KEATH ÓSK OF YAELOKRE ANNOUNCES DEBUT ALBUM ‘FOREWORD’ OUT SEPTEMBER 4TH
Keath Ósk, the visionary artist behind the runaway multimedia folk sensation Yaelokre has announced their highly anticipated debut album, Foreword arriving September 4th on Atlantic Records.
The announcement comes alongside details for a massive fall headline tour kicking off this November across North America. The run follows the staggering success of their instantly sold-out debut live shows across the U.S. last November, which included packed consecutive nights at New York’s Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg, and Los Angeles’ Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever.
Since launching in early 2024, Yaelokre has captured a massive global audience. Driven by their chart-topping, viral breakthrough single, “Harpy Hare”, the project has amassed over 550 million total global streams and built a combined social following of over 5 million fans, sparking an intense, community-driven fan frenzy.
Debuting in January 2024, Yaelokre quickly gained attention with the single “Harpy Hare,” which went viral on TikTok and topped Spotify’s Global Viral Songs Chart.
Yaelokre is an artist renowned for intricate world-building. Their innocent, leftfield folk telling the tale of The Lark, a musical ensemble of four masked children who inhabit the fictional land of Meadowlark. In this lore-heavy universe, Keath originally voiced every character using distinct, pitch-shifted vocals. Now, the Filipino-Icelandic artist is turning the page. Under their own name, Keath Ósk, they are re-recording and re-imagining these beloved songs with a broader sonic palette and, for the first time, performing in their beguiling, natural singing voice.
By shifting from the narrator of Yaelokre to the first-person perspective of Keath, the lyrics take on a new, deeply personal resonance. Escapist, mythical folklore is cast into a new light, transforming into highly relatable, personal truths.
“These songs were written when I was a teenager,” Keath shares. “Yaelokre started up quite abruptly, and I didn’t have the resources to actually accomplish the songs in the way I wanted them to be. But now I’m at a comfortable point in my life where I can have fun and input my personal style into it. I feel like it’s a really good way to close the first chapter of Yaelokre and introduce me coming into music in my own right.”
Collaborating with producer and solo artist, Jack Hardman, Keath unlocked a new creative freedom, giving each song its own distinct personality. The record infuses the original folk melodies with brass bands, woodwinds, and textures inspired by alt-pop, hip-hop, and jazz.
“I love that this is a free white canvas,” they beam, exhilarated by the possibilities. “I get to play around, be creative and use so much of my skill to create, to make and collaborate. It’s exciting.”
Keath’s hope is that fans old and new can both immerse themselves in Foreword in whatever way appeals to them.
“I hope everyone will have a lot of fun with it. The people who are invested in the story and want more can listen to the Keath Ósk songs and have fun seeing how they remind them of a Yaelokre character. And the people who want to be there for my journey as an artist can see that I’m capable of many other things besides that project.”
To celebrate the release of Foreword, Ósk will embark on a headline UK and European tour this October including a landmark show at London’s iconic 02 Shepherds Bush Empire, immediately followed by a massive North American run starting November 9th in Orlando. The tour will bring their expanded live band and newfound creative freedom to the stage with a series of highly anticipated dates. The full list of dates can be found below. See HERE for complete details and remaining ticket availability.
OCTOBER
27 – Bristol, UK – O2 Academy Bristol
28 – Birmingham, UK – O2 Academy2 Birmingham (SOLD OUT)
29 – London, UK – O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
30 – Leeds, UK – Leeds Beckett Students’ Union
NOVEMBER
1 – Glasgow, UK – Oran Mor Auditorium (SOLD OUT)
2 – Manchester, UK – Manchester Academy 2
3 – Dublin, IE – The Academy (SOLD OUT)
9 – Orlando, FL – The Beacham
10 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
12 – Nashville, TN – Exit/In
13 – Charlotte, NC – The Underground
14 – Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Smalls Theatre
15 – Columbus, OH – A&R Music Bar
17 – Cleveland, OH – Globe Iron
18 – Washington, DC – The Howard Theatre
20 – Asbury Park, NJ – Asbury Lanes
22 – New York, NY – Webster Hall
23 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
24 – Boston, MA – Royale
25 – Toronto, ON – East End United
26 – Montreal, QC – Le Studio TD
29 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues
30 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line
DECEMBER
2 – Denver, CO – Cervantes’ Other Side
4 – Salt Lake City, UT – Soundwell
6 – Spokane, WA – The District – Knitting Factory
8 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
9 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox
11 – Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre
13 – San Francisco, CA – The Castro Theatre
15 – Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre
16 – Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom
18 – Austin, TX – Brushy Street Commons
19 – Dallas, TX – Echo Lounge & Music Hall
20 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
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