‘Stranger Things’ actor Joe Keery anonymously conquered the world with his TikTok hit ‘End of Beginning’ | Music

Djo’s ‘End of Beginning’ is a hit all over the world. The song, which is an ode to the city of Chicago, has been listened to more than 300 million times and is in the top ten of the charts in almost thirty countries. The song was released two years ago on the album ‘Decide’ and has been going viral on TikTok since February. To the melancholic tunes, users show images of the place where they feel most at home.

Yet for a long time it was not clear who was behind the American artist. Joe Keery was unrecognizable on the record covers and during performances you would not immediately think of the world-famous actor from ‘Stranger Things’. He played in anonymous suits or disguised himself with a mustache and wig. But due to the increasing popularity, some fans eventually discovered that Keery is the creator of the viral TikTok hit. “Joe Keery is DJ! I’ve been listening to Steve Harrington all the time,” he said in shock on social media. The news immediately went around the world.

“I’m not a complete idiot. I knew people would discover it,” Keery told ‘Paste Magazine’. “But the idea was that if they listened to my music for the first time – or maybe the first two times – they wouldn’t know it was that guy from ‘Stranger Things.’ I wanted the audience to be able to listen to my songs with an open mind.”

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However, it has been known in the music industry for some time that Keery can not only act, but also has musical talent. For example, in his twenties he was part of the band Post Animal as drummer and guitarist. In 2018 he left the group because he could no longer combine it with his long shooting days on the set of ‘Stranger Things’. “And the association with the series would also have damaged the band in the long term,” he said.

Yet he could not say goodbye to his great passion, so Keery continued as a solo artist under the pseudonym Djo. He spent his days off in the studio and in 2019 he released his debut album ‘Twenty Twenty’. Three years later his second album was released: ‘Decide’. Djo now has more than 40 million monthly listeners, largely thanks to TikTok. This makes Keery one of the most successful indie artists of the moment.

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