Keelan Mak is having some "gay fun". Celebrating the the freedom of falling in love and owning his identity, the Melbourne-based artist crafted the five-song EP Boy's In Love, alongside writers like Troye Sivan, Leland and Vetta Bourne.

"This body of work is really about feeling happy and myself for the first time," Keelan says. "The earlier years of mycareer, 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... 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."

The songs are great representations of freeing and unapologetic pop songs, as Keelan embraces desire and all of love's imperfections through a state of euphoria. We spoke to him about this new chapter:

It sounds like in both your music and what you’ve previously said about this project that you are in a state of mind that is more free and confident. Tell us about the catalyst for this project. Was there a conscious moment when you knew it was the beginning of the new EP.

It was pretty unconscious, actually. From what my last two EP’s have told me, it seems to take me three years to write an EP. I was 23 when I finished the Brave Face EP and 27 for the Boy’s In Love EP. In that time, I learned to care less about the way I’m perceived (which is really awesome btw).

I wrote the Boy’s In Love tracks, looked at them as a whole, and was like “Wow. Ok. This is looking a lot gayer than the last two EP’s. Cool.”

The EP centres around your relationship with your own identity. What have you learnt about yourself through making these songs?

I wrote a lot of the songs about past relationships I’ve had that had turned sour. I really focused on putting myself back in the moments where I was happy with them. It was a really pivotal moment for me because prior to that, I had a lot of sadness looking back at those situations. It felt almost like a cathartic letting go of sorts. I’ve always found it hard to write happy music so this was a BIG deal.

Was there a specific environment or place that was particularly conducive to writing these songs? Where do you feel you are best able to express yourself?

I like to write in my bedroom. It’s my cosy little safe space where I can feel it out.

How do you think you have evolved as an artist both sonically and lyrically?

I think sonically, we’re going more dance’y with this one. I’ve always listened to a wide variety of music and I don’t really see it as an evolution. It’s more of a Disney montage where they try different outfits on.

Lyrically, I think I’m just learning how to say more with less. I want the message to be clear and succinct. Well that and honestly not taking it too seriously. The lyric doesn’t always need to cut deep. Sometimes it’s just about a vibe.

Is there a song you’re particularly proud of? One that was perhaps a challenge to write or one you are excited to play live?

You’re Everything is my pride and joy. I wrote the first verse after reading a collection of poems from Lesbia Harford. (please look her up, she’s so so brilliant). I think this song captures a really strong love that I felt a few years ago. I really wanted it to work out but they left the country and it was all over quite quickly.

The song’s energetic and fun, but also so loving and emotional. Which is the perfect meeting of the two kmak worlds right now.

You worked with some great people on this record. Obviously, we have to ask what it was like writing with Troye! Tell us about that experience.

Writing with Troye felt incredibly natural. I was in a session with him, Leland, and Tim Nelson (from Cub Sport) the day before, so I got all my pop star nervous jitters out of my system then. We sat and chatted about what I wanted to write about and I spilled all the guts of a break up I had and then we jumped in.

Troye is a brilliant writer with impeccable pop sensibility. Not that that should come as much of a surprise though. ‍

Who else did you work with on this EP that really helped to craft your sound?

Across Boy’s In Love, I worked with Leland, Troye Sivan, Vetta Borne, and Lucy Blomkamp (and they’re all LGBTQIA+ by the way…) Everyone brought their own brilliance. Lucy’s producer brain is so special. Straight With Me was written in an hour because of her. She moves quick and we were just spewing out the song at that point.

Vetta Borne is a very dear friend of mine, and writing Drift was so funny. I never write horny music, so we kind of just took the piss for the whole session and it was honestly the funniest writing process I’ve been in. Like we have no right thinking these things together.

Who is exciting you in music right now? What are you loving?

There’re so many great Australian artists right now!!! 1tbsp and Sycco are two that I think are doing it so well right now.

What’s something you’re passionate about that isn’t music-related?

I’m a self-professed domestic king. My passion has always been cooking. Like professional at-home cook type beat.

What’s next?

EP? Album? All I know is, it won’t take another two years.

Listen to Boy's In Love HERE.

@keelan_mak

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