Her family knew of her musical talents early on. It’s why they began calling her Baby Genius, a nickname she still uses as she shows in her “Like That” music video. It was even obvious to those outside her circle. In her first interview, which took place in August 2024, radio personality Angela Yee recalls meeting 9-year-old Laila!, listening to her freestyle, and being impressed by her skills. Seeing the artist in her then, Yee told her that, in the future, they would sit down for her first interview. And that’s exactly what happened ahead of the September 6 release of her debut album, Gap Year. Titled after her own experience of taking a year off school, Laila! welcomes us into her world of nostalgic R&B through 17 tracks. The Black Dominicana wrote and produced the album alone, resulting in throwback ‘90s and early 2000s R&B sound and soulful melodies through a 2024 lens.
