Kirrily Keayes
Born in the outback of Australia and a nomad by nature, Kirrily Keayes is a passionate and emotionally charged singer and songwriter who’s lyrics tell the story of a life woven with the colors of her diverse experiences. Traveling since the time she was a baby, her family left Australia and after exploring Britain and America, they settled in Canada where she was raised.
Her talent and passion for music and the arts was apparent from childhood when she started learning the ukulele and the recorder, singing in choir, taking dance lessons, acting in school plays and writing her first song at 10 years old. After moving to Vancouver, as a teenager she began acting in community theater and modeling then picked up the guitar and put herself in singing lessons. At 18, Kirrily landed her first commercial which ran for 2 years and won 6 Canadian Juno awards, followed up by a recurring role in a Canadian TV series called Neon Rider.
Before long, her need to explore bigger horizons lead her to move to Chicago. She got her start as lead singer in a band called Solar Tribe that attracted a lot of local attention and caught the ears of several record labels. While in Chicago she also recorded back up vocals for legendary singer Jello Biafra of the punk band the Dead Kennedys.
Moving on to pursue music as a solo artist she eventually moved to New York City. While in New York, Kirrily worked with and learned from great musicians. She began collaborating and performing around the New York club circuit with members of Dido’s band and was taught music production and recording by Dido’s drummer, Alex Alexander. She also recorded with Grammy Award winning producer Larry Mitchell. Continuing to develop her skills, she studied and performed with a West African Percussion Ensemble lead by Robert Levin, percussionist for The Lion King on Broadway and studied Voice with Katie Aggresta who taught Annie Lenox and many Metropolitan Opera singers. At the same time she was studying classical and jazz guitar and ventured into learning piano. On the side she did some modeling and was on 2 episodes of the soap opera “As The World Turns.”
Having performed on both coasts and in between, as well as in Canada and Tokyo, Japan, Kirrily is honored to realize that her songs and voice connect with people of all walks of life, ages and ethnicities. She connects with the human spirit.
Kirrily is also a philanthropist and founded “Women 4 Women: Rock The Cause”, producing fund raising concert events and donating to the Charity, Safe Passage, helping women in need.
Now living in Los Angeles, Kirrily has defined her voice and sound and is currently undertaking producing and recording 2 albums as a true expression of the powerful and uniquely evocative artist she has become. The first is based in the raw emotion of her acoustic songs. The second is infused with elements of electronic beats and sound scapes and the organic sounds of classical and world instruments.
In a recent review of one of her shows, Music Connection Magazine said, “Keayes not only captivated the crowd, she stunned them” and that “her insights about life are interesting, bordering on the profound.”
