BROUGHT TO YOU BY MARSWORTH
JANUARY 2023
Croatian native, had just made it home from an 8 month journey across Europe with Marco Mendoza and was kind enough to make time to sit down with us to chitchat about anything and everything! We talk about his beginning in the music industry, personally rocky performances, as well as what the future holds for him and his career. I’d like you to meet Zagreb’s own, Ivan Keller.
MARSWORTH: When was that first “Oh shit” moment when you realized that music was going to pay off for you?
IVAN KELLER: I guess when we (Animal Drive) got our first record deal. That was totally the next level for me and I took everything more serious than ever.
M: Do you come from an artistic or musical family?
I: Not really, only my mother was into music years ago. She could sing and play some chords on the guitar.
M: What would you ask for if you had 3 wishes from the genie?
I: Good health, everlasting will to move forward and 10 billion euros, nothing special.
M: If you weren’t a musician, what would you be doing?
I: Probably selling newspapers on kiosk.
M: Describe your worst performance. What did you learn from this experience?
I: Ugh, I have a lot bad experiences mostly from the time when I was younger and much more silly. On one gig my string broke and I didn’t have an extra pack or a backup guitar. So I plugged the electro-acoustic guitar into distortion and finished the gig. You can only imagine how bad that sounded.
M: Dream tour lineup?
I: Dino, Mario, Luka and me. That’s the dream.
M: What’s the best piece of advice another musician ever gave you?
I: Don’t ever be satisfied with your playing. You always have to reach for more.
“You always have to reach for more.”
-Ivan Keller, 2023
M: Who helped you most in your journey?
I: At the beginning, my grandma helped me to save the money for my first guitar. But later, Dino did a lot of really nice things for me. He helped me in every way.
M: Do you follow a process or ritual before a performance to get rid of nerves or performance anxiety?
I: Nothing special. One beer, warm up a little bit in the backstage and I’m ready.
M: What’s next for you?
I: Do some work with my band Jelusick. We’re gonna record the album, shoot some music videos and do a tour. We’ve been waiting for so long and now, finally, our time is coming. We are all looking forward to that.
Click the image below, if you’d like to know anything more about Mr. Keller or just to keep up with him on the regular. Catch him on Instagram or even grab tickets to see him on stage this April!
