The Kev Talks about Sense of Style, Current Project, and more

How did you come by your stage name?

I came by The Kev when I accidentally signed off a work email with it. I thought it was the perfect stage name since it isn’t really an alter-ego, it’s just me with the handbrake off.

When did you discover your love for your craft and what made you realize you wanted to pursue a career in it?

I was teaching myself Mandarin-Chinese while living out there, and I began writing songs in it. It was a study method that got out of hand.

Gradually, I realized that a white guy singing their language would never be taken seriously, so I turned this weakness into a strength by being deliberately silly.

This is my latest gig in full https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u8GE5LNJVM

To what or whom do you accredit your sense of style?

A lot of things, there is a poem by DH Lawrence called ‘Self-Protection’ which really captures my essence. The scene in ‘Way Out West’ (1937) where two grown men start dancing for no apparent reason is also similar to what I am all about.

On your current project, how did you come up with the concept?

My new album ‘We Need to Talk About the Kev’ is long and varied. Track 3, ‘Romance Tonight’, is probably my archetypal song, in that it starts off with a lofty pretense, but descends into the absurd and the obscene, involving everything that is my signature.

‘Bucket List’ is another one that starts off very conventionally, but is about a picture-perfect couple whose one heroic flaw is an inability to talk dirty. I got that idea from a comedy sketch.

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The rest of the album is mostly made up of meta twists on popular genres, like heavy rock songs and chirpy dance-floor fillers.

My next headline gig is at The Bread Shed on November 11th https://www.eventbrite.hk/e/the-kev-with-very-special-guests-tickets-650022192877

What are your plans for the near future?

I am launching my new album ‘We Need to Talk about the Kev’ at The Castle Hotel, Manchester, on May 26th. I am then playing a headline set at a massive venue in Manchester called The Bread Shed on November 11th.

How can fans find you?

https://www.instagram.com/thekev84/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.phpid=100027726204064
https://www.tiktok.com/@thekevmusic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kr2VYHwhrw&list=PLbiQX-Z6GnGmAEQKSpisDT2U1z930J9lZ
https://kevinmcgeary.com/english-songs/

All three of my English albums, ‘TMItastic’, ‘Abusive X’, and ‘We Need to Talk about the Kev’ are available on all major platforms.

What suggestions do you have for other artists like yourself?

Comparison is the mother of misery. Don’t compare yourself to others.