A SINGER songwriter from Dreghorn has just released his first original single.
Evan Keen is hoping that 'The Change' can help provide a platform as the start of a fantastic career in music.
Friday, May 31 was a huge day for the former Greenwood Academy pupil who is currently studying an HND in music at Ayrshire College.
With plans to further his studies at UWS later this year, where he will complete a degree in commercial music, the release of this track is the latest major milestone for Evan who admits that music was not always the path he thought he would follow.
He commented: "After I left school I was a bit clueless in what I wanted to do.
"I ended up working in the Co-op in Dreghorn for a couple of years before deciding to make the venture into music at Ayrshire College.
"In my three years at Ayrshire College, I have achieved great success, including multiple music collaborations with Kilmarnock Football Club.
"I was also shortlisted in the 2022 Bridge 2 Business Awards for 'Enterprising Student of the Year' and again in 2023 for Social Enterprise."
Evan may also be a familiar face to many as a regular performer in venues across Ayrshire and the central belt.
As well as gigs at the Harbour Arts Centre, supporting acts such as Nigel Clark (from Dodgy), Soldier On, The Mocking Byrds, Ocean Views and The Shores - he has played at top venues in Glasgow and Edinburgh such as The Classic Grand, Stramash, McChuills and The Clutha.
He has also taken his talents overseas with gigs in Dublin and Seville - with big plans set out in the coming months.
With the Euros taking place in June and July, Evan is set to perform in the Tanzbrunnen fan zone in Cologne and in Heidelberg's Halle02.
Having this opportunity ahead, the timing has been perfect for the release of Evan's track 'The Change'.
He explained: "I have been wanting to release my own music for a long time but I always struggled with writing lyrics.
"The right opportunity came when this year at the college, we were tasked with creating a single or EP, I believe this helped motivate me to see the song-writing process through.
"The Change is an Indie Rock track inspired by the likes of Sam Fender and Bruce Springsteen.
"The song was all about that feeling of feeling stuck in bad times, I wanted to have that message of resilience and hope, I feel that comes through in the instrumentation and the choruses lyrics."
He added: "It feels great I got to record this song with the help of my good friends at the college.
"Holly Rollins and Nicole Cullen providing backing vocals, Nathan Harkins on the keys, Ash McLean on bass and Ffion Evans on drums.
"Recording the track with such fantastic musicians with promising futures was just such a blast which lecturer Iain Massey, who recorded the track as part of our session skills, called the best recording session he's been a part of in years!"
Now, Evan has high hopes that the track can be a platform to build his career on.
He continued: "I hope this track will be the platform to kick off my music career and start to build a special career in music.
"I think the dream is to play the Barrowland Ballroom in future, it is such a special venue to me and to other Scottish music goers, If I can play the Barras I think I could say I've completed life."
Evan's track is available to listen to on Spotify now, with further updates on his career and upcoming gigs - including for those heading to Germany - this can be found on his social media pages.
All this information and more is available online at https://linktr.ee/evankeen.
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