Keels is a London based singer-song writer who is fast becoming one of the most talked about songwriters in the UK and Ireland. His new single, ‘Surrender’, is truly epic. He’s fast becoming one of the most talked about songwriters in the UK & Ireland, culminating in the truly epic song, ‘Surrender’.
We asked Keels six quick questions.
EP: What’s the Keels story?
K: Keels is just me. For live I will be playing with a band. I split amicably from Empire Divide a few years back as things weren’t working and everyone had different ideas of how to progress.
Keels is an abbreviation of my Irish surname Keelaghan and my nickname from school.
EP: You’ve relocated to London from Ireland. What have been the main differences you’ve noticed between the two in terms of the music industry?
K: Father is Irish and have family over in Dublin still. I grew up in and around Surrey and went to University in Newcastle and Reading and have lived in Australia (Sydney) and New York.
EP: Similarly, you’ve released ‘Surrender’ as a solo artist, as opposed to your previous work with your band, Empire Divide. How does the experience differ?
K: Doing things independently does differ. Its great being in a band working as part of a team and I miss the camaraderie you share through writing/rehearsals/live performance. The downside is it can take a lot longer to get things agreed on musically. When its just me it moves quicker, which is so important in this day and age of music, where everything is so fast changing and readily available/accessible. I feel like now my team are the people I write/produce with. For live, as I will still be playing with a band I don’t think that side of things will feel all that different.
EP: What advice do you have for anyone wanting to get into the music business?
K: Be resilient, believe in yourself or know one else will. I can’t count the number of times I have had my music criticised/rejected. I have always believed that it is good enough so have persevered. Be proactive, know one will work as hard on your music as you, so get out there and learn how to give your music the best platform/opportunity of doing well. Always be a nice guy/girl, lots of @ss”oles out there, the world doesn’t need any more.
EP: What’s next for Keels?
K: Next is prepping the live. I have another single coming out in Feb and want to start getting more active on the gig scene in the new year.
EP: What question do you wish someone would ask you in an interview but nobody ever does?
K: What musician would you bring back from the dead to watch play live.
