As breakout smash ‘End Of Beginning’ achieves the sort of belated success that has us wondering if any other songs are currently available on TikTok, DJO is becoming far from a mere side project for Joe Keery.

Words: Ali Shutler.
Photos: Zachary Gray, Guido Gazzilli..

Djo’s nostalgia-fuelled ‘End Of Beginning’ is fast becoming the biggest song of 2024, despite being released 18 months ago as part of his twisting second album ‘Decide’. “It’s pretty unbelievable,” grins Joe Keery during a flying visit to London that sees him present the BRIT Award for Best New Artist to RAYE.

“You always hope your music finds its place in the world, and it seems like that one has, in a really big way,” he continues, admitting ‘End Of Beginning’ has already reached more people than he ever thought possible. It’s racked up well over a quarter of a billion streams on Spotify, is still climbing the Billboard Hot 100 in America (currently at Number 11, sandwiched between Noah Kahan and Taylor Swift) and has gotten comfortable in the Top 5 of the UK Official Singles Chart. “I’ve just stepped back and watched it take on a life of its own.”

“I wasn’t writing ‘End Of Beginning’ with the idea that it would connect with people, though,” he continues. “It’s a very specific song based on my own life and my own experiences.”

Written about returning to Chicago, the city where Joe went to college, cut his teeth as a live musician and paid bills by waiting tables while auditioning for commercials, the song is bittersweet, anxious and driven by wonder. He believes ‘End Of Beginning’ is connecting because of how intimate it is. “My perspective is pretty clear. Going back somewhere, remembering a time, yearning for it, but also wanting to live in the present. Turns out that’s a very specific thing that is also really common.”

“To see the humanity behind a bunch of people feeling the same way as each other is super rewarding,” he says. “The fact that other people saw themselves in something I made is thrilling.”

With reflective lyrics and jagged musical chaos, ‘Decide’ is a very human album. While his debut record under the Djo moniker, ‘Twenty Twenty’, pulled heavily from escapist psychedelic rock and laid-back pop, ‘Decide’ sees Joe embrace a little bit of everything. There are still nods to The Beatles, Tame Impala and Pink Floyd, but there are also echoes of Charli XCX, Daft Punk and Talking Heads.

“I like the eclectic nature of it,” says Joe. “I think that there are no rules to follow, so why not just really dive into every angle that you’d like to explore? Why can’t a ‘pop’ record have that attitude?” he asks.