What is the story or inspiration behind “Anna”?

Anna came to me while I was messing around with midi keys one morning. Inspiration suddenly struck and I just started playing this riff out of nowhere. I could hear the groove in my head and I knew exactly how I wanted it to sound so I spent the afternoon building up the rhythm section after letting the idea marinate for the morning.

This is your second single since “Forget You”, how does it feel to be releasing again?

It feels right. I finally feel ready to put myself out there and I really believe in this music. In 2021, I was still figuring out who I wanted to be as an artist and developing the skills to make that a reality and now I feel more ready than ever to release.

You recorded your upcoming EP with Boy & Bear’s Tim Hart, what was that experience like and how did that opportunity come about?

In 2024, I had entered the competition to open for Boy and Bear in Brisbane on their national tour by posting a cover of one of their songs. A few days went by after posting my entry and Tim Hart from Boy and Bear reached out to me directly asking if I wanted to make a record together because he really liked my voice and vibe. As a huge life-long fan of Boy and Bear, I was floored by this and it flipped my world upside down. We caught up for a coffee and immediately clicked. I shared my demo of “Forget You” with Tim and he was excited to get started in the studio. We had a ball recording “Forget you” so it wasn’t long before we were back in the studio to record an entire EP.

What is your creative process like when it comes to writing music?

My creative process is pretty elusive. It’s almost always music first followed by lyrics and it usually starts out of nowhere when inspiration suddenly strikes while I'm playing an instrument absentmindedly. Sometimes I wish it was a little more predictable or structured but I've grown used to this approach over time.

What can audiences expect from John Keenan this year?

My debut EP is just around the corner and I’ll be recording more music this winter. This is the beginning of a new chapter!!