Alysha Brilla is a Canadian musician. Born in Mississauga, Ontario and raised in Brampton, Ontario, she started singing in her early teens in local bands and at festivals. She briefly attended Humber College's jazz program in Toronto while performing locally. In 2010, she was signed to Lava Records/Universal Republic. Brilla was a featured performer at the 2010 Kitchener Blues Festival and Gala. Brilla runs her music label, Sunny Jam Records, and has released several self-produced albums on that label. Three of them received JUNO nominations.
Early life
Brilla was born in Mississauga, Ontario to a European-Canadian mother and an Indo-Tanzanian father of Khoja descent. Growing up in a mixed-race, mixed-religious household fostered interesting discussions around things like race, religion, value systems and ideals. Brilla's father played guitar while growing up in Tanzania and her mother was an avid storyteller. Brilla experienced bullying in middle school and she cites music and nature as her coping mechanism. On her 14th birthday, Brilla was given her father's acoustic guitar and she began teaching herself to play. After graduating high school, a brief period at Humber College deepened her appreciation for jazz. During this time, she was recording and producing her own songs and released an eleven-song EP called Got Soul. Her friend Brad Marshall introduced her to Jacksoul keyboardist and producer Ron Lopata and the two began to demo some of Brilla's songs with a band.
Career
Brilla writes all of her own music and lyrics. She cites her influences as Amy Winehouse, Bob Marley, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, Joni Mitchell, and Indian and African Music. She took a production co-op in high school and was accepted to Seneca College's Production degree, but opted to study Jazz at Humber College. All of her releases have been self-produced. In 2010, she signed a contract with U.S. label Lava/Universal Republic Records. She moved to Los Angeles and began recording and collaborating with American producers Brian West, Rick Nowels, and Sam Farrar. She left the label in 2012 and started her own Sunny Jam Records and has released all of her albums on that imprint. Brilla has practiced yoga for several years. In November, 2014 Brilla travelled to Rishikesh, India where she obtained her yoga teaching certification.
2010 Record Deal with Lava Records/Universal Republic
2010 Host of "The Buzz", a weekly Indie artist showcase at Toronto's Historical C'est What Venue.
2008 Oktoberfest Woman of The Year nomination.
2008 Canwest Media Rhythm of the Future Winner
2008 Grande River Society's " Blues Youth Legacy " winner
2008 Toronto Blues Society's Annual Contest top 3, 2008.
2007 Youth Legacy Award Winner
2005 Canwest Media's "Rhythm of the Future" winner.
FACTOR grant recipient.
Publishing Deal with Cherry Lane Music. Brilla briefly attended Humber College's Jazz program in Toronto while playing local gigs and building a fanbase.
