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Photo: Jeremy Kees

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“Keelan Mak sounds like a zeitgeist-ready icon who has well and truly arrived” – Dave Ruby Howe, triple j

“Pop music that’s polished, catchy and straight from the heart. What more could you want?! I, for one, am welcoming this new Keelan Mak era with open arms.” – Abby Butler, triple j

“Vulnerable and endearing… Australia’s best-kept secret” – Notion (UK)

“..pumped it with enough sultry energy and lyrical integrity to keep listeners both grounded and sky-high at the same time.” – Purple Sneakers

“the sonical love child of Cub Sport and Troye Sivan” – Thomas Bleach

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Following the much-anticipated return of Melbourne/Naarm’s Keelan Mak with the melancholic and introspective single ‘Naked Eye’ – co-written with Troye Sivan, Leland and Vetta Borne – the talented queer artist has announced his second EP Boy’s In Love is due for release Friday, October 30 via [PIAS] Australia.

This upcoming EP promises to further showcase Mak’s distinctive blend of heartfelt lyrics and evocative melodies. The new instalment is a confident pivot from Mak’s previous woes; Boy’s In Love is an expression of sex, love, queerness, and youthful embrace. No longer is the club a place to cry.

With the announce of the forthcoming EP comes his second offering ‘Straight With Me’, which premiered on triple j’s Home & Hosed – co-written and produced with Lucy Blomklamp (Stevan, Ninajirachi, Becca Hatch, KIAN, Eliott, PRICIE, B.Wise and Miiesha). After listening to a lot of Cascada and DJ Sammy, Keelan went in to a writing session with Lucy and the track was born.

Listen to ‘STRAIGHT WITH ME’ HERE

Keelan comments, “Straight With Me is about a queer canon event of sorts. I’m one of the unlucky ones who have fallen into the trap of a straight male gaze (some also call that lucky, each to their own). This track is kind of unserious but also so truthful. I’m past the point of caring about that kind of thing now but it’s still incredibly relatable for queer people.”

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Recent release ‘Naked Eye’ has garnered support from triple j Home & Hosed, added to triple j Unearthed and JOY, and spotlighted across Rolling Stone Best New Music, Frankie Mag, Purple Sneakers, Pilerats and Check Check.

His sophomore EP Brave Face received acclaim from triple j Home & Hosed and Good Nights, added to triple j Unearthed, named as part of Apple Music’s UP NEXT ANZ Campaign as well as being handpicked for the American Express Backers Grant, plus featured across Pilerats, The Music, Music Feeds, Acid Stag, and 10 Magazine Australia. His music has also been featured on key playlists across DSPs gaining him over 1M streams.

Keelan’s music provides an insight into his feelings, a sense of community and a sultry mixture of himself and the places in which he moves between. Energised by the art and fellow creators that make up his fast-paced and evolving metropolis, the twenty-six-year-old artist seamlessly blends raw emotion with a refreshing take on pop music.

“This body of work is really about feeling happy and myself for the first time. The earlier years of my career, I was told to sell a queer narrative and it never felt like me to do so. I was partly scared to be heavily queer in the public eye but I also just felt like it didn’t feel right to brand my work as “queer”. The EP is called “Boy’s In Love” and it really centres around my relationship with my own identity as well as the stories I’m telling in these songs. No heartbreak! Just some gay fun.”

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Artwork: Jeremy Kees

BOY’S IN LOVE
EP Track Listing:

YOU’RE EVERYTHING
NAKED EYE
BOY’S IN LOVE
DRIFT
STRAIGHT WITH ME

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Follow KEELAN MAK
TIKTOK – INSTAGRAM – FACEBOOK
 YOUTUBE – SPOTIFY – APPLE

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AMNPLIFY – DB