TRACYE EILEEN

Tracye Eileen is proud to present her forthcoming album Forever Girl. This vibrant new body of work is Tracye Eileen’s fifth studio album and her first fully developed project from her relatively new base in Paris, having been a highly respected fixture on the Chicago music scene. Blending Jazz/Soul R&B with French Afro/Caribbean grooves, Forever Girl perfectly reflects the excitement and vibrancy of Tracye’s high-energy, groovedriven live show. The album retains all of the deep and soulful vibes of Tracye Eileen’s Chicago roots, while also projecting a new European ambience, based around her experience of residing within the city of light.

The making of Forever Girl grew out of a close collaboration between Tracye, guitarist and musical director Ralph Lavital, and producer Andrew Read. The repertoire itself was shaped by Tracye and producer Andrew Read, who set the direction for the album’s songwriting well before recording began. Having worked with Ola Onabulé on a number of his earlier albums, Andrew knew there were standout songs in his back catalogue worth revisiting, so Tracye and Ralph selected four of them to reimagine for this project, alongside a selection of songs from her own back catalogue. This built on a shift toward Afro-Soul that Tracye was already exploring, and one she found herself surrounded by after settling in Paris. Ralph Lavital and Tracye then reworked all of these songs from the ground up, giving each one a completely new arrangement and identity, while Ola contributed to the vocal arrangements together with Tracye and Andrew as part of the production process. Working between Paris and the Netherlands, they set out to create an album that naturally connects Tracye’s Jazz/Soul R&B roots with an African perspective. Ralph selected a core French Afro/Caribbean rhythm section from his own Yusan Band: pianist Kevin Jubert, bassist Gwen Ladeux, and drummer Mathieu Edouard, giving the project a firm grounding in the current Paris scene. German Saxophonist Nora Kamm and American trumpeter/arranger Philip Lassiter add further colour to the sound, linking European jazz

and American funk/soul tradition.

Musically, Forever Girl sits where Jazz/Soul & R&B intersects with a French Afro/Caribbean influenced touch as the red line running through the album. American Soul and R&B is the musical foundation, rooted in that songwriting tradition. That rhythmic and tonal touch runs through the whole record,

even as individual songs lean towards other genres. Across all of this, the same core sound and rhythmic threads keep the album feeling like one coherent whole. At the centre of the album is the title track, “Forever Girl”. Tracye sees it as a haunting, elegant declaration of love as something

enduring—unshaken by time, distance, or change. The song speaks to the duality of love for another person, but also the love for oneself: the inner steadiness that remains when life circumstances, geography, and relationships are in motion. That idea of a “forever girl” runs through the record. It reflects a woman who has lived, changed cities and careers, and yet still recognises herself. The songs explore devotion, choice, and spiritual certainty in several forms—romantic, familial, and personal—always from the standpoint of someone who chooses love deliberately, rather than treating it as something naïve or accidental. Forever Girl is an expertly crafted recording that showcases the talent of a unique musician, creating pioneering art that is sincere in mind, body and spirit!

Eileen launched her professional career with the release of her first straight-ahead recording, Love’s Journey (2012). She recorded the album shortly after studying at the Bloom School of Jazz in Chicago, where the owner of the school was so impressed with her talent that he briefly served as her manager, helping her hone her straight-ahead sound for her debut album. On her next album, Why Did I Say Yes? (2018), she veered away from straight-ahead jazz into soul and R&B. Then, in 2020, she released It’s Time, a smooth jazz album featuring originals co-written by Eileen on which she reflected on her journey of love as she moves through life. The album charted on several major music charts in the U.S. and abroad and was played in 67 countries on over 220 radio stations. Smooth Jazz Daily said, “The special feature of Tracye's performance is not only her voice but also the ingenious use of her vocals in the arrangement, for which she constantly finds new approaches.”

Although she delved into various musical styles on her prior recordings , each of her albums have focused on love songs. “I’ve always been a fan of love songs,” says Eileen, “and I decided to be self-revealing, because I want my music to be authentic and real with songs that people can connect with.”

For Eileen, her top ten album YOU HIT THE SPOT was a homecoming to straight-ahead jazz, which has been part of her life for as long as she can remember. Her father was a professional jazz drummer who missed an opportunity to tour with Count Basie’s band because he was drafted to serve in Vietnam. “My father, Ed Smith, an accomplished jazz percussionist, was a major influence in my life. His inspiration many years ago led to successful roles as lead singer in my high school and college jazz bands and my continued love of jazz music.” When she got older, she performed professionally with her father many times. My mother's love for Soul and R&B music had my childhood home filled with albums ranging from the Earth Wind and Fire to Rufus and Chaka Kahn. Both of my parents had a hugh influence on my musical tastes and sensibilities today.

“No matter what the mood or storyline dictates, Eileen possesses confidence in her vocals, songwriting and video presence to reach those career goals for which she strives.”

-Soul Tracks

Eileen has always been attracted to the great vocalists from an earlier era, like Nancy Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, Billie Holiday and Nina Simone because of their extraordinary ability to tell stories through music. Indeed, for Eileen, there is no difference between singing and storytelling, and she approaches a song much like an actor approaches a role. She analyzes each song by writing a narrative about it. Once she settles on the details, she tailors her vocals to fit the story arc of the song. Although Eileen’s sound is reminiscent of her idols, her style is soulful, bluesy, and modern..

“The special feature of Tracye's performance is not only her voice but also the ingenious use of her vocals in the arrangement, for which she constantly finds new approaches.”