Keaton Henson: Emotions in Song
Depression, anxiety, and loneliness are rampant pandemics in recent years. I, like most people, find comfort in music. Everyone has a specific artist they can relate to in their down times. Their music can hold you up, or hold you in, embracing you until you’ve recovered. I found Keaton Henson a couple of years ago. He is an artist from the UK that rarely does live shows and doesn’t do much publicity to promote his name, yet he still has plenty of steadfast fans that spread the word slowly but surely.
He deals with anxiety, depression, and loneliness just like the rest of us. But we are the lucky ones who get to listen to it. He puts time into his lyrics, which are inspired by love, heartbreak, family, death, and struggles as a song artist. All of these are common topics, but I haven’t found anyone that talks about it quite like he does. His songs can be like soothing lullabies or singing alarms. Each album of his has a different feel, with different attitudes towards the topics he covers. My girlfriend helped me find him, and I’ll forever thank her for it. Maybe it's that special connection that makes his music so vivid for me. I don’t think it’s simply that link that makes his music pop for me.
His first album titled Dear… was his breakout success, and reached radio success. I think it's an incredible story, considering he never thought he would be a song artist for a living, growing up. It's even more incredible because he has serious social anxiety, but that hasn’t seemed to stall his career yet. He originally thought he’d be a sketch artist, and that's what he started out doing. He made music purely as a hobby for his own ears. Others he knew, however, encouraged him to go further with it. He initially released this album wholly by himself, making it on CDs, and personalizing them to buyers. He would wrap the album up, and stamp it. Then he would sign it with their name, “Dear, (name of buyer)”, so when he released it worldwide due to high demand, the official name became Dear… When he released that debut album in 2010, his career was off.
He has real talent and if you’re going to listen to one of his albums, I would consider one of his newest, Monument, to be my personal favorite. It's about the death of his father, due to a terminal illness. While writing and recording, he was watching him go downhill. His father died two days before the album was completed. It is heartfelt, with tones of grief, anger, reminiscence, and love. It truly makes you feel for him, in a way a lot of singers can’t quite express so well. His voice is clear, and his mind is fogged. You hear his uncertainty come through, and it makes for such a sorrowful album, but in the most enjoyable way.
Monument is what really made me fall in love with Keaton Henson, because every song has its own unique piece of heart put into it. The instrumentals are always great, and the lyrics often match the tune perfectly. I think the consistency in his output of good music makes him my favorite artist. His newest EP, Fragments, is a companion piece to Monument. It also has really good songs that were recorded at the same time as Monument, but he considered the songs to be less appropriate to the theme of the album, so he split it off into its own EP. I think that really shows his dedication to telling a story with an album. There are fewer and fewer big name artists that really try to tell a story with an album, and make it an experience to listen to it all the way through.
Most of his albums are available on vinyl, CD, or digital download on his website, which is a big thing for me since I love collecting records. If you end up liking his music, I suggest supporting him and buying something from his online store. Considering he doesn’t do many concerts due to his social anxiety, the primary way he gets money is from his online sales. Keaton Henson has helped me a lot, and I think he could help you too. I think that's what I love about music in general, it's a vaccine that's not controversial. It can erase sadness, ease worries, and make you feel like you’re in good company while in an empty room, as long as the right artist is giving the injection. Let Keaton Henson administer your shot, and check him out on any streaming platform.
