This track explores the relationship between civilians/refugees, soldiers that are fighting someone else's war, and the political agenda of the powers that be. I drew inspiration for “Lay Your Weapons Down” from a conversation with a friend of mine who had been a refugee and imprisoned for protesting - fighting for basic rights of the most marginalized in his community. He suffered years of torture and psychological trauma but his spirit and hope for freedom and was unbreakable.

I wanted to highlight the perspective of those that have been forced into conflict and had no other choice but to fight for survival or to leave their homes. At the same time it is also a reminder that the greatest casualties are often the poorest and most marginalized individuals and that wars are prolonged by the powers that are profiting from it.

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Eunice Keitan: Composer, Producer, Vocals, Guitar
Kevin Howley: Producer, Engineer, Drum Programming/Additional Percussions, Bass, Electric Guitar
Sivasilan Muniandy: Gendang Drums
Josh Bowman: Mixing
Reuben Ghose/Mojito Mastering: Mastering

Lay Your Weapons Down

Eunice Keitan is a Neo-Soul artist pushing boundaries with a sound that is soulful and gritty. Her latest track, “Smoke and Mirrors, " explores how media shapes our reality and social consciousness. The track features heavy bass and drum grooves and a unique vocal arrangement inspired by gamelans and gongs from her Southeast Asian heritage. The juxtaposition of traditional Asian instruments such as the kulintang and bansuri flute against an alternative neo-soul soundscape results in a sound that is mysterious, bold and compelling.

Smoke And Mirrors

Supported by the Toronto Arts Council, ‘No More Secrets’ takes inspiration from an ancient Guzheng (Zither) piece dating back to the Chinese Song Dynasty (960-1279) and combines it with Neo-Soul. What results is a sound steeped in mystery, but with a strong funk/soul groove. It leaves the listener craving for distant lands but still connected to the harmonic foundations of R&B/Soul. Written during the pandemic at the height of anti-Asian racism, Eunice explores themes of identity as a visible minority and looks at healing and self-acceptance through the lens of growth in nature and changing seasons.

No More Secrets

Music & Lyrics by Eunice Keitan
Voice/Acoustic Guitar - Eunice Keitan
Electric Guitar, Keys, Bass, Loops - Camillo Bustos
Drums - Erandy Daza

Vocals Recorded by Kevin Howley at Dream Date Studio 
Mixed by Kevin Howley


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Website: http://www.eunice-keitan.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eunicekeitan


Where The Road Begins - Eunice Keitan

Music/Lyrics by Eunice Keitan
Voice & Guitar: Eunice Keitan
Saxophone: Ernie Tollar
Vibraphone & drums: Kevin Howley
Bass: Alfred Gertler
*Recorded and mixed by Kevin Howley at Dream Date Studio

¿Dónde Estás? (Eunice Keitan)

Hope Is A Bird is a song about struggling with depression, something that the songwriter has had lived experience with for the majority her life. The song goes through the isolation, thought process, fears and stigma of a person struggling with their mental health to the blossoming of hope again through the loving support of a community. "Hope" in the song is personified by a bird, which is a loose reference to Emily Dickinson's poem "Hope Is The Thing With Feathers". Eunice found inspiration in the poetry of the eccentric poet who herself had a history with mental illness. In Eunice's song, "Hope" takes the form or a bird, but the bird also symbolizes the people who reached out to her when she was in her darkest moments.

Lyrics:
Vr1.
I thought it was weakness 
I thought it was mine
I drowned in the darkness of my mind
I thought I was helpless, but I realize that it was only fooling me twice, hey...

Chorus.
Hope, Hope is a bird on the line
Singing a song just in time,
A melody soft and pure and kind.

Vr2.
Every moment that I can recall 
I have been building these prison walls
So why does it feel like I’m dropping the ball,
Breaking the silence and bearing it all, hey… 

                     (Chorus)

Bridge.
Beneath the pain so hard to quell,
The fear, the shame that overwhelms
I’ll rise again and live to tell of release, of release.

                      (Chorus)

Hope Is A Bird

Where The Road Begins

On A Low (Eunice Keitan)

Underground

Don't Know Why I Doubt

Come Home is a song that was inspired by the dilemma most artists face dealing with the grind of juggling multiple jobs while trying to keep the dream alive. "Come Home" explores questions of true fulfillment in a materialistic world and the listener is encouraged to regain perspective on their life and their dreams even if it challenges the status quo.
This soulful track is a late night existential crisis swathed in silk and class reminding the listener to look deeper and reach higher for those dreams.

Come Home

"Standing With You" is a powerful anthem of hope and solidarity.
The seeds of this song first took root at the beginning of the protests and the social unrest that followed the death of George Floyd. 
It makes a bold and moving statement for a better future of true justice and equality with these lines: 
'When you can't breathe, we'll arise and we will speak for the voices they've taken, Just know we'll walk with you till the end. And we're standing with you our friends."

Standing With You

Eunice Keitan's soulful voice makes a big impression on listeners. Both her international upbringing and her eclectic music background show in this Canadian singer-songwriter's work which mixes R&B, Acoustic-Soul, Pop and World Folk influences.  While traveling and moving often with her family in simple circumstances throughout her childhood, Eunice noticed the everyday people and their often harsh realities, struggles which impacted her perception of social issues at play in the lives of people around the world. That impact surfaces in the themes of many of her songs, where she explores mental health, addiction, abuse, and social change. 
Eunice was nominated for a Toronto Independent Music Award 'Where The Road Begins' from her last EP. The first single “Hope is a bird” from her new EP will be released on September 10, Suicide Prevention Day. “Hope is a bird” brings into the open her dealing with depression and finding hope again in community.