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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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Keelan Mak, the magnetic voice captivating a generation with his heartfelt melodies and introspective lyrics, has returned with a brand-new track, self-described as queer smut in disguise – ‘Drift’ is out today via [PIAS] Australia.

Listen to ‘DRIFT’ HERE

Keelan comments on the writing process, “Late last year I took an instrumental idea to Vetta Borne and clearly we were both sexually frustrated that day to write this track. We didn’t want it to feel grotesque or too sexually obvious because sex is soft, beautiful, and deserving of a little indie pop drum beat, you know. Kim Petras already has the other vibe covered and I know my lane.”

He continues to deliver his refreshing take on pop, with the third single from his forthcoming EP, Boy’s In Love out Wednesday October 30, showcasing his vocal sensibility as he weaves together the highs and lows of life, offering his own experiences and observations through a queer lens.

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.

Previous releases ‘Naked Eye’, co-written with Troye Sivan, Leland, and Vetta Borne at 301 Studios during 2023 Sydney World Pride, and ‘Straight With Me’, which picked-up a first play on triple j’s Home & Hosed, has garnered support from triple j, added to triple j Unearthed and JOY, and spotlighted across Rolling Stone Best New Music & Song You Need To Know, Frankie Mag, Purple Sneakers, Pilerats and Check Check. Keelan has also received massive support from DSP editorial including Spotify’s GLOW Cover, Hits Different, New Music Friday, Pop’N’Fresh and Fresh Finds.

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.”

Keelan will be performing as part of [PIAS] Australia’s Showcase at this year’s SXSW Sydney on October 18 at the Lord Gladstone Hotel.

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Pre-Save EP HERE

Photo: 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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Listen to ‘DRIFT’ HERE

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AMNPLIFY – DB