"My name is Alysha Brilla; I was born Alysha Mohamed. I am an Indo-Tanzanian-Canadian Juno-nominated singer, songwriter, producer, yoga instructor, part-time clothing designer and social justice advocate. I identify as mixed-race and queer."
And so starts the introduction for Brilla, an Ontario native who has gained international attention for her jazzy-blues-pop music interpretations.
Brilla, who will stop at Coquitlam's Evergreen Cultural Centre (1205 Pinetree Way) on March 2 with a concert called Music For All Seasons, was last year named the winner of the Midem Artist Accelerator contest in Cannes, France.
The previous year, Brilla clinched a Juno nomination in the adult contemporary album of the year category, for Womyn, as well as first prize in the International Songwriting Contest, in the lyric category, for Immigrant.
In addition, major T.V. shows such as King and Degrassi: The Next Generation have used her original tunes and she has collaborated with the likes of Tony Kanal of the pop group No Doubt, rapper and record producer Kardinal Offishal, singer-songwriter Justin Nozuka and singer-songwriter Danny Fernandes, brother of Shawn Desman.
Brilla's new album — a 10-track CD inspired by Indian and Tanzania sounds — is called Human.
• For tickets to her Coquitlam show on March 2, at $40/$36/$22, call the Evergreen box office at 604-927-6555 or visit evergreenculturalcentre.ca.
