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[PIAS] Australia are excited to announce Naarm/Melbourne-based queer alt-pop artist Keelan Mak’s upcoming five-track EP, 'Brave Face', out on October 28, 2022.
To accompany the EP announce, the title track is out now alongside a video directed by Alex Greaves. Written alone after the end of a relationship, ‘Brave Face’ is an exale and an ode to the role Keelan Mak found himself playing for months. Losing who he was as he continuously tried to keep a ‘brave face’.
Keelan refers to this song as one of the happiest that he’s created thus far, ironically drawn from one of the heaviest periods of his life. He says,
“I remember sitting at the piano in my old apartment in Sydney; I had just gone through a really difficult break up and my partner moved out only a few days before. I wrote 'Brave Face' as a slow, melancholic piano track. It stayed like that for quite some time. After a few months, I started to bounce back a little and wanted to get back into creating. What ended up was a really energetic, happy instrumental that I combined with my sad piano song. I think there’s something brilliant about having juxtaposition like that.”
On the video, the aforementioned juxtaposition was brought to life.
“'Brave face' is all about the two sides of a heartbreak. I had the idea of doing a split screen where one half would be an honest retelling; the other a manufactured dreamscape. For the dreamscape side, we spent the morning running around the Stanwell tops lookout in NSW. We were on leach watch the entire time. I think I counted at least 10 that were on me by the end of shooting. Alex (the director) basically just yelled at me while I ran around and danced in the bush. With this video, I’ve honestly felt the most like myself out of anything I’ve made. I really hope everyone can connect with the two emotions we’re showing. Break ups are f**king hard man.”
The 'Brave Face' EP announce follows ‘Boy Oh Boy’ and single ‘Forever Ago’, which marked Keelan’s debut for [PIAS] Australia and his first new music since the release of 2019 EP 'Test The Shallows'.
Drawing sonic inspiration from indie singer-songwriters such as BENEE and Conan Gray, Keelan Mak is an ever-changing force in motion. He writes music you can cry in the club to, with reflections of candid heartbreak, blending melody with consciousness in a fragile form of musical expression. His music is a sultry mixture of himself, his feelings, and the places in which he moves between, energised by the art and fellow creators that make up his fast-paced and evolving metropolis. Keelan Mak seamlessly blends genres to create a unique artistry in the current landscape, while building a sense of community throughout.
'Brave Face' is out now.
Listen HERE
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