Hafeez Jamal aka Kaeni - musician & songwriter

Hafeez Jamal is a musician, producer, marine ecologist, and physician. Hafeez's lyrical themes include personal search, creative struggle, and commentary on ecological and social issues. He believes that art should articulate the contemporary human experience and he believes passionately in the power of music to inspire and connect people and to provoke inward reflection.  Personally, Hafeez values the practice of music as a way to restore balance and tap into the deeper joy of being alive.  

Along with composing and performing, he has presented in art, music, identity and spiritual expression for myriad educational programs in Ontario - and has presented a TEDx talk at the University of Toronto.  He has been fortunate to perform in the presence of Mawlana Hazar Imam during the Golden Jubilee.

In 2007, Hafeez produced "The Gardner and His Garden", a Golden Jubilee tribute album.  

He is a founding member of the FACTOR-recipient band Late Night Conversations (LNC), which toured in Ontario and Costa Rica in 2017, was featured in the Music YYZ and Toronto 311 programs, and opened for Hollerado at Festival of Friends in Hamilton.  With LNC, Hafeez composed the soundtracks for video coverage of the Inaugural Ceremony of the Global Centre for Pluralism and Hazar Imam's historical address to the Parliament of Canada.

Recently, Hafeez has embarked on a solo creative project under the name Kaeni, which is a Swahili invitation to come sit and be at peace.  Kaeni's music is heavily influenced by Reggae and R&B, weaving fibres of his East African-Indian heritage.  He released 5 singles in 2021, which are available on major digital platforms.  Always eager for opportunities to collaborate, Kaeni recently composed the soundtrack for 2 chapters of the meditative film experience "Zayah", led by Negin Sairafi.

Presently, Kaeni is working on new music that more directly engages with the environmental crisis and climate change.  His professional life in Marine Ecology, Environmental Design, and Hyperbaric & Dive Medicine is providing new inspiration for songwriting.

Check out his website kaenimusic.com