With a string of releases to his name, Singaporean singer-songwriter and electronic producer KEAT has released his debut EP I WAS DUMB BUT NOW IM WOKE.
The new EP is a six-track body of work that includes his previously released anthemic dance singles, such as Selfish Love and Bacon. With electro-pop single Good Friend forming the thematic centre of the EP, KEAT shares that the biggest satisfaction he has earned from pushing through with this project has been his own sense of personal growth.
Deeply rooted in the fast-moving cosmopolitan culture of his home city Singapore, KEAT is a classically-trained Singaporean vocalist-turned-electronic-producer, influenced by the likes of The Midnight, FM-84, Troye Sivan and Disclosure. His writing mirrors his candid nature and offers more than what it seems; a vulnerability edged by hints of playfulness.ย
The talented artist who was selected as a mentee for National Arts Councilโs Noise Music Mentorship Programme 2020 and performed at stages such as Esplanadeโs All Things New, Baybeats Open Stage, and Voices – A Festival of Song, continues to invite his audiences into a world of reflection and liberation, often punctuated with his signature brand of tongue-in-cheek humour and wit. With the ability to harness his impressionable stage presence into the world of digital content, KEAT also continues to produce well-lauded synthwave covers of Top 40s music alongside his original content. His debut single, ‘Leed Me On’, was released in September 2019, in anticipation of his upcoming debut EP release.
I WAS DUMB BUT NOW IM WOKE explores KEATโs personal experiences with love in all of its forms; platonic, romantic, and self – all served with a dash of positivity and hope. In the same vein, the body of work mirrors its thematic nature by pushing boundaries, blurring genre lines by incorporating elements of synthwave, bedroom pop, house, R&B and hip-hop.
Shares KEAT,
โIn many ways, the final single embodies much of what this EP is about: A message of self-love and liberation, and also a chronicle of the growth Iโve made as an artist and a person through my personal experiences in love. Itโs been quite a crazy journey, and my most important anchors came in the form of the people Iโve been privileged to call my friends.โ
Featuring an energetic 80s disco-inspired sound and accentuated with refreshing string arpeggios ร la Clean Bandit, Good Friend is the last collaboration to be released with music producer ZIONN, who serves as the primary producer and music director of the EP.
โThe title is an allusion to millennial pop-culture. It was an idea I jokingly floated up to some friends but it stuck mainly because I think it perfectly encapsulates how I feel about the kind of eye-opening life experiences Iโve gone through in my early twenties. I made plenty of dumb mistakes, but here we are.โ he laughs.
With his tongue-in-cheek usage of the popular word โwokeโ (internet slang word that refers to a state of increased social awareness), the young producer hopes that this debut EP marks the first chapter of a live-long creative and artistic process.
Listen to his EP below and let us know what you think. We are particularly in love with the colours and vibes exuding from โSelfish Loveโ.
