It is incredible how some people have such an innate and exceptional talent that it could so easily have been hidden from the world. Leila Macavoy fits into this category. Thankfully she overcame her shyness to share with us her amazing voice.

Apart from being born into a musical family, Leila’s inspiration comes from her love of jazz and the blues having being influenced at an early age by Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. Her voice lends itself perfectly to this melodic, smooth and pure style. It is beautiful to hear this enchanting voice come out so unexpectedly with no hesitation, as I said, enchanting, and she did just that during our chat!

A fascinating subject entered the conversation, shyness, basically stage fright. This holds so many performers back and something that affects most people to some extent. Why people are shy can arise from many directions, some more obvious than others. It could stem from a traumatic incident early on in life, being influenced negatively by what others say and many other root causes.

In Leila’s case it was probably having to go on stage at an early age to help her father which made her feel awkward. The happy point is that these feelings, which are totally natural in the fight or flee core instinct built into all humans, and so understanding that it is a normal reaction can help as can being actively encouraged. Thankfully Leila was encouraged to control these feelings by family and friends and then by involving herself in the theatre which really propelled her forward. That isn’t to say that these feelings evaporate completely, rather that they can be managed and overcome.

A few years ago I had a gallery in Village Ségurane, a largely undiscovered group of 30+ antique shops and other niche businesses hidden behind the corner of rue Catherine Segurane and rue Antoine Gautier near the port in Nice. I hosted a few music jams with some of Nice’s finest and nicest musicians. At one of these sessions Leila asked to sing … and sing she did! Totally surprising and excellent! Blown away!

Leila is looking forward to gigging more now which is brilliant news. She had a great set at la Trinquette in the harbour of Villefranche and will have another in Menton soon after which it is off to Nantes and Angers. If you can catch one of her gigs, you will not be disappointed!

To enjoy some of Leila’s music check out these videos –