Laini Colman is a songwriter/recording artist. Originally from Lincolnshire, England, she immigrated to Australia in her 20s & is now settled in Tasmania after spending 10 years sailing around the South Pacific.
Songwriting became her passion & solace during these years – “I spent hours on watch at the wheel with my tape recorder in my pocket working on my next song while the boat was careering towards our next destination somewhere on the far side of the night!”.
In 2012, two of Laini’s songs received semi-finalist status in the UK Songwriting Contest. In Song-of-the-Year contests, Laini was awarded runner-up (2013) for “Please Come Home,” two semi-finalists (2014) for “You’re Always There” and “Flow,” and honorable mention (2014) for “Long Nights.” In addition, Laini’s “Unforgettable” received national and international recognition in the finals of Your Music Out Loud in the USA Song Competition (2015).
Since arriving in Hobart in 2014 & hanging up her sailing boots, Laini has been able to concentrate on recording & continuing to write, finding a wonderful partnership with Multi-Instrumentalist & Producer Mike Raine.
Her first eponymous studio album, co-written with fellow Tasmanian Jimmy Reece, was released in 2017. Drawing upon a range of influences & genres, including pop, electronic, dance, world, & jazz, it created an overall experimental world of dark, cinematic pop.
For her 2nd studio album “Take a breath” (May 2019) Laini ventured out on her own as the sole writer. Again the influences & production styles are varied, as are the themes. “It is important to me that when I write & record a song, I allow it to take on a life of it’s own, not confined by genre or style, or what I’ve done before – this gives me freedom to experiment with lyrics, melody & production ideas & allows each song to breathe in it’s own right”
Her 3rd album “Racka Shacka” was released in November 2022 and has a more uplifting “folkier” feel to it than the first 2 albums – “after 3 challenging years I needed to channel a lighter side to my songwriting”.