Laila Al Habash: "Words give me freedom and allow me to be powerful"

Parco Solari is bursting with life. Elderly folks are soaking up some vitamin D on the benches, the ongoing construction of the new metro line rumbles in the background, children are finally free from school, and dog owners are out with their pups. The blazing sun, the heat, and the flowers attracting insects all scream beautiful season, and perhaps it's the first day of the year in Milan that truly feels like summer. We are thrilled to share this moment with Laila Al Habash, who has just released a new EP and is eager to tell us about it.

"It's a five-track EP that I ironically named Long Story Short because I realized there were so many things I wanted to tell, it was hard to summarize. So, I called it Long Story Short," she laughs. But what are these stories about? What inspires Laila in her songwriting? In her answer (and in everything she tells us), there's a meticulous care for words that speaks volumes about her creative process, a care that only someone who works with words can have: "I always start from something emotional, an emotion. It doesn't necessarily have to be something that happened to me. I often enjoy writing about other people's stories, things that happened to my friends, stories that I rework. One thing that always has to be there is a feeling that I know very well, that speaks to me, that resonates with me: this way I can dissect it and write about it."

If inspiration comes from emotions, the mode of expression is music, obviously, right? "My favorite way to express myself is music, it's words. I love being on stage and expressing myself through performance, which is something I can only do to a certain extent on a studio record. On stage, there's a different connection, I love nurturing that aspect," but not only that: "Speaking of lighter things, I really love the world of perfumes. I enjoy communicating how I feel, how I need to feel, what I want to convey about myself that day, all through a scent or perfume."

Speaking of performance: "This summer I'm on tour and I'm very happy because it's a part of my job that I love. I always learn new things, I can improve, and above all, it's always different because no two concerts are ever the same, both in terms of performance and audience. There are never the same people, it's never the same day. For me, it's very important to communicate with my followers, with the people who want to follow my music." Not just on stage, but also through a Telegram group where she writes personally: "It's interesting because I get to know a bit of the character of the people that follow me, I get to share a little something with them. It's a very delicate but empathetic relationship."

Among her passions, besides music, is astrology and generally a more spiritual realm, which often enters her songs and lyrics: "As long as I can remember, I've been passionate about astrology, I love the world of tarot, I love everything a bit mystical. Esotericism attracts me, the occult attracts me because it can't be explained. It's a passion I cultivate separately from music, but since it's a big part of my life, sometimes certain terms or expressions find their way into my lyrics, also a bit for the pleasure of the sound of the words. I love words, they give me freedom, they allow me to be more powerful. I'm a sound maniac. Astrological words enter my lyrics because I find them beautiful."

Now Laila Al Habash is ready to face the future, but it hasn't always been this way: "Being a girl, I've had people who wanted to be overbearing towards me. These weren't advice or opinions, they were outright 'you don't understand anything, this isn't how it's done.' When you're young, you're malleable. As a woman, you attract people who are inclined to do that. It made me feel very bad. I've had to toughen my character over time. I took these occasions and these things that happened to me as a training ground." And here the conversation branches out. We ask her how she protects herself, how she faces challenges, and the answer also turns into a heartfelt piece of advice for anyone wanting to take this path and beyond: "You have to take care of your mental health. It's something to consider no matter what you do. If you make music or art, it's more likely that you're a sensitive person, that you have a great input and output on the world. Therapy only does good, I've been doing it for many years and I recommend it."

And in the future? Lots of writing, but also a strong desire to bring Long Story Short to the stage: "There are many new songs that I can't wait to share, but I'm also happy to sing the EP, to live it a bit on stage, because otherwise an album doesn't breathe if it's not played a bit." So, see you at a concert.