Meet keyring

We had the good fortune of connecting with keyring and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi keyring, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
One of the biggest things that people may not know about me is that I’m HIV+. Being a transgender woman and positive is a unique experience and especially in the beginning after my diagnosis I felt like the end was nigh and that I wouldn’t find love or dates or sexual partners, however, I’ve found that is far from the case. As I’m working on music it is a subject that comes up occasionally, though now I take my medication and don’t think too hard about it. After all, I cannot transmit the it because I have an undetectable viral load.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I adore a good electronic dance track or something with an alternative lyrical idea. I started with GarageBand when I was 18 years old and graduated to Logic around the age of 22, though I was only ever a casual dabbler. Things changed in 2020 when I started taking music a lot more seriously and moved to NYC during the shutdowns. It was challenging living there and experiencing the death of my time as a drag queen and the birth of my life as a transgender woman. Music came naturally as I’ve transitioned further, especially as a sacred space where I can express myself and hone and edit my message. The biggest lesson I’ve learned as a musician of four years now is that you can’t let people define who you are, only you can do that. Reinvention and checking in with my emotional state of the present is the source of so much inspiration for my art. Doing this type of work is not always easy, but it is rewarding and precious.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Hmmmm, I really like going to the Church on Sunday nights at It’ll Do, and I also love going vintage and thrift shopping in a myriad of spots around Dallas. If someone were to visit I’d honestly plan to bring them to Deep Ellum for one night, maybe see some live music from some local acts, maybe spend an afternoon in Bishop Arts and catch a movie at the Texas Theater. Though I rarely frequent the cedar springs strip anymore, recently I’ve been finding myself at Sue Ellen’s or Round Up. Given the right company though, I think anywhere would be a good place to hang out even if it’s just at home for a chill night in. (with a sick home sound system)

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I wanted to give a big shoutout to the three people who have truly gotten me through so much in the last calendar year. Firstly, Alex (@lipstickmurder on IG) has been a constant support in my life and is also an incredibly talented visual artist. He is incredibly thoughtful and insightful and I don’t know how I would have faced some of the bigger challenges in life without him. Secondly, My friend and collaborator Ramona Cook (@letramonacook on IG) met in a Texas Government community college night class and ever since we have been cutting up about life, playing shows, and working on music together. It was totally by chance that we met and I have been so thankful every moment that we get to have so much fun pursuing music together. And finally, I want to give a big shoutout to Cheyenne Sweet (@cheyennebsweet on IG) who I have known for quite a few years at this point and is always the kind of friend that you can stay on the phone for hours with. They are so intricate and knowledgeable about the reverberations of music and their music is so so so unique and unlike anything else out there, in an amazing way. I’m so lucky to have such incredible humans, artists, and friends in my life.

Website: https://itskeyring.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/itskeyring

Twitter: https://x.com/itskeyring

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itiskeyring/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbjn6BXjF_k

Image Credits
Christian Salinas