Hi everyone. My name is Leila Baines and I'm so honored to be here this afternoon and share my stories and share my love of music. So, I'm going to start off with my most recently finished song.I have a lot of unfinished songs, but yeah, this one is all about how we all have a person or even people in our lives that, you know, are better to let go of than to hold on to. So, this one's called Cut These Ties. You still think I've never changed.You still hang on every story you'd paint. I'd follow you into the ...

When Freddy Mercury wrote his piece, he didn't belong to one culture. He was born in Zanzibar, raised in India and became a legend in England. His life [music] just as his music was mix of words, sounds and emotions.And yet when we listen to it, we don't think of geography. We just feel, we connect. That's the power of diversity.Culture has its [music] own reasons, it own way to express joy. Pain or love. And when we listen truly listen to music that isn't ours, something happens.We recognize ourselves in o ...

Everyone has past lives. Even if you don't believe in past lives, you've led many of them. Those past versions of yourself.In my current life, I'm a business strategist and a healer. But in a past life, I was a classical professional musician. I started playing obo at age 11 and by 23 I was subbing with the New York Philarmonic.But tonight I'm going to talk to you about what music taught me about people, about community, and the unconventional path that brought me here to a stage in Overtown without an inst ...

[Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Look at me.I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree. And I feel like I'm clinging to a cloud. I can't understand.I get misty just holding your hand. How did you feel when I sang. Did you feel surprised, confused.Did it remind you of something from your past. Or did you wonder, why is this girl singing on stage right now. Regardless of how you felt, I didn't always have the confidence to get on stage and sing in front of an audience like this.So, let me take you to a night I'll never ...

[music] I know some of you might agree with me and some of you might disagree with me, but just trust me when I say this. You cannot avoid music. If you have been blessed [laughter] with the gift of hearing, I'm afraid that you cannot avoid music.So, who agrees with me. Can I see some hands. Great. Great. Great.[snorts] Feels great to be validated. Now, before I start, I want to confess two things. One, I am embarrassed. I am embarrassed because I do not have any kind of degree in music.I do have a degree i ...

“I make music that’s supposed to help people.”@alexwaarren, artist, spoke to Forbes about his public perception. Read more about how the "Ordinary" singer made the 2026 #ForbesUnder30 list: https://t.co/e8L3DT968G https://t.co/HW2av1w1yq ...

“I make music that’s supposed to help people.”@alexwaarren, artist, spoke to Forbes about his public perception. Read more about how the "Ordinary" singer made the 2026 #ForbesUnder30 list.Read more: https://t.co/e8L3DT9DYe https://t.co/aZQZjhOqiv ...

Less than a decade ago, this artist was homeless, filming TikToks singing in 24 Hour Fitness bathrooms.Today? @alexwaarren is the 2025 MTV Best New Artist, has a Grammy nomination, and his breakout hit "Ordinary" has surpassed 2 billion global streams, earning an estimated $10 million in royalties.His songs are therapy for him, and for millions of others. https://t.co/FRecTvzuzB #ForbesUnder30 (Photo: Sebastian Nevols for Forbes) ...

I was 17 when I lost my sister. Now, usually when telling this story, I'd say something along the lines of, "We fought long and hard to get her the medication she needed, to get access to the drugs, to change the landscape of South African organ donation, to get her the lung transplant she needed to save her life. But that would be a lie because we didn't do those things. My mother did, my father did.But me, I was a child. 13 when Jenna was diagnosed, 15 when the campaign started, and 17 when she died. I wa ...

Ho ho ho. Ho. Yahoo.Hoyo. Ho. Yahoo.Ho. Yahoo. Ho.Yahoo. When was the last time you made such kind of sounds which is not making any sense to anyone, not to even you. And when was the last time you are playing whistle. When was the last time. When was the last time you were clapping for no reason.And when was the last time you are playing with your laps like sam randomly on bur stand or railway stand like when was the last time. You were singing a song of a language that you don't understand, you don't know ...