Quilla (musician)

Quilla
Background information
Birth name	Anna Luisa Daigneault
Also known as	Quilla
Born	(1982-12-01) December 1, 1982 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Genres	Electronic pop, House, Progressive house, Deep House, Techno, Pop, Experimental Music, Folktronica
Occupation(s)	songwriter, producer, vocalist, keyboardist, linguistic anthropologist
Instruments	piano, thumb piano (mbira), harmonium, synthesizers, vocal looper
Years active	2006 – present
Labels	Armada Music, Revealed Recordings, Visionquest, Ritual Fire Records, Neon Records, Ministry of Sound Australia, Universal Music, Vicious, Black Hole, Ministry of Sound South Africa, Haunted Clockwork Records

Anna Luisa Daigneault (born December 1, 1982), known by her stage name Quilla, is a Canadian songwriter, vocalist, keyboardist, producer, DJ, and linguistic anthropologist. She was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec. Her father is from Quebec and her mother is Peruvian, of Spanish and indigenous Quechua and Aymara descent. Her stage name "Quilla" is inspired by the Quechua word for "moon".

Daigneault is known for her contributions as a dance music vocalist in the genres of progressive house, deep house, techno, trance, breaks, and others. Her vocals have been featured on tracks by producers such as Tiësto, Sultan + Ned Shepard, Feenixpawl, Heatbeat on labels such as Universal Music, Revealed Recordings, Armada Music, Visionquest, and others. Her work as a live electronic performer is unique because she sings live while mixing tracks, and uses keyboards, vocal effects and a looping pedal. In 2016, she shifted away from being a featured vocalist and became an electronic producer, releasing her own self-produced electronic pop album You Got It in April 2017.

Daigneault has composed and produced electronic music for film soundtracks, stop motion animations, and documentaries. Outside of her work in music and film, she has also published over thirty online talking dictionaries through her work with Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages as well as articles in the field of endangered language conservation. She currently resides in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Research and influences

As a student at McGill University, Daigneault studied anthropology and linguistics, and became interested in vocal traditions from around the world, archaeology and the study of hieroglyphics. She worked as a student archaeologist at Minanha, a Pre-Columbian Mayan site in Belize, and also worked on an excavation with a team from the University of Sydney at Angkor Wat's ancient water systems in Cambodia.

Between 2007 and 2010, as a graduate student at Université de Montréal, Daigneault focused her attention on the endangered languages and vocal traditions of South America. She embarked on various field trips to Peru, Chile and Paraguay, and traveled to the Peruvian Amazon on three occasions to live among the Yanesha people. She was a field assistant for National Geographic’s Enduring Voices Project expeditions and worked with indigenous collaborators on several language revitalization projects. She has worked part-time for Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages since 2011. Her research background has strongly influenced the cultural content and otherworldly themes explored in her music.

Bands & Live Acts

In 2006, with drummer / producer Sam Vipond, Daigneault formed Pamplemousse Explosion, a cabaret-noise-jazz duo that rocked Montreal’s indie circuit between 2006 and 2009. The duo was invited to record a track with legendary recording engineer and inventor, George Massenburg at McGill University's School of Music. Daigneault later formed experimental electronic projects such as Feast of Spirits with long-time collaborator and friend Oliver Lewis. When she lived in Lima briefly in 2008 and 2010, she formed electronic indie pop duo Mono y Banana with Leonardo Camacho. She also was the frontwoman of Banana Lazuli, a psych rock project with a rotating cast of members. As Banana Lazuli, she performed at many local shows and festivals in the Bay Area, where she lived in 2011, and in North Carolina between 2012 and 2014. She toured the US and Canada, opening for Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands. Toward mid-2014, she ceased using all other monikers and only performed as Quilla. She began performing as a DJ / live vocalist in 2014.

Lyrics and Style

As a dance music vocalist, Daigneault is known for her unique lyrics and dreamy vocal style, which is soaring yet intimate and ethereal. Her lyrical content is influenced by her experiences traveling and researching different cultures around the globe. She views the dance music world as a catalyst for producing transformative experiences in people. She explores positive themes in her lyrics, such as healing, dealing with regret and loss, breaking through obstacles and learning to love oneself. In an interview with Neon Vision, Daigneault observed, "When I see my friends and family going through experiences in life, I try to take those emotions and channel them into meaningful lyrics for people so when they are on the dance floor, they have an emotional catharsis – that’s my goal."

Solo Work

Writer Jackie Roy observed, "There is a lot of anticipation to see what Quilla comes up with next, as a pleasant surprise is always expected with her knack for collaborating so many different styles and genres." Editors at Flush Magazine wrote, "Quilla is a multi-talented, multifaceted, hyper literate singer-songstress offering a fresh perspective, fascinating imagery, and songs befitting of the album title.”

Daigneault's second albumYou Got It was released in April 2017 and also garnered positive reviews from dance music blogs We Rave You, as well as I Want EDM. "Kicking off with eerie drum-work, the listener is met with her spellbinding and ethereal voice – one that soothes the senses like silk would. Exciting more emotions in the listener, Quilla carries off the track well with her pitch perfect adeptness behind both, the microphone as well as the production desk." "This last year [Quilla] has been hard at work producing her new album ‘You Got It’, and it does not disappoint. The slick, varied productions alongside beautiful, poetic vocal forms a hybrid genre which Quilla has created. The influences of the producers she has worked with and her dance music background are evident, but her ability to transcend genres and tie all the brilliant intricacies of her production together is majestic."

External links

• Quilla (Official Website)