As debut EP the unwelcome series gets its long awaited release, we caught up with East London musical and visual artist keaton dekker.
For keaton dekker and his fans, the release of his debut extended play feels like something that has been a long time coming, and coming with a level of fanfare and excitement. The artist has crafted a unique sound that showcases his unique and captivating sound, but there is more to it than that. There is a depth and a dynamism to the work, the 80s R&B influences dominate but there is a darkness and a dramatic flair that results in this truly new and cutting edge feel.
Having emerged onto the scene at 17 uploading demos onto the internet, since then keaton has been grinding away and through a process of building, reflecting, starting again and rebuilding, has put himself in the perfect position to now release his debut EP the unwelcome series, which dropped today. We caught up with keaton at such a landmark moment in his young career, and found out a little more about the emerging artist.
Who TF is keaton dekker?
20-year-old from East London who wants to transport you to places with the art he makes in his room. He talks about Hilary Duff (maybe too much) and really likes vests.
How long have you been making music?
I’ve been writing since I was like 11/12. started taking it seriously when I was around 14 playing in bands at school, so I’d say six years.
Why do you make music?
I’ve always wanted to be a part of that process of putting something out into the world that you could dive into. writing is like having a dream that you can pull into reality? I don’t know, It’s really interesting how ideas can come from nowhere and then suddenly become something.
What are your biggest influences?
Film and cinema is a big influence right now, for this project I was looking more at visuals in new ways which really changed the way I write.
What would you say has been your best moment so far?
People learning the choreo in the ‘ITYK’ video, that’s been so cool
How would you describe your sound to somebody unfamiliar with it?
dynamic, cinematic, escapist
What’s your dream “I’ve made it” moment?
To sell out a world tour!
What should we expect from your upcoming debut EP the unwelcome series?
Expect the story to come together. moments to dance, moments to cry. a project you’ll be able to really dive into, I think in different ways everytime too
How do you think that being a POC member of the LGBTQ+ community has impacted your writing and your sound?
Hmmm not too sure. I guess experiencing specific things related to being queer or poc, whether I realise it or not, impacts the music I make just because it’s my reality and that’s what I mostly write about
And finally, who is your biggest fan right now?
Has to be jkkfairyland and luscheksj on instagram. (hi if you’re reading this)
the unwelcome series is available now.
