Somaya takes LAYALI to the stage
Somaya’s album launch concert is a celebration of vulnerability and womanhood
Montreal-based independent R&B artist Maya Leila Ayoub, who goes by the stage name Somaya, performed songs from her debut album LAYALI for the first time at La Sala Rossa on Sept. 16.
Even if you don’t understand the words, even if there are no words, you can still feel whatever the artist is wanting to share with you. — Somaya, R&B artist
In the first half of the performance, Somaya took a moment to tell the story of how she got her stage name. It came from a woman she knew as a child in Egypt, who she felt strongly attached to despite language barriers. She correlates that sense of attachment and belonging to her relationship with music.
“Even if you don’t understand the words, even if there are no words, you can still feel whatever the artist is wanting to share with you,” Somaya said during a break between songs.
The event drew a full house, with friends, creatives and fans of local music filling the space. Somaya used online marketing to reach wider audiences, with one attendee saying they came solely because they heard the artist’s music in an Instagram post.
Julien Thomas, a friend of Somaya’s old roommate, came to hear her live for the first time.
“I never actually got to hear Maya’s music before, so tonight’s going to be the first time,” Thomas said.
Fellow Montreal R&B artist Rose Adam opened the all-female lineup show with an acoustic trio, and the room filled with her beautiful arrangements of harmonies. The highlight of Adam's set was definitely the acoustic version of her latest single, "Pick Right," as the crowd clapped and sang along even though the song is a newer release.
The concert featured a self-serve tea station with an open notebook beside it that the artists invited the audience to write in. Anonymously or not, attendees were encouraged to share anything in their hearts, anything they can’t say out loud, or to describe heavy emotions weighing on them.
Sofia Duhaime, an old friend of Somaya’s, has followed the artist’s progression since her high school days.
"I feel like we’re going to get a very intimate rendition tonight. The album is very her,” Duhaime said.
Somaya made a dramatic entrance on stage in time to open her set with “T’OOLONG,” a highlight from the new album.
The band comprised three vocalists, two percussionists, one guitarist, one keyboardist and a bassist. The atmosphere was electric. The band played together as one body. With a blend of smooth harmonies from her backup vocalists, Somaya carried a raw, honest and contagiously triumphant presence throughout the show.
Somaya spoke about her mother and grandmother, highlighting the strong cultural and ancestral influences in her music.
“She was quite outrageous. She was the most beautiful woman. She was so fierce, so elegant, and always with her red lipstick. She was f-ing loud, and she really taught me that being loud is a strength,” Somaya said of her grandmother on stage.
This led to a still, stunning rendition of “EL HENNA,” a folk song from her childhood that her mother sings with her on the album.
Despite a third of the room being seated, the audience stayed connected to the performance from beginning to end, engaging with every drum and guitar solo. No matter how honest, vulnerable or heavy a song's mood got, the room kept its high energy in tandem with the performers.
Costumed in tulle, lace, pearls and all sorts of ethereal fabrics, the evening was a devastatingly beautiful celebration of femininity and the broad range of emotions it envelops.
