Quilla

ABOUT QUILLA

Quilla — the moniker of Montreal-born Anna Luisa Daigneault— is an electronic music producer, vocalist, songwriter, and educator based in Greensboro, North Carolina. She is known for her piano riffs, hypnotizing beats, and vocal loop compositions, as well as for teaching music production workshops for women and femmes. She was a featured vocalist on hit dance tracks released by Universal, Revealed Recordings, Armada, Vicious, and Ministry of Sound. 

BACKGROUND
Her first indie pop album Beautiful Hybrid (Ritual Fire Records, 2014) was met with critical acclaim and was featured on the iTunes US ‘Ahead of the Curve’ section. A series of limited-edition Beautiful Hybrid Remix Project vinyls were released by Visionquest Music and garnered interest in the international techno community.

As a featured vocalist, Quilla has released dance hits with over a dozen producers on the world’s top dance labels, including Revealed Recordings, Armada Music, Vicious Recordings, Ministry of Sound, Visionquest Music, Neon Records, and Musical Freedom.

Quilla wrote and performed the lyrics for “Close To Me” by Tiësto, Sultan + Ned Shepard which appeared on Tiësto’s hit album, A Town Called Paradise (Universal Music, 2014). The song was the follow-up to the international radio hit “Walls” by Sultan + Ned Shepard (feat. Quilla), which appeared on Tiësto’s compilation Club Life: Volume 2 (2012) and was later re-released by his label AFTR:HRS as “Walls (Deeper Shades Mix)” in 2017.

Other celebrated tracks written and sung by Quilla include “Universe” by Australian duo Feenixpawl, as well as “Secret” which became a classic track for Argentinian trance duo Heatbeat and appeared on their hugely successful album Global Monster. The song was regularly featured on Armin van Buuren’s radio show, A State of Trance. She also penned the lyrics for the dance anthem “Unless We Forget” by German duo Jewelz & Sparks, which rose to #4 on Beatport’s Progressive House Chart.

In 2016, Quilla shifted away from being a featured EDM vocalist and began producing electronic material that is influenced not only by house music but also by downtempo pop, folk and world music. She produced an acclaimed release entitled “Wild and Kind” in collaboration with Americana artist Molly McGinn, and the duo toured cities in North Carolina promoting the track.

Quilla’s second album “You Got It” was released in 2017 on her label, Ritual Fire Records, and received positive reviews. In 2018, she produced Johanna Breed’s debut future-soul album, “Is It Too Late?” which was also released on Quilla’s label. In 2020, Quilla released her third album, “The Handbook of Vivid Moments” with support from the North Carolina Arts Council.

SELECTED MUSICAL PERFORMANCES (2016-2020)

• 2020. Quilla & Molly McGinn: “Ghostlight Series Concert” at The Carolina Theatre. Greensboro, NC.
• 2020. SoFar Sounds Greensboro “City Exchange Performance” with Sofar Sounds Tel Aviv. Online.
• 2020. Siembra NC’s “Sábado Gigante” Telethon to Benefit Undocumented Migrant Families. Online.
• 2019. Molly McGinn & Quilla at #RepresentNC Music Series at Joymongers. Greensboro, NC.
• 2019. 11th Annual Extravaganza at Elsewhere Museum.
• 2019. La Migración es Hermosa: A Benefit for the Border. Motorco Music Hall, Durham, NC.
• 2019. Still The Days Music Festival. Gibb’s Hundred, Greensboro, NC.
• 2019. Ships in the Night, Quilla and Tide Eyes. Monstercade, Winston-Salem, NC.
  
• 2019. Molly McGinn & Quilla open for Bernie Sanders at Earth Day.
• 2019. SoFar Sounds: International Women’s Day Concert. Greensboro.
• 2019. The Wake Forest Listening Room. Magnolia Roots Lounge, Wake Forest, NC.
• 2018. Mill Day Festival. Revolution Mill, Greensboro NC.
• 2018. Castella: The Enchanted Music Festival. Castle McCulloch, Jamestown, NC.
• 2018. Greensboro Strong Community Concert. LeBauer Park, Greensboro NC.
• 2018. The Richmond Forum: Quilla opens for Peter Diamandis. Altria Theater, Richmond, VA.
• 2017. Quilla’s Album Launch. The Crown at The Carolina Theatre, Greensboro NC.
• 2017. Psychic Revolution Art & Music Festival. Winston-Salem, NC.
• 2016. Mykki Blanco & Quilla at Duke Coffeehouse. Duke University, Durham, NC.
  

SELECTED PRESENTATIONS

• 2021. Guest speaker, Youth Leadership Conference, NCCJ of the Piedmont Triad. Greensboro, NC.
• 2021. Guest moderator, “Thirty-Two Words for Field.” Irish Arts Center, New York, NY (Online).
• 2020. Featured writer, “Dear 2020.” The Ink Project & PEN America Piedmont Region (Online).
• 2020. Panelist, “Writers Read.” Scuppernong Books & PEN America Piedmont Region. Greensboro, NC.
• 2020. Featured artist, “Pathways: Art & Technology // Digital Exploration & Empowerment.” International Contemporary Ensemble, Bespoken. New York, NY (Online).
• 2020. Featured artist, “Bit Rosie Presents: Quilla In The Studio.” New York, NY (Online).   
• 2019. Guest lecturer, “Music Entrepreneurship.” University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
• 2019. Featured musical performer, “Muse: The Arts Show” on UNC-TV. Chapel-Hill, NC.
  

Read more about Quilla on Wikipedia. 

Quilla – “You Got It” (2017) on Spotify:

Quilla’s top tracks on Spotify:

Quilla – “Beautiful Hybrid” (2014)

Quilla’s dance music collaborations on Soundcloud: