Image via Summerfest
Declan McKenna
When 16-year-old Declan McKenna emerged as the voice of a generation, he started building a reputation of creating bold and deeply honest songs. Ever since his breakout track “Brazil,” McKenna has found himself bringing lyrically vulnerable glam rock to the indie music genre. The now 24-year-old singer-songwriter sets his authentic lyrics to a gritty dreamlike pop sound in an electrifying musical display. His work emphasizes a sense of freedom that comes from a song loved first for the melody, second for the commentary, and finally, for the artist himself.
Declan McKenna will play Milwaukee’s Summerfest twice, headlining the Generac Power Stage at 10 p.m. on June 22, and playing the American Family Insurance House earlier that day at 4 p.m. For tickets and more information, visit the Summerfest website.
With new music on the horizon, McKenna reflects on the creative process for his first two albums, What Do You Think About the Car? and Zeroes. “It’s been about finding the ways that I like to create music. There’s no wrong way to do it, but when you actually have a bit of choice in the matter, there’s a variety of ways you could go about it,” says McKenna. “This next record that I’ve made is blending both intimate, direct recordings that you might get on something live with digital material. It almost feels like the record that I’ve made now has gone back to how I was recording right at the start. That’s what I’ve come back to because it’s so natural. I just love what you create in that environment.”
Highly Anticipated
McKenna’s Summerfest performance is a part of his larger North American tour, and he’s excited to engage with audiences during his highly anticipated live performances. “I’ve really been enjoying playing live because we’ve got a new configuration with the band. I’ve enjoyed playing ‘Beautiful Faces.’ It feels really good, and it also feels a little more heavy than how we were playing it before,” says McKenna. “We’ve been playing a new version of one of my older songs, ‘Paracetamol,’ and that’s been going very well. I think it’s needed, and it sonically moves differently. I’m really enjoying playing that again, because I think it’s one of the tunes people want to hear every now and then. It’s a different show, played with a different group of musicians, but we’re really finding our feet.”
Part of the reason McKenna’s reach is so wide is his ability to write about relevant topics that are important to the next generation. His records keep indie music refreshingly real and relevant. “It’s strange to talk about it now. I feel like back when I was sixteen, I would write about stuff that feels so heavy to talk about now. It almost has a new sort of profoundness, looking back at the stuff that I was saying without any fear of doing so at such a young age,” says McKenna. “It has a sense of freedom, but the message is the thing that you think about afterwards, that it sort of leaves you with.”
Declan McKenna’s music is vulnerable, personal, and deeply insightful, full of messages and themes that exist in waters very few artists choose to tread, such as politics, poverty, media, and sexuality. McKenna dives into poignant lyricism while emphasizing feelings of pure joy with the music. “My music gives a message, but I’d prefer to give a feeling than a message. A feeling of freedom. Assuredness. A feeling that you can enjoy yourself in that moment and be yourself. The messages are something to ponder on, but I think there’s something to the music which is central to what I do creatively,” says McKenna. “I’m trying to create a feeling and an emotion with the music first and foremost and that’s the thing I hope people are getting. I think that’s the most important thing to me, that people feel good.”
