Joe Keery is best known for his role as Steve Harrington in 's . Keery has gone on to appear in Hollywood movies like, , and , among others. Despite being known as Steve from , Joe Keery has another side to him; he is a musician.
The actor is still very much into music, and a close encounter with pop star would set the internet up for a possible collaboration. What was a confusing encounter (sort of) could be a dream come true for the actor. This would make Joe Keery just as fascinating as the affable character he plays in the horror series.
Gone are the days when . , making the Duffer Brothers want to keep him.
Now, the actor is expanding and trying more things with his music, including a possible collaboration with pop star Taylor Swift.
Joe Keery was a guest on the , where he talked about everything, including his music, , and his character on the FX series . There, , and maybe there could hopefully be more from them from such confusing days.
"We heard that there's rumors that you're recording new music at Electric Lady Studios," Jimmy Fallon asked.
"Yeah, I have been fortunate enough to be down there a little bit throughout the year, and it's been - I mean, you have worked out of there a little bit here and there," Joe Keery replied.
"There were people talking that you and Taylor Swift happened to be in the building at the same time," Fallon pried for more information. "[I’m] just saying, is there a possible collab?"
"Well, that was a very confusing day because I was just in there just with John [Rooney], minding my own business, not doing anything. And then I walked out the door, and it was like a thousand people were standing out there.
"People looked at me expecting Taylor and were like, 'Who's this guy?'" Keery explained.
Fallon was perplexed people didn't recognize the actor, asking, "They know who you are, right?"
"No, no. Really, really. And then I walked down the block, and someone was like, 'Hey, that's - Oh, that's that guy.' And so a couple of people were like, 'That’s that guy!'"
While it took people a while to figure out who Joe Keery was, sadly, he did not meet Taylor Swift, and there is no collaboration between him and the "Antihero" singer. But Joe Keery is not filing the confusing day under 'unimportant.' He hopes something can still come from bumping into Taylor Swift in the studio one day.
"Maybe that would generate something.
Maybe that experience generated something in the universe, but I don't know. We'll see," Joe Keery said hopefully.
He may not have met Taylor Swift, but he is open to any possible collaboration with the singer. Even if , fans would love to see what the pop star and the rock musician can do together.
. The actor was part of the band Post Animal. The psychedelic rock band was formed in 2014 in Chicago, and it saw steady success, finally getting signed to independent label Polyvinyl in 2017. Keery was the band’s guitarist and drummer, offering backup vocals too.
While with Post Animal, Keery and the band released two EPs, (2015) and (2016), and an album, Joe Keery also toured with the band while he was not shooting.
However, Keery would later leave the band in 2019 due to acting commitments. Nevertheless, he is still active as a musician.
Under the moniker Djo, Joe Keery released the singles "Roddy" and "Château (Feel Alright)," selected from his 2019 debut album . In 2020, he released a non-album single, "Keep Your Head Up," and his sophomore album, followed in 2022.
, calling him "a musician of very high caliber who... dabbles in the kind of inventive, warped psychedelia that gently twists your melon and constantly shapeshifts around you."
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"It’s long been clear that the artist has the musical chops to match his acting prowess, and here it’s no different. A deeply thoughtful, yet infinitely danceable collection of songs, it balances honest truths with taunting vocals and bursts of synth-prompted energy," the review stated.
With the positive review of Joe Keery’s albums, it was obvious he was no longer just Steve from . Even though , he takes his music seriously and wouldn't mind working with big names in the entertainment business, including Taylor Swift.
Although it won’t be easy, .
The actor feels bittersweet about the impending parting with the sci-fi horror series. was a leg up for the actor, but he is getting ready to shelve the character.
"It does feel like it’s time. It won’t be easy for it to end," he said. "I owe my whole career to being on that show, and all the opportunities that I had since are because of that show. So it’s very convoluted. There’s a sense of relief, there’s a sense of sadness."
The actor's main goal as the series finale draws closer is to not take anything for granted and try to hold on to the joy of being part of the series till the end.
. Nonetheless, Joe Keery is looking forward to other things. His music is one of them. He also joined the fifth season of FX's anthology black comedy drama as a main cast member
His character, Deputy Gator Tillman, is the complete opposite of Steve Harrington in .
"It was clear that he’s a pretty deeply conflicted character. Right away. And at the core, there are major daddy issues," Keery said to
Joe Keery is no doubt looking forward to other things, and a possible Taylor Swift collaboration is a welcome idea for the actor-musician. And the positive reviews of his songs mean Taylor Swift will be in good hands.
