Pop artist Keelie Walker has been immersed in the music industry since she was a young teenager, opening up for such popular acts as Jason Derulo, West Life, and Little Mix on their LM5: The Tour! However, she still deals with the same issues that all teenagers face; self-consciousness, awkwardness, self-worth, bullying, etc. Walker knew she wanted to pursue music from a young age, having trained early, along with dancing at the age of six. She shot her first music video at age 11, and her music fuses vibrant pop with a bit of R&B.
Now 17, she’s been featured on BBC’s playlist show, Heat Magazine, and Shout Magazine, and has received frequent airplay from BBC, Kiss Fm, and Bauer. She has also received well over 1 million streams on Spotify and happened to be the youngest performer at Wembley Arena. Her latest single “Girls Night” is all about female empowerment, and the music video features her, her friends, and all of them enjoying each other’s company and life, while they cruise the streets of Nashville and their backyard suburbs. The single was produced by Brian “Yung Ladd” Pickens (Lil Wayne, Young Thug), Lambert “Stereo” Waldrip (Zendaya, Mya), and Xcellence (Kanye West, Wiz Khalifa). The song is also featured on her latest EP, fittingly titled Girls Night.
You got into the music scene at the age of 14, opening for Jason Derulo, West Life, and Little Mix on LM5: The Tour! What was that experience like for you, and what did you take away from it personally and professionally?
Keelie Walker: It was a lot of fun and a huge experience. Professionally I learned that nothing is set in stone so you have to be ready to change if needed. I say that because the first night I was performing an hour before I went on stage they change the song up and I had to learn a new version of it. Personally I feel like I learned how to control being nervous and staying calm when something does change because it’s easy to freak out about messing up but in reality it’s completely normal to mess up because the show goes on.
You’ve also been dancing since you were six years old; what are your earliest memories of dancing, and what do you love about it so much?
Keelie: When I was six and I started dancing I was involved with studios in my hometown so I would go to recitals all the time to compete with my friends which was super fun. I love the fact that dancing allows you to just be free and creative. You get to put a little bit of your own sway into your dancing which is unique because it’s you.
Your lyrics for your music come directly from your experiences in life. Are there certain experiences that reflect more in your music?
Keelie: In some songs yes, but in others no. I have had experiences personally which has effected my emotions causing me to create lyrics to help cope with things I may be going through. In other songs, I may see or hear things going on with family, friends, or just the world in general, in which I create lyrics to help inspire others to get through situations that is going on such as my song “Runaway.”
You are very much loved by the BBC, and have received tons of love from them with airplay, and have garnered over 1 million streams on your Spotify alone, including being the youngest performer at Wembley Arena. Does that pressure you or motivate you with your music?
Keelie: I am very grateful for BBC and the loved they have show me plus all the interviews with BBC was so much fun and they made me feel so comfortable. On my first performance ever when I was 14 to step out on stage at Wembley as one of the youngest ever was a humbling and motivating experience. I was so nervous but when I step out on stage and the energy I felt from the crowd was so incredible I forgot about being nervous and I knew this is my path and passion so from that point I am so driven and motivate to made music that everyone can relate to.
Your latest single and music video, “Girls Night,” is about you, your girlfriends, and having a good time. What motivated you to write this song, and what was filming for the video like for you and your friends?
Keelie: When I was writing it I knew I’ve always wanted to have a girls night kind of track that just gives the feel of having fun and living life to the fullest. Filming the music video for “Girls Night” was so much fun. We had so many scenes such as the girls getting ready and dressed up to go shopping downtown, then a pool scene and a party scene. After the pool scene we had to wait until dark to shoot the outside party scene so everyone just hung out and ate a lot of pizza which is one of my favorite foods.
“Girls Night” is from your aptly titled The Girls Night EP, which touches on heavier themes like anxiety and depression. What was the writing and recording experience like for you with this EP, and what’s next for you throughout 2021?
Keelie: This EP was my first EP for me to ever co-write and honestly I was kind of nervous getting into it because I had never done it before but as time went on I got more comfortable. It was super fun for me to explain what I wanted to write about and how I wanted to tell the story of the song. We don’t have anything set in stone for touring as of yet but I have been going to rehearsals preparing my new show for when the opportunity comes up, plus new music also coming as well.
