EP: Lais – 114 EP

With a Co-Sign From Drake and OVO Sound Radio, Toronto via Pakistan Singer Shares His 114 EP, Debuted by Complex

02.19.2016

Critical Praise for Lais:

“Lais’ plain, memorable lyrics and mesmerizing, electric piano-driven production capture the listener in a deep spell” – HotNewHipHop

“Lais has a knack for melody and a great ear for beats” – Pigeons and Planes

The Single:

Pakistan-born, Toronto-based artist Lais got a big co-sign last summer when Drake played his single“For You” during OVO Sound Radio, Episode 2, just before getting into debuts of “Charged Up” and “Hotline Bling.” Carrying that momentum into 2016, Complex debuts the “rising, dark industrial R&B” artist’s 114 EP, which finds the silky-voiced singer taking the city’s distinctive deep R&B sound and topping it off with his own grim, luxurious vibes. With production by CVRE and Vinnyx, who producedKodak Black‘s “No Flockin’,” the 114 EP follows singles “Cocaine Rain,” “Moon & Stars 2” featuring Skizzy Mars, and The FADER-premiered “Just Us,” which have accumulated more than 900K plays on SoundCloud.

“114 is the home I moved to when I first moved to Canada from Virginia and this EP chronicles the lifestyle I lived out here and the things I experienced while I was at this address, from the relationships and parties to the drugs,” Lais explains to Complex. “I want this EP to be the end of this chapter, the end of this address and bringing through a new phase of my life.” Lais’ 114 EP is the artist’s most mature project yet, channeling his life experiences into intensely personal music. The EP chronicles the collapse of a relationship, and contains elements of Hip-Hop and R&B, but Lais prefers not to be restricted by genre labels.

“Toronto’s the hub right now,” Lais adds in conversation with Complex. “So many people running so many different lanes out of this city. The scene is small and tight knit with a lot of artists but only a few making noise. I feel like just because it is so tight knit, it breeds competition between artists but in a way it’s good because the music keeps getting better and better. At the end of the day it’s all love and we’re all pushing our city, that’s why I feel like a lot of people have their eyes on Toronto. When people say Toronto sound, you picture something dark, gritty and fueled with emotion and that’s not too far from where it is right now but I feel like the cities breaking out of the stereotype and showing it’s capable of taking the core sound and bending it in to so many other genres.”

Listen to Lais – 114 EP: https://soundcloud.com/lais/sets/114-ep

Check out the Complex premiere: http://www.complex.com/music/2016/02/stream-lais-114-ep-premiere

Stream the EP on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6I8nNXDjxUAux5POCyhHVT

Purchase Lais – 114 EP: smarturl.it/114EP

For more information on Lais, please contact Michelle or Rory

Lais Background:

Bursting out of the vibrant Toronto scene of rappers, singers and multi-hyphenates, Lais is the latest Canadian Hip-Hop/R&B hybrid to take the Internet by storm. Like superstar countrymen Drake, The Weeknd and PartyNextDoor, Lais specializes in soundtracking drug-fueled late nights with rhythmic singing over skittering beats and hazy, dreamlike instrumentation. Since posting his music to Reddit in July 2014, Lais racked up millions of Soundcloud plays and earned positive press from Pigeons & Planes, Noisey and HotNewHipHop. On February 19th, Lais releases his new 114 EP, featuring an appearance from Skizzy Mars and production from CVRE and Vinnyx, which he hopes will propel him to the next rung on the ladder to stardom.