Unplugged Lounge Conversations with Layla Kaylif

Layla Kaylif is a rare force in music and film—a true multi-hyphenate artist whose work blurs boundaries and speaks straight to the soul. With her distinctive blend of poetic introspection, spiritual curiosity, and fearless genre-hopping, Kaylif crafts songs that are at once intimate and expansive. In this candid interview with Sonic Sisters Magazine, she opens up about the literary roots of her songwriting, her complicated journey into music, the influence of iconic women artists, and the inspiration behind her latest single, God’s Keeper. Honest, witty, and deeply reflective, Kaylif reminds us that great music often begins with great questions.

Continue reading to learn more about Layla Kaylif. . .

Thanks for chatting with us at Sonic Sisters Magazine! Can you share a bit about how your journey into music began? 

I was a voracious reader growing up and loved words. I started writing poetry first. I won a poetry competition when I was 17, with a poem called Polo Fields. I was always very confident with my writing, but not so much with music. I had a difficult relationship with my music teacher at school, which negatively impacted my confidence. I had a very eclectic taste in music growing up. I wrote my first song at 20 called Love in Absolutes. My lyrics were always deep, but the melodies were basic. But I was very driven, so when I was at uni, I  started to look for ways to record songs—contacting producers, managers, anyone I could collaborate with. So I learnt the craft in the studio. I’ve worked with so many producers, writers, engineers, and musicians over the years, all over the world. It’s a lifelong vocation. I  spend a lot of time just crafting songs at home, but it’s always the lyrics that are the genesis of a song for me. Then I find a collaborator. I’m always open to new horizons. 

Who have been some of the most significant influences on your musical style? 

Oh God, there are so many, across all genres of music—from Michael Jackson to Leonard  Cohen and everything in between. You should ask me what has not influenced my style lol.  I’d say heavy metal and rave music.

And which female musicians or women in the music industry have inspired your journey? 

Madonna, Kate Bush, Dolly Parton, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez—and right now I’m obsessed with Sabrina Carpenter’s Manchild song... ha ha. I have a really childish side to me, the side that makes TikTok dances and sticks my tongue out at my exes. I am not a one-dimensional person. I like a lot of things! 

How do your personal experiences shape your songwriting, and what do you hope listeners take away from those connections? 

My songs are confessionals, observations, hymns, rants, drags (is that a word?)... but all veiled, all concealed in ambiguity, because I don’t like to expose or be exposed. Songs are like life—a mystery, and often a moment, like a mood or thought. They don’t define the totality of who you are. Some songs I’ve written no longer resonate with me, but they do with the listeners. Songs are gifts to yourself, but to others as well. 

Congratulations on your brand-new single God's Keeper—what inspired this particular song? 

The song was inspired by a type of person who is fanatical—in an ideological or religious sense—but tortured inside, seeking meaning, salvation. It’s all of us, really, or the side of us we don’t want to admit to. The song is saying: “I see you... I see you because I see me.” 

What song (not your own) has had the biggest influence on you and why? 

You know what came to mind (because it's impossible to answer that question in a way that’s true for all time, you know?)—but in this moment, I’d say one of the biggest influences is Jeff Buckley’s Last Goodbye, from his Grace album. Just pure genius. That song really kills me, because it’s so true of heartbreak. I would say (and you see I’m being very chatty here!) that I’ve really lived love, you know? I’ve loved deeply, totally, and been totally broken by love. I think a lot of people have their hearts broken once and then never let themselves fall in love again. Not me! I realised it’s a spiritual quest—a Jungian quest—reaching for your inner man, as we all have one, as do men. They have their inner woman. That’s a deep topic. 

Is there a song in your catalog that holds a special personal meaning for you? We'd love to hear the story or inspiration behind it. 

There’s a song I wrote for my Lovers Don’t Meet album called 99. I was really struggling with it for years. I liked the idea of integrating the mystical notion of God’s 99 names (in the Islamic tradition) into a love song—a country-esque love song, no less. It’s like baking a cake with different ingredients that you’d never think to combine, like a saffron scone or something. Anyway, so yeah, it took me a long time to get that song right. I was also influenced by Leonard Cohen. There’s a line in the song: “the wound’s the place the light gets through.” I pinched it from his song Anthem. Well, it’s a bit different—he says, “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” The song is a love song, a sort of calling to the divine masculine, if you like—the best of a man, to encourage him to rise to his capacity to truly love a woman. See what a romantic I  am? Ha ha. My son, who is my best critic and basically thinks everything I do is lame (as kids do when it comes to their parents), absolutely loves that song. He makes TikTok videos with it—Roblox... and 99. Hilarious. 

What are some of the aspirations you have for your music moving forward? 

You know, I wouldn’t mind hearing my songs on the radio, I’m not gonna lie lol. 

What advice would you give to emerging female artists who are just starting out in the music world? 

Oh wow, that’s a tall order. Do they really need my advice? I probably need theirs, lol. Okay, I’d say: trust yourself. 

Before we wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers? 

“Tie your camel first.” (Now I feel like I have to explain it, but I’m not going to. Google is  your friend, ha ha.)