New York, NY – January 14, 2025 – BET is thrilled to announce singer/producer/songwriter, LAILA! aka “Baby Genius” as the BET Amplified Live artist for January 2025, marking an exciting new chapter for the media group’s celebrated emerging artist platform. BET Amplified, now BET Amplified Live, has evolved to spotlight rising stars with a new, exclusive live performance component, connecting audiences with the next big names in music. Tomorrow January 15 at 1 PM ET/10 AM PT, watch LAILA! take the BET Amplified Livevirtual stage on BET.com and the official BET YouTube and Facebook channels.
The announcement comes on the heels of an extraordinary 2024 for Brooklyn’s own LAILA! Following the success of her Billboard-charting and globally viral singles “Not My Problem” and “Like That,” her debut album, “Gap Year!,” released last fall, has been met with widespread acclaim from fans and critics alike. Listed by Billboard, Pitchfork, Complex and VIBE among many other year-end media lists for having one of the “Best Albums of 2024,” The 18-year-old wunderkind’s meteoric rise to fame is fueled by her chart-topping hits; “Like That!” which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s TikTok Top 50 chart and remained in the top five for six consecutive weeks. Meanwhile, “Not My Problem” soared to #1 on multiple charts, surpassing 100 million streams across digital platforms and was listed by the New York Times as one of the “Top Songs of 2024.”. The single’s cultural impact extended to social media, where it garnered over 100 million plays via reels, shorts, and stories, with fans and superstars like Ice Spice, Madonna, Wiz Khalifa, and Lizzo amplifying its reach.
Fresh off her festival debut at Camp Flog Gnaw, where she was personally selected by Tyler, The Creator to perform, LAILA! Is set take center stage as this month’s BET Amplified Live artist.
As a BET Amplified Live artist, LAILA! will receive BET’s support across multiple BET campaigns and platforms, including BET, BET Her, BET Jams, BET Soul, BET.com, BET Socials, and the BET Official YouTube Page. As the BET Amplified platform and LAILA! continue to evolve, the partnership is poised to set the tone for an unforgettable year in music.
BET Amplified Live is the ultimate platform for discovering and celebrating rising talent. Previous (formerly BET Amplified) artists include 41, Ayra Starr, BossMan Dlow, Cash Cobain, Coco Jones, Connie Diiamond, Doechii, Domani, Flau’jae, Fridayy, GLorilla, Ice Spice, Kaliii, Lady London, Lakeyah, Lola Brooke, Muni Long, October London, Rema, Skilla Baby, Tanner Adell, Tems, That Mexican OT and more!
About LAILA!
Celebrated for making one of the “Best Albums of 2024” by Billboard, Pitchfork, Complex and Vibe among many other music critics for her self-produced 2024 debut project “Gap Year!,” LAILA! (aka “Baby Genius) is an 18-year-old singer, songwriter, producer and musician from Brooklyn, NY.
Described by Complex as “one of the most buzzing artists under 20” and praised by People Magazine for having “unearthed a Gen-Z sound all her own,” LAILA! self-produced and wrote her chart-topping and globally viral, summer smashes “Like That,” which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s TikTok Top 50 chart and remained in the top five for six consecutive weeks and “Not My Problem” (listed by The New York Times as one of its “Top Songs of 2024”) which soared to #1 on multiple charts and surpassed 100 million streams across digital platforms. “Not My Problem’s” cultural impact extended to social media, where it garnered over 100 million plays via reels, shorts, and stories.
LAILA!’s successful debut album “Gap Year!” has received widespread praise from fans, fellow artists and critics alike such as Complex, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Teen Vogue, Hypebae, USA Today and The Fader among many others. Quickly becoming a “favorite artist’s, favorite artist,” LAILA!’s soulful and youthful yet introspective songwriting, vocals and production on “Gap Year!,” have garnered public praise by music superstars in the press and social media such as Rihanna, Sza, and Solange as well as Tyler, The Creator who handpicked the alternative R&B/Pop iconoclast to make her music festival debut as a performer at his Camp Flog Gnaw 2024 music carnival. About the rising superstar and her debut album Refinery 29 declares “With Gap Year! Laila! is more than a viral moment, she is here to stay.” ★
