GROUNDED is available on all streaming platforms. It’s free to stream, but if you’d like to show extra support you can purchase the digital release through BANDCAMP.
Check out today’s article in CLEVELAND.com
“Finding peace in a pandemic: Cleveland’s Uno Lady releases new meditative album,” written by Annie Nickoloff.
“CLEVELAND, Ohio — For Cleveland musician Christa Ebert — aka, solo artist Uno Lady — making music is a form of meditation.
‘It’s where I can truly be in the present moment,’ Ebert said. ‘I can turn off my brain… I guess it’s been my own form of chanting.’
Meditation has helped Ebert find peace through the past year of stressful events stoked by the coronavirus pandemic. Now, she hopes to help others find that same kind of peace, through her latest Uno Lady album ‘Grounded.’
The project arrives on Tuesday, Jan. 12, on streaming sites. It consists of a mix of music, guided meditations and breathing exercises.
‘The purpose of ‘Grounded’ is to help find peace in the present moment and offer kindness and healing through this difficult time,” Ebert said. “A lot of people were requesting it more and I had such a surplus of ideas, I figured it was a good time to dive in.’ …
The full “Grounded” album includes two meditations guided by Mourning [A] BLKstar vocalist LaToya Kent, and one meditation guided in Spanish by Erica Snowden-Rodriguez, who also performs cello.
Even on the songs that don’t include breathing exercises and meditation instructions, Ebert experimented with the musical side of meditation.
‘I’m trying out polytonal singing and creating binaural beats with my voice,’ she said. ‘I was trying to make it sound like meditation music, but also my own music, taking a twist on it that way.’
In “Binaural Bees,” Ebert hums two tones that are so close together, they sound like a pulsation. In “Meditación,” Ebert throat sings, creating two notes at the same time.
Ebert has made use of a synthesizer in previous albums but replaces the instrument here with her own vocals throughout “Grounded,” with a few extra sounds, including recorded nature sounds from her backyard and a trip to France, and samples from NASA’s Soundcloud account.
Singing, Ebert said, helped her find peace in the last year.
‘Making this album has helped me articulate and find a path to self-acceptance. It’s allowed me to acknowledge my overthinking brain and offer kindness and love,’ Ebert said. ‘Since making this album, I’ve experienced moments of mental silence for the first time, and I thought sharing my vulnerability and process could help people learn, too.’
The album is also a replacement for in-person Uno Lady performances, which Ebert had to largely cancel due to the pandemic.
‘I hope it reaches people who appreciate music, people who want to explore meditation, art appreciators — and it’s also a gift to residents of Cuyahoga County,’ Ebert said. ‘I hope it helps people just relax for a little bit, or find ways they can find peace and show kindness to themselves, and people they love.’
After “Grounded” is released, Ebert also plans to release more videos featuring the album’s guided meditations. You can follow future Uno Lady releases at unolady.com.