lia released her debut EP Dangerous to critical acclaim. Her EP contains features from notable artists like KAYTRANADA, Kojey Radical, Buddy, BadBadNotGood, and Shaun Ross. Due to its near-perfect production and quality, Dangerous was longlisted for the 2019 Polaris Music Prize. Standout tracks from her debut included Voodoofeaturing Buddy, Want You featuring Kojey Radical, and Good Together. Based on the accolades given to Dangerous, Shay Lia has a very long and successful career. Her unique sound and style is what distinguishes her among her fellow music artists within the same genre. Sweet, soulful, sassy, BOLD! Listen for yourself if you don't believe us!
Stream Shay Lia's music, and join us next week for another installment of PaperTrail.
