ABOUT | Alysha Brilla

"Alysha Brilla electrifies the stage with her kaleidescopic blend of soul, folk and world beats."

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Alysha Brilla is a 2025 Women in Music International Leadership Honouree, 2024 Canadian Screen Award nominee and three-time JUNO Award-nominated songwriter, composer, producer and artist.

Guided by her Indo-Tanzanian roots and Great Lakes spirit, Brilla creates music that bridges cultures through rhythm, storytelling and joy. Her artistry thrives on stage; an electrifying space where voice, guitar and heartbeat percussion come together to invite audiences into a collective experience of movement and healing.

Performing with her powerhouse ensemble one-man-band Sammy Duke and Jamaican reggae percussion royalty Gerima Harvey, Brilla’s concerts are vibrant celebrations of sound and soul. The group’s chemistry transforms each show into an immersive journey that blends folk, world, soul and pop, weaving global percussion, percussive finger picking and soaring harmonies into a tapestry that uplifts and connects. Whether commanding large outdoor festival stages or intimate theatres, Brilla’s performances radiate warmth, technical brilliance and the magnetic charisma of an artist fully at home in her craft.

As a composer and producer, Brilla’s musicality extends far beyond the stage. She composed the original score for Fawzia Mirza’s acclaimed feature film The Queen of My Dreams, earning recognition for her emotionally resonant, culturally rich compositions. Her work seamlessly intertwines global instruments with modern production, reflecting a lifelong passion for both analog warmth and digital innovation.

Brilla’s creative reach includes collaborations with an impressive roster of artists such as The Black Eyed Peas, Bedouin Soundclash, Digging Roots, No Doubt, Paula Sofia and three-time Grammy-winning mastering engineer Emily Lazar. In 2013, she made history as one of the first self-produced female artists to receive a JUNO Award nomination; an achievement that helped redefine what independent women in music could achieve. She later won Producer of the Year at the 2018 Independent Music Awards for her album Rooted, with her songs featured in film, television and radio stations worldwide.

Brilla’s global performances have included acclaimed festivals such as WOMAD, Folk Alliance International, NXNE and Iceland Airwaves, captivating audiences across South America, Australia, Asia, Europe and North America. Her live show is a sonic pilgrimage; a space where ancestral rhythm meets modern soul and where every audience is invited into a conversation of spirit, resistance and joy.

A 2022 Keychange Artist selected by the European Commission, Brilla is recognized internationally for her leadership in advancing gender equity and innovation in the music industry. She has served as a resident artist and guest lecturer at institutions including Berklee College of Music, the School of Audio Engineering Australia and the University of Waterloo, inspiring the next generation of creators to merge craft, culture and consciousness.

At every turn, Alysha Brilla’s work; whether on stage, in the studio, or on screen, embodies the transformative power of sound. Her performances are not just concerts; they are experiences of connection, liberation and celebration, uniting audiences through the universal language of rhythm and heart.

Awards & Nominations:

- 2025 Women In Music International Leader of The Year Honour
- 2024 Women In The Studio Cohort, Music Publishers Canada

- 2024 Canadian Screen Award Nomination (Original Music Composition for Queen Of My Dreams)

- 2024 Women In Music Canada Entrepreneur of The Year Honours

- 2022 European Commission Keychange Artist representing Canada

- 2021 “Best Local Artist/Band” Best of Waterloo Region Awards

- 2020 Waterloo Region Arts Award General Arts

- 2018 Producer of The Year, Pop category, Independent Music Awards
- 2018 Juno Music Award Nominee Adult Contemporary Album of The Year, “Rooted”
- 2016 “Best local artist/band” Best of Waterloo Region

- 2015 Anokhi South Asian Media Award Music Artist Of The Year

- 2015 “Women of The Year; 30 Canadians who rocked 2015”, Chatelaine Magazine

- 2015 Juno Music Award Nominee Adult Contemporary Album of The Year, “Womyn”

- 2015 International Songwriting Contest Lyrical Finalist “Immigrant”

- 2014 CBC Music Awards Rising Star Shortlisted

- 2014 Winner Oktoberfest Woman Of The Year Award Arts and Culture

- 2014 Juno Music Award Nominee Adult Contemporary Album, “In My Head”

Panels & Speaking:

-2025 National AccessAbility Week, "Creativity, Community and Connection", Waterloo

-2025 International Women's Day, WRSBC, Waterloo

-2024 CTV National News Canada, Women In The Studio Program 2024
-2024 SXSW Music In Film Roundtable, Austin Texas

-2024 Music Publishers Canada "The Music of The Queen Of My Dreams", Los Angeles

-2023 St. John's International Women's Film Festival “Lunch with Queen Of My Dreams”, Newfoundland

-2022 Folk Alliance International “Healing Through The Power of Sound”

-2022 Iceland Airwaves Gender Equity in The Music Industry, Reykjavik Iceland

-2022 Femme Folk Festival Keynote Music Technology X Spirituality, Kitchener

-2022 Breakout West Healing Through Sound, Calgary
-2022 M for Montreal Panel, Independent Artist Distribution Tips

-2021 Guelph Black Heritage Anti-Racism Summit “Queer BIPOC Representation in the Arts”

-2021 Wilfrid Laurier University “Women, Art and Activism”

-2021 Northern Power Summit “Music Gone Global”

-2021 Folk Music Ontario “BIPOC Artists and Music Festival Bookings”

-2021 Multicultural Artist Panel, Good Co Productions Kitchener

-2021 London City Music Awards “Music Producer’s Secret Sauce”

-2020 Manitoba Music w/Zaki Ibrahim “Cultivating Community + Healing Through Artistry”

-2020 Folk Alliance International Panel “Women In Music: A Continued Call for Change”

-2020 Folk Alliance International Panel “The (Music Industry) Future Is Green”

-2019 Wilfrid Laurier University “Encounters In Music & Community; A Racial Justice Perspective”

-2019 Cape Breton Regional Municipality Arts, Culture & Events “Women In Music”

-2019 Canadian Music Week “Women In The Studio” Panelist Toronto

-2018 Women In Music Canada “Play Your Gender” Documentary Screening & Discussion

-2018 Canadian Music Week “The Producers; Spring Time for Hit Lists” Panelist Toronto
-2018 YWCA She Talks Speaker Cambridge
-2018 If I Ruled T.O. Youth Conference Speaker Toronto May

-2017 Folk Alliance International Panel “Global Roots Music & Folk”
-2016 Diversity in Folk Music Panel, Kansas City

-2015 Mundial Montreal World Music “Contemporizing Tradition”

Select Reviews & Publications:

New Feeling “Demystifying Sound Healing: Alysha Brilla on Her Album Circle”

CBC Arts “Why Alysha Brilla Aims to Heal with Music”

The Community Edition “Alysha Brilla’s Musical Path to Healing”

SOCAN Magazine “Music as Medicine”

Select Public Performances of Original Music:

Zanzibar, Tanzania - Mercury’s Jazz Bar

London, England - Amazing Grace

Reykjavík, Iceland - Iceland Airwaves Festival

Cannes, France - MIDEM Music Festival

Rishikesh, India - Rishikesh Yog Peeth