World-renowned musician Declan McKenna performed a blend of indie-pop and playful rock at The Sylvee on Tuesday, Oct. 29, with support from musician Vlad Holiday.

The Badger Herald spoke with McKenna about going independent, his new releases and his upcoming tour with Sabrina Carpenter.

McKenna recently shared two new songs, “Champagne” and “That’s Life” in a double AA-side single after going independent for the first time since he signed to Columbia Records in 2015, nearly a decade ago. McKenna said his decision to go independent was a natural progression because the end of his record deal was near.

“I feel like I’ve gotten a lot of experience in the industry now and can facilitate a lot more myself. I think creatively it could lead to something different and a bit more direct,” McKenna said.

Fans who know McKenna for his catchy songs and relatable messages will be delighted by the same upbeat melodies and the development of McKenna’s creative process on his new songs. One of my favorite things about McKenna’s music is the way he celebrates the spectrum of emotions – good and bad.

At the concert, he performed his song “Beautiful Faces” from his 2020 album “Zeros” which has lyrics such as “Going to the stores, pullin’ socks out of the drawers / Of the people who you don’t love anymore.” To me, this song is what it feels like to be stuck on social media, realizing how fake it is while simultaneously stuck in the grasp of the fear of missing out.

He also performed his new song “Champagne”, which features lyrics like “Tripped and killed the boss / Well, you know I never mean what I say / But I’m sorry for your loss.”

In terms of how his creative process has changed, McKenna said it’s been a lot of simplifying things and re-encapsulating the freedom of being a young creator. Now, he can look back on things he has done and judge whether or not he wants to do something similar in the future.

“I think you’re most creative when you’re sort of not analyzing or not trying to be anything,” McKenna said. “It’s just been a journey of finding your own voice and finding the purest way of executing your own things.”

McKenna said there are some songs he enjoys playing for personal enjoyment, and others because of the way they excite a crowd, mentioning his 2019 hit “British Bombs” as one of these. I could see this in the way he moved the crowd with this song at The Sylvee as he sang “It’s a good old fashioned landslide / Killing with your hands tied.”

This concert was bittersweet, McKenna said. It marks the final headline show with Vlad Holiday before he’s off to join Sabrina Carpenter on tour. Holiday and he ended up getting along very well, McKenna continued, which showed at their Madison performance. Near the end of the show, McKenna told the crowd, “We’re gonna do something we’ve never done before.” He then pulled Holiday on stage for a cover of “Don’t Let Me Down” by The Beatles. The musical chemistry was on fire.

McKenna said he’s looking forward to touring with Carpenter, and he and his crew have been working hard on preparations. What an exciting time for McKenna as he transitions to lighting up stages both new and tried and true. Stream his new songs “Champagne” and “That’s Life” and look out for more releases in the future.