It’s Graduation Season! Laila!’s Gap Year Is a Reminder That You Don’t Need to Have It All Figured Out 

Graduation season is here! However, for many creatives, the milestone is just as celebratory as it is confusing. Let’s be honest, sometimes it’s hard figuring  out “what’s next” and with diplomas in hand and rising expectations from people around, the journey can feel so agonizing to embark on. 

For 18-year-old Brooklynite, Laila!, however, her “what’s next” came packaged in risk. After graduating high school early, the artist decided on taking a gap year (with the affirming consent of her parents) which turned into something meaningful and allowed the artist the space to figure life out on her own terms. 

Laila!’s “break” was far more than a vacation to recharge, but an intentional creative hiatus. Time spent off the grid allowed her room to make space for her highly recognized debut album, Gap Year, which is an ode to her evolution, capturing all the wild experiences that come with stepping from high school into adulthood, dating to independence. 

The 17-song project is a story of growth and self-discovery, but more than that, it’s proof that taking a step back to figure things out doesn’t necessarily mean you’re falling behind the gap. With the right approach, taking intentional time might be a recipe to help catapult your dreams. 

Let’s take a look at Laila!’s way forward as a reminder and inspiration that the path to self-discovery isn’t linear.

The Power of Intentional Time & Embracing Uncertainty

“I’m so glad that I [took a gap year], because it changed the trajectory of my whole life not being in school,” Laila! says. “For the first time, I felt like I was in the driver’s seat. I was actually in the world. I wasn’t just waiting for something to happen… You have to choose what happens next. Every day of [my] gap year was about me choosing. ‘What am I going to do next?’ I think that’s what gave me the motivation to do a mixtape. Let me keep posting this. Let me just do what I like to do… I’ve been able to grow up so much.” she said in an interview with Teen Vogue.

Laila!’s decision to take a gap year after graduating high school early was mainly due to her foggy relationship with school. “In no way am I trying to be like, “f*ck school. It just wasn’t for me.” 

Her year off wasn’t aimless, it was deeply intentional. Laila! used that time to fully dive into her passion for music, something she’s been nurturing for years as a self-taught writer and producer. 

“This album is a collection of what I’ve made during this year of being out in the real world and doing what I love; it’s so so personal and dear to me so I really really pray you all like it…” she wrote on Instagram ahead of the release.

Once her song “Like That” went viral on Tiktok and garnered over 1 million views on YouTube, the conscious choice to keep going was one that seemed to just feel right. 

Like many graduates, Laila! faced the uncertainty of what would come of it, but instead of letting fear hold her back, she leaned into it. The time she took wasn’t about finding the right answers. “I don’t care, I’m just going to keep posting until people actually see it,” she said.

From her willingness to do things her own way, the singer’s album went on to help the artist have the most monumental year. “Not My Problem,” was famously flipped by Cash Cobain in addition to other samples including Flo Milli, Big Sean, and Rob49. Her first-ever headlining concert at the notable Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn, proves that growth happens in its own time.

 It’s not about following a prescribed path all the time, but it’s about being just as intentional, patient, and present in your journey as our girl Laila! shows us. You’re exactly where you’re meant to be 2025 grads. Cheers!