TuZO

Tuzo began when Hayley Gene met James McLeod at the Eggplant Collective in Toronto. Eggplant is a collective of producers, composers, engineers and music supervisors creating award-winning audio for the Advertising, Television, Film and Interactive communities.
Hayley Gene who\'s voice you might recognize from a variety of campaigns including, Cheese Wiz, Kraft dinner, Wal-mart, Gain, McDonalds, Hamburger helper, Bell and many others was partnered up with McLeod, a new writer/composer at Eggplant, to work on a McDonalds television advertising campaign.
After their first session together, they landed a national McDonalds commercial which started the ball rolling.
The electronic, pop vibe of the commercial lead to multiple television placements and the birth of TuZO.
James would send Hayley instrumental tracks which she would then write lyrics for, record herself singing (most often in her pajamas) and send back to James.
Not only is McLeod the instrumental mastermind behind TuZO but his edgy, bold lyrics are the perfect balance to Gene\'s often heartfelt lyrical content.
On stage, TuZO packs one he*# of a live punch. With Gene\'s youngest sister Kendra singing backup vocals, Emory Martin on Drums and DJ Smack Dabb, TuZO has played to packed theaters including the Mod Club and Drake Underground in Toronto.
Hayley Gene was raised in theaters across the country with Childrens entertainer, Fred Penner as dad. Because of this upbringing, she is most comfortable on stage and it shows in her ability to seduce the audience with elegance, charisma, humor and the confidence of a seasoned pro.
With McLeods pop sensibility and understanding of jingles and hooks and Hayley\'s pure vocals and music pulsing through her veins, TuZO is one of the hottest new Canadian bands of 2010.