LAYALI is Somaya's debut album, written as a way of making sense of pain, heartbreak, loneliness and growth. It celebrates femininity in all its forms and highlights the beauty found in heaviness.
LAYALI is the artist's way of bridging both sides of herself: her Western upbringing and North African roots, while staying true to both. Through oud, percussion, string arrangements inspired by Umm Kulthum, and family voices woven into certain songs, the project also became a tribute to family and the women who shaped Somaya.
Some songs are long, some are soft, some are chaotic… Emotion decides the form. The result is a project that feels intimate, feminine, atmospheric, and cinematic, blending alternative R&B, neo-soul and Arabic influences into something fluid and deeply personal.
LAYALI lives in a world that is ethereal, witchy, raw, and full of symbolism: smoke, stars, chaotic bedrooms, beaches, strange-colored animals, the sun and moon rising at once. It’s a project built around truth: a space where vulnerability becomes power, and where softness is never weakness.