Declan McKenna is something of a shapeshifter.
By day, Declan McKenna appears like another regular British lad, the kind you might find sinking a few beers over a game of pool in a Brighton pub. By night, however, he transforms into some celestial being. Dressed like a ‘70s rocker, he hurls his body around a stage like a mechanical bull on fire. A rockstar in its purest form.
On this Thursday morning, transformed again, McKenna greets me from his hotel room in Detroit like any other British lad would. Dressed in merchandise from his own tour, McKenna appears very chilled. He’s finally having a day off.
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“I’ve just been catching up on life admin,” McKenna says. “Going shopping for vintage clothes, eating, sleeping…”
A day’s rest seems entirely necessary for McKenna, who will soon be performing to full arenas when he joins American pop star Sabrina Carpenter on her Short n’ Sweet tour. It goes without saying McKenna is a long way away from home, but he’ll soon be able to enjoy beaches far superior to Brighton Beach when he returns to Australia in early December.
“My favourite beaches were in Perth. I played some delirious gig there because I was so sun-bleached. I barely even sweated because there was literally no moisture in my body to sweat out. It was also the first time I’ve ever seen a beach be evacuated for sharks.”
The tour of Australia earlier this year was McKenna’s first time in the country. “I loved it,” he tells me. “After doing so many tours of America and Europe it was actually refreshing to go somewhere new. Plus, I love so many Australian artists like Tame Impala, Confidence Man and Pond.”
He was so impressed by Australia that upon leaving he immediately wanted to book another tour. After waiting for the right offer, he was eventually approached by Two Door Cinema Club. “It just sounded like a good idea, an alluring indie concert.”
As for songs that McKenna will be performing on tour, I asked if he could play his cover of ABBA’s Slipping Through My Fingers. Although, I might add, he was not fully convinced by my pitch.
“It’s not my baby the same way as my own songs are,” he says, “but I did it once in Edinburgh and it was nice. To be honest, I didn’t put much thought into it. I also did not expect it to be big.”
For McKenna, creating things and having them unexpectedly blow up seems to be a common theme. When he was 15, he wrote a song called Brazil as part of his music coursework at school. In it, he criticised FIFA for hosting the World Cup in the controversial country. The song later went on to become his breakout hit. It also allowed McKenna to (nearly) top the class on his GCSE results.
“I got 98% for it. I don’t know what two per cent I missed out on. Probably the voice crack at the end. I was definitely up there. Then I think I got a C or something in my theory, so I got bumped down a bit.”
McKenna’s penchant for performing clearly came in handy for him as he now has an illustrious career under his belt and is set to return to his independent roots for the first time since the start of his career to release his new singles, Champagne and That’s Life. McKenna’s decision to start releasing his music independently came after several years of being signed to a major label.
“It’s quite a viable option now… I’m in a very different situation than when I was 16. I didn’t have any experience or money to fund things, but now so much is on the internet.” McKenna also considers an independent release to be the most suited to his music.
“Brazil is a great example of a song that, as much as being signed to a major label has helped it, I also think a song that resonates with people like that can’t be held back. I never had anyone telling me how to make it.
This simplicity in the process of songwriting is something that McKenna has previously longed for.
“Back when I was writing my first album, I was in school and not thinking that a song should be written in the ‘right way’. That’s what a lot of artists, me included, run into questioning when you’re in the major label world. Now when I write I just think I should be doing this for fun or expression. I just want to feel like I’m riding a wave of what’s inspiring me right now.”
This desire for control over his output has also stemmed into the visuals for McKenna’s records. Unlike previous albums, McKenna now only surrounds himself with a tight team of creatives when developing the visual aesthetic of a record. Really though, it’s just him and his friends messing around and coming up with stuff.
“Creativity doesn’t happen in the boardroom. It happens when you’re hanging out with a couple of brews and the boys, lashing a few and shooting the shit. It’s not about doing things the proper way, it’s about what gets things done. You need to be weird, chat shit and get things wrong. Beating your head against the wall is part of the creative process.”
Declan McKenna will be performing with Two Door Cinema Club at Margaret Court Arena on December 8. Tickets are accessible here.
