Interview by Carol Wright | Photographer: Sara Kiesling
We got to chat with singer Keelie Walker about her EP The Girls Night and when she knew she wanted to be a performer.
When did performing become a passion of yours?
It became a passion of mine, since age 6, whenever I went to Taylor Swift’s concert. I wanted to go perform with her, so bad. I got mad at my dad, because he wouldn’t take me up on stage with her. After the concert I knew it’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to sing and perform just like she did. Of course, I was super young and couldn’t sing, so I started with dance. As I got older I was watching TV and started wondering what it would be like to become an actress. I started coming up with my own scenes and acting them out by myself. Sometimes, I would take scenes from something I watched and liked, then I would reenact it. I never grew out of it. I would always tell my parents how I was going to be famous. I would go to talent scout events all the time. I always sang around the house. At the age of 13, I began vocal lessons and started recording songs. I’ve loved it ever since!
At 14 you opened up for Jason Derulo. What did you learn from that experience?
Being a featured act with LZ7, on Jason Derulo‘s tour was the very first big gig I booked. One thing I learned from that experience was that things can change last minute. Nothing is set in stone. An hour before I went on stage for the first time, at Wembley Arena I had to learn a new version of the song that I had practiced. I learned how to be flexible and set my focus on the new version they had given me. I went out there super excited and still had a lot of fun.
Tell us about your EP The Girls Night. What story are you hoping to tell through the EP?
The process of this EP was super fun to create. It consumed a lot of hard working hours. I wanted to make sure that each individual song in this EP included lyrics that people could relate to. I wanted to have a variety of songs, such as a party song, emotional, heartbreak, confidence empowerment etc. so that everyone could have their own way of vibing to it.
You worked with renowned producers Brian “Yung Ladd” Pickens, Lambert “Stereo” Waldrip, and Xcellence. How did they help you shape the EP?
They all were super inspiring, in their own way. I learned a lot from working with them. They all gave good advice and were very helpful by being very intuitive and knowledgeable.
What inspired the lyrics in your song “Gemini?”
Toxic boys who have two sided personalities. The ones who never know what they want and never commit to anything.
What advice do you have for aspiring singers?
No matter what, just keep following your dreams and never give up! Always have faith in your abilities and always stay kind, humble, hungry, and grateful.