‘Stranger Things’ Star Joe Keery Just Called Charli XCX One of His ‘Idols’

Who knew Steve Harrington was such a Charli XCX stan? Joe Keery revealed in a new interview Monday just how much he appreciates the British pop sensation.

In a profile with The Daily Beast, the Stranger Things star opened up about dipping his toe into new fields like directing and music. And when asked by the outlet to name his idols in those arenas, the actor had two answers ready: Stanley Tucci and Charli XCX.

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Thanks to the hype machine that is stan Twitter, it only took the “Good Ones” singer a matter of hours to learn of Keery’s fandom, and she gave it her stamp of approval by commenting “taste” above a quote-tweet of the story.

As for his own musical ambitions, the 30-year-old actor is readying the release of his upcoming album Decide, which he’ll be dropping under the stage name DJO, just like he did with his 2019 debut Twenty Twenty. (In case you’re wondering, it’s pronounced “Joe,” like his name, rather than DJ O.) “It was a way to put music out under my name without having people know directly that it’s me,” he told the outlet before admitting, “It is highly confusing.

“It’s not like I’m singing all of this music from the perspective of a character. It’s all me,” Keery continued.”It was just a way to disassociate from myself. I feel like, with the show, I’m kind of a character, because of the internet. I didn’t want that character to affect people when they’re listening to the music — so releasing it with its own character is a way to give it its own space.”

Keery’s sophomore album, DECIDE, will be released Sept. 16 via AWAL Recordings. Check out Charli XCX’s take on being idolized by the actor below.

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