Keli Holiday Is the Breakout Star Australia Can’t Stop Talking About

This interview is part of our Future of Music 2026 series. Follow all the coverage here.

Adam Hyde might have first made his name as one-half of electronic duo Peking Duk, but Keli Holiday is no side note.

What began as a post-breakup creative outlet has evolved into a fully realised solo project, full of emotional swagger, new wave shimmer, and songs that know exactly when to wink and when to wound.

Holiday’s music pulls from new wave, indie sleaze, pop, dance, and rock ’n’ roll, landing somewhere between broken-hearted balladry and full-body party music. It’s flamboyant, funny, sincere, and occasionally heartbreaking, but never careless.

His latest era has pushed him firmly into breakout territory. The ARIA No. 1 single “Dancing2” became a viral force on TikTok, soundtracking tens of thousands of creations, before Holiday opened the ARIA Awards with a star-studded performance of the track and took home the award for Best Video.

His Like A Version cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire” also struck a nerve, racking up more than a million views within its first day online and earning an official release after fans demanded it.

Holiday’s second album, Capital Fiction, has only sharpened the picture. The record hit No. 1 on the Australian Albums chart, No. 3 on the ARIA Albums chart, and No. 5 on the Vinyl chart, marking a major moment for a project that began as something Hyde wasn’t even sure he would release.

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What makes Keli Holiday work is that beneath the unserious-pop sparkle and theatrical bravado, there is genuine emotional weight. Hyde has built a world where heartbreak can still dance, where longing can wear sunglasses indoors, and where one song can be both a joke and a gut-punch.

Read an exclusive interview with Keli below.

Rolling Stone AU/NZ: What does it mean to be included in Rolling Stone’s Future of Music series? 

Keli Holiday: I hold Rolling Stone in the highest of regard when it comes to music journalism and music representation, so to be included in their Future of Music series, to say it’s an honour would be an understatement. 

How did you first get your start in music?

I started throwing together beats for a friend of mine that could rap really well, and that evolved slowly but surely into playing guitar, messing around with sounds, and just throwing anything at the wall… I think that’s the funnest part of it all, just revelling in the chaos and not trying to hold onto anything as too precious. 

Describe your sound to a new listener in three words.

Sweat, joy, love.

Tell us about your latest release. 

My latest release is my record Capital Fiction, based off of tales from the capital, Canberra, where I’m born and raised. [It] features a bit of this and a bit of that — give it a spin and let me know what you think.

What’s your favourite career memory so far?

Ahhhhh, [American TV personality] Carson Kressley* is a big fan of Keli Holiday.

*I’m 99% sure this is what he said but I’m not 100% sure 

What are the positives and negatives of being a musician in 2026?

I think there’s always positives and negatives of being a musician, whether it’s in 2026 or it was 1972. Now we have technology advancements that are moving at such a rapid rate. I think there’s no stopping it — you just gotta roll with the tides and have fun with what you create. I think the best thing that I could find throughout it all — and anyone should find throughout it all — is just [tp] make things that bring you joy.

What’s one thing you’d change about the NZ/AUS music industry?

I’d say we all need to lift each other up a bit more. It’s a small pond and we have so much talent here — instead of holding all our cards so closely we should share every card we got with everyone we got.

Are you hopeful for the future of music in ANZ? 

I’m hopeful for the future of music of Australia always, there’s so much talent here it’s just in abundance… travelling around the world I meet people and they say, “What’s in the water down there?” And I tell them, “No idea mate, come on down and check it out for yourself.”

Credit: Mitch Lowe

Name one other ANZ act you’d like to see make the next Future of Music series?

My boy Benson has been digging and making some of the best tunes in Australia for so long when it comes to dance music, I would love to see him get his flowers. Also Spike Fuck – an incredible artist from Melbourne.

What’s coming up for you this year?

This year I’ve got more shows, I’ve just finished my new record, and I’ve got some very pleasant surprises in store.