The smooth, often danceable R&B tunes made by Montréal-based singer and songwriter Shay Lia are playful, passionate, and uplifting. Releasing music since 2014, she's received attention for her collaborations with Kaytranada, and has additionally worked with Stwo, BadBadNotGood, Kojey Radical, and others. Several of these artists appeared on her debut EP, 2019's Dangerous, which was followed by the Afro-pop-influenced Solaris in 2020.

Originally from France, Shanice Dileita Mohamed was born in 1993, and her family relocated to Djibouti a few years later. She grew up loving R&B and jazz, particularly artists such as Janet Jackson, Al Jarreau, and Marvin Gaye, but didn't concentrate on her talents as a singer until she moved to Montréal to attend college. After she posted videos of her singing to her social media accounts, Haitian-Canadian producer Kaytranada expressed interest in collaborating. Going by the stage name Shay Lia, she sang on Kaytranada's "Leave Me Alone" (his first track released by XL) and issued her debut single, "3 Months," both in 2014. She guested on songs by XO ("U & I") and Stwo ("All Alone"), and "Leave Me Alone" reappeared on Kaytranada's Polaris- and Juno-winning 2016 full-length 99.9%. Lia performed with the producer at the 2017 Coachella festival and sang on his 2018 track "Chances," while continuing to release her own singles, including the disco-infused "Funky Thang" and the trap-influenced "The Cycle." Her debut EP, Dangerous, arrived in 2019, with Kaytranada and BadBadNotGood producing the song "Blue," and additional guests including Buddy and Kojey Radical. The EP was longlisted for the Polaris Music Prize. Following a trip to the Ivory Coast to visit her family, Lia was moved to explore a more summery, Afro-pop-inspired direction with her second EP, 2020's Solaris. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi