I am a totally different person from the last time I was featured on MDWMN. It’s been a whirlwind. I was in the thick of therapy; diving into childhood trauma while also beginning a new relationship. Working at a job that I hated while simultaneously trying to get my acting career off the ground…but it feels like the dust has settled and I’m in a much better place now.
Read Keegan's first MDWMN editorial here.
My family has jumped on board the therapy train with me (although it took them a while to come around lol) which has seriously impacted the strains on our relationships with one another. I also gained a whole new family when I moved in with my boyfriend, Daniel, when the first lockdown hit. We live with his parents, grandmother, and brother. It’s a full house for sure, and there’s always a fight for the washroom, but it’s been a real blessing to be able to spend so much time with them during the pandemic.
Daniel and I have spent most of the pandemic working on new music and I’m very proud to say we released an EP! The songs featured have been a work in progress for years, so the EP is appropriately named “Out of My Head” because these songs are finally out of my head and into the world. (It’s also a lyric from another song we have coming out this summer, but you didn’t hear it from me). They’ve been completely transformed from the simple lyrics and melodies that I first created, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. This is how they were meant to sound, no doubt about it.
The pandemic also gave me a pretty serious reality check when it came to my acting career. I just realized that I hate auditioning. Like, with a passion. I’ve had a few bad experiences in the audition room and eventually, I realized that I simply wasn’t enjoying the process anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I still love acting, but I don’t get the joy and satisfaction out of auditioning and “doing the work” the way my peers do.
Then my agent and I parted ways and I figured this was the universe’s way of telling me it was okay to just focus on music right now. Music and...accounting. I’ve been working as a trainee assistant accountant on a film set for a few weeks now and I am L O V I N G it! I had wanted to make the switch from nannying to something in the film industry (aside from acting) and I started as an office production assistant pre-COVID. Thankfully, after the lockdown, I was able to get back into it, and eventually, the people I worked with told me about the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) apprenticeship program.
I chose accounting for two reasons: 1) The pay is excellent 2) I actually studied accounting in college as part of the Fashion Management program and surprised myself with how good I was at it! (To preface, I went into my exam with 110% grade. I did all the bonus mark projects including writing a children’s book called A is for accounting)
I had toyed with the idea of going back to school (again) to pursue accounting but deep down I knew that wasn’t the right path for me. So, when I found out about the program with the DGC, I jumped at the opportunity. I’m so happy to finally have a career path in an industry that I love so much. As much as I thought I flourish in chaotic environments, it turns out, a steady routine and a stable income is pretty nice too...
Being an indie musician is like having a really expensive hobby and while I am a recipient of Factor Canada’s artist development grant, which has definitely helped, I’ve spent a lot of my own money not only making but also promoting this music. But, if you’re not willing to invest in yourself, how can you possibly expect others to invest in you? That’s the way I look at it anyway… so I’m going for it. All in baby!
It’s been tough not being able to play shows or even go to them for that matter, but my goal is to go on tour next summer as an opening act for someone. I have no idea who or where it’ll be, but I’m putting it out there in the universe and working my ass off to be ready for when the opportunity presents itself. In the meantime, I’ll be putting out wicked pop-rock tunes and trying to figure out TikTok.
Listen to Keegan Chamber's full EP, "Out of My Head".
One of the songs on the EP, "Look What You've Done", is about an experience Keegan previously shared on MDWMN when a man in a blue truck was following here is a piece from Keegan's first editorial "Young Girls These Days"
...It’s just really frustrating and unsupportive the way young women have been groomed and then treated when it comes to sexual assault or harassment, that’s why I felt like it was important to talk about it. Even recently, there was a man who was following me around in a blue truck. I was terrified - it was only a few weeks after the incident at Yonge and Finch where people were run over in the name of incel. I genuinely feared for my life at that moment. Eventually, I was called in to identify the guy and the officer had the audacity to tell me that “pretty” girls like me have to be careful. I interrupted him immediately, cautioning him to be very careful with his next choice of words, which was the first time I had authentically stood up for myself in a while. The officer proceeded to tell me that I needed to practice personal safety. I told him that I’d been practicing personal safety since I was 12 and that the issue here is that this man needs to know that there are consequences to his actions. As I left, he had the audacity to tell me how much he loved my thigh tattoos. As if this was an ok moment to comment on my body. These are the people who are supposed to serve and protect - but anyways.
Follow Keegan's journey on Instagram.