Laila: All that jazz...

Laila Plamondon

Laila's bold, confident and chatty style belied her 20 years. Beginning with the energetic Frank Sinatra song Fly me to the moon, the young singer went on to perform other jazz classics such as New York New York, I left my heart in San Francisco and All of me. Laila also rendered It had to be you and Home by Canadian artiste Michael Bublé, the evergreen Fever by Peggy Lee, I will always love you and Saving all my love for you of Whitney Houston.

A high point of the evening was a song where a guest joined in. The number, the famous Unforgettable, showcased a near perfect rendition of an all time favourite by the duo. In addition, Laila did an a cappella rendition of Prayer, originally featuring Celine Dion and Luciano Pavarotti.

Laila, a psychology major and music minor at Smith College, Massachusetts, has truly had a memorable homecoming.

Laila had a conversation with this correspondent at The Daily Star office recently. Talking about her music career, Laila said, "I began with pop songs because that is what most audiences want to hear. Now that I have earned a name, achieved what I was capable of, I prefer to stick to jazz." Among her favourite 'jazz standards' are Billy Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and Sara Vaughn. In the world of pop there's Celine Dion and no she is not abashed by syrupy music. "We need mush. In fact my audition song is I will always love you."

Laila has made appearances in New York's Carnegie Hall and the West Point Academy. Back home she has performed in Sylhet and Chittagong in addition to Dhaka. Overseas she has also captivated audiences in Bangkok and Kolkata.

As if university and singing at various functions were not enough, Laila is in the thick of other activities. She is a member of the South Asian Students' Association which has done a number of fundraisers for victims of the Tsunami and Pakistan earthquake. She is also involved with the Jazz Ensemble where she practices once a week and performs every now and then.

At Smith College, she has won acclaim. In March she was adjudged the first Smith Superstar.

And no, Laila is not basking in the glory of her latest performance. With one eye on the future, she plans to fuse her distinctive style of jazz with Bengali classical music.