Keli Holiday on ‘horsepower’

Words by Sara West

Keli Holiday continues to bring groovy pop tunes to Australia and beyond. His new single ‘horsepower’ released today will surely get you up and dancing along. We chatted with Adam Hyde, the artist behind Keli Holiday, about the new single, including musical influences, what it means to him and what fans can look forward to in the future.

Image Credit: Jordan Kirk

Pleaser: Can you tell us a bit more about what or who influenced 'horsepower'?

Keli Holiday: Strong women influenced the idea behind the vocals which were freestyled and recorded in one take alongside Dante Knows and Tasker. The sonics were heavily influenced by the stone roses and anything grimy yet booming.

P: Is there a certain lyric from the song that you feel most conveys the overall idea of the single?

KH: The chorus lyric says it all....She's got horsepower.

P: The song starts with an old time recording. Can you walk us through what made you decide to include it? Does this particular audio have significant meaning to you?

KH: I love slang. I've never heard someone use the word horsepower to describe a woman with a je ne sais quoi that is so commanding she can turn a room of mice into soldiers so I thought why not do it and use a definition video to describe the original use of the word to juxtapose the song itself.

P: Many of the lyrics in the song refer to a woman. Is the song only about people, or are there other things in your life that you see as having horsepower?

KH: This refers to a certain instance meeting a very powerful woman that was so in control yet loved to be out of control with a bag of horse tranquilizer in her pocket. She's got horsepower. She IS horsepower.

P: What else can we look forward to from you in the upcoming months? How does the theme of 'horsepower' tie into future releases?

KH: This is the beginning of a new chapter for Keli Holiday. Authenticity only. This is the first taste with a lot more to come very soon so please keep your eyes, ears and hearts out for me <3

Image Credit: Jordan Kirk