Joe Keery Announces New Djo Album ‘The Crux’ and Tour

Stranger Things star Joe Keery has announced a new album and some upcoming tour dates. The actor and musician, who records under the name Djo (pronounced “Joe”), will release The Crux on April 4 on AWAL. The album’s lead single, “Basic Being Basic,” is already out.

Keery co-produced the album with Adam Thein, recording it at New York’s Electric Lady Studios. This will be Djo’s third album, following 2022’s Decide and 2019’s Twenty Twenty.

Fans were surprised to learn that Djo, whose song “End of the Beginning” recently went viral on TikTok, is actually the actor behind Steve Harrington. Joe chose the name Djo to let listeners focus on the music instead of his fame. “What’s the most confusing way to spell my name? And that’s it,” he explained in an interview as reported by E Online.

He came up with the name late one night when uploading his first record to AWAL. “It was a last-minute decision,” he said. “And the rest is history.” Keery also mentioned being inspired by jazz guitarist Jean Reinhardt, who went by Django (pronounced “Jango”), and said he liked the idea of people hearing the music before linking it to his identity. He even compared the approach to Andy Kaufman’s alter ego, Tony Clifton.

“My main goal was for people to hear the songs for the first time—or maybe the first couple of times—without instantly knowing it’s the guy from Stranger Things,” Keery told Paste magazine. “I wanted them to listen with an open mind.”

02/06 – Auckland, NZ @ Laneway Festival
02/08 – Brisbane, AU @ Laneway Festival
02/09 – Sydney, AU @ Laneway Festival
02/12 – Sydney, AU @ Enmore Theatre
02/14 – Melbourne, AU @ Laneway Festival
02/15 – Adelaide, AU @ Laneway Festival
02/16 – Perth, AU @ Laneway Festival
04/04 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
04/05 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
04/07 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
04/08 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
04/10 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
04/11 – Indio, CA @ Coachella
04/18 – Indio, CA @ Coachella
04/19 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
04/21 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Rockwell at the Complex
04/23 – Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom
04/25 – Madison, WI @ The Sylvee
04/26 – Saint Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre
04/28 – Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
04/29 – Toronto, ON @ History
05/01 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem
05/02 – Boston, MA @ Roadrunner
05/03 – Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall
05/05 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
05/06 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
06/01 – Dublin, IE @ 3Olympia
06/02 – Glasgow, UK @ O2 Academy
06/03 – Manchester, UK @ Academy
06/06 – London, UK @ O2 Forum Kentish Town
06/10 – Copenhagen, DK @ Poolen
06/11 – Oslo, NO @ Sentrum Scene
06/13 – Stockholm, SE @ Annexet
06/15 – Hilvarenbeek, NL @ Best Kept Secret Festival
06/16 – Cologne, DE @ E-Werk
06/17 – Berlin, DE @ Huxleys
06/18 – Warsaw, PL @ Progresja
06/20 – Scheebel, DE @ Hurricane Festival
06/21 – Tuttlingen, DE @ Southside Festival
06/23 – Paris, FR @ ELYSEE MONTMARTRE
06/24 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso