Keli Holiday: Creation, Connection and Capital Fiction
Adam Hyde, widely known as Keli Holiday, or the curly haired half of iconic electronic duo Peking Duk is no stranger to fame in 2025. His solo project, Keli Holiday, once born as a musical space to decompress from a breakup, transformed into an internationally recognised project of love, with his infectious ARIA award winning anthem ‘Dancing2’. And with his latest single, ‘Ecstasy’ hitting viral heights online, and his upcoming album Capital Fiction and Australian tour to boot, Adam has stars in his eyes and world domination on his mind.
Interview Millah Hansberry // Photo Mitch Lowe
Cigarette in hand, surrounded by greenery, artwork and the great Sydney outdoors at his partner Abbie Chatfield’s house, Keli Holiday’s Adam Hyde opens his Zoom call with The Note with a warm smile, an open book sense of humility and his heart on his sleeve.
Congratulations on your mammoth of a year in 2025! It’s really felt as though you’ve hit your stride this year, with your hit single ‘Dancing2’, and new dancefloor banger ‘Ecstasy’. What’s life been like for Keli Holiday?
It's been a trip, to say the least.
You know, a word that we've all come to know quite well since COVID would be ‘unprecedented.’ And I feel like it has been unprecedented in the Keli Holiday universe to see such a beautiful response filled with joy. And it's really beautiful to see something you've created connect heart to heart in such a positive, wholesome way.
‘Dancing2’ has opened so many doors for you and really hit home for people across the globe. How does it feel to see the track connecting with so many people?
It's beautiful. You know, I think every artist just wants their stuff heard. And I mean, to see it get spread around from person to person has been really cool. People drive past me blasting it in their car and yelling out the window. I like that shit. I like when it's outside, you know, I like when it's in the streets and it's a tangible thing. I think to me, that really represents that it's connected. I'm very grateful for all of it.
The track was written about your partner Abbie Chatfield, about meeting a love that once felt a world away. Was there a specific moment or feeling that inspired the song?
Yeah, we were in Kingscliff in New South Wales together. She'd finished shooting a TV show and I flew up there after coming back from America. We decided to meet up and there was just a moment where I looked at her and I felt like, “Oh, now we're connected.” It's quite a surreal feeling. And it's funny to think of all the things that can happen prior to that meeting of hearts or souls or minds.
You teased a few different tracks recently on TikTok and let the audience decide which would be your next release. ‘Ecstasy’ was picked. How have you found the response so far for this track?
It's been awesome, actually. It's funny because if I'm going to be honest with you, I wouldn't have picked ‘Ecstasy’ to follow up ‘Dancing2’. The album has such an array of styles. Some are emotional, some are dancey, some are punk, some are soft. I wanted to put this emotional one out to follow ‘Dancing2’. But there was an overwhelming response to a video I put up and I thought, you know what? The least I could do is give them the song that they’ve asked for after all the love that they've given me from ‘Dancing2’.
It's kind of like a club track and it's like a club punk track. I played a DJ set the night before last in Perth. I opened with it and everyone started screaming the words. I was like, “Oh, sick.” I think a good test with songs like that, that are rhythmic and dance driven and the pulse of it is very dance, is to play it in a room with a full dance floor and see what happens. And it didn't disappoint at all.
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As a project, it feels like Keli Holiday is rooted in such a space of freedom. Which embodies a “it's not that serious, let's just have fun,” type of attitude, that is so infectious. Is this something that you resonate with or is your ethos of the project?
I think that's really beautiful that you said that. I think it's so easy for everybody to take themselves so seriously. And, you know, with creation in any form, it's not life or death. It's not brain surgery. And sometimes it can feel like it, but it's not to be taken so seriously. If you're having fun with it, that's where the good stuff comes from.
I think if you get too analytical, it ruins it, you know. And the magic of any creation is that we can't really explain it. You can't really analyse what makes this song so good. You could say “Oh, well, the chords are great. The vocal sounds great. The melody is so infectious and all these things.” And that's true, but you can't say why it hits your heart and gives you goosebumps. And I think that's like that's the most beautiful thing about music and creation. We can't just like distil it into a theory.
I can't read music and I've never really known like the ins and outs around a piano or chords. I've always just kind of gone off a feeling. And I enjoy that process. It's easy to forget that it is for fun, you know, it's not for expectations to be met, or response to be met. It's an expression.
Like, you give your little kids some crayons, they'll just start going crazy on a piece of paper, they won't think, they'll just go for it. And it's funny, you give those crayons to an adult, and I think most adults would say, “Oh, what do I do? What do I do?” I think that joyfulness the kids possess always seems to be prevalent in good music as well. It's just kind of letting go a bit. And I think that's a really, really beautiful, magical thing that every single one of us has.
And isn’t that interesting? A song can feel so profound and meticulously crafted, and then the artist reveals it came to them in five minutes.
Absolutely. One of my favourite artists is Lennon Cohen. And, you know, he spent like 40 years working on some songs, and then there's other artists that come up with them in two seconds. I've had songs that I've come up with very quickly. And I've had songs that I've gone back and forth on.
You can't quantify the connection or the feeling from a song by how much time was spent creating it. Which yet again, just proves the theory that none of us know what we're doing, which is great. I love that at the end of the day.
That idea that no one knows what they're doing. But some people just have more fun than others?
You’ve nailed it. None of us know what we're doing. So, it's important to try and remind yourself to have fun where you can, you know. There are terrible moments that will happen in everyone's life. There are beautiful moments that will happen in everyone's life. But the consistent thing is that none of us know what the fuck to do with any of it.
In March, you're embarking on your biggest headline tour to date with your upcoming album Capital Fiction. What can fans expect from the run of shows?
A lot of new music off the album. I might even be working on the follow up album. So, I might throw some of them in there. It's gonna be a really special show. And I'm looking forward to delivering it. The band is super tight. We’ve got some special guests. Just sweat and joy.
You’re finishing your tour at the Adelaide Unibar, which is your biggest headline show in Adelaide. How are you feeling about closing it in SA?
I love Adelaide. I have a strong affinity towards Adelaide. I grew up in Canberra - hence the name Capital Fiction - which is similar to Adelaide and in quite a few ways. The nightclub culture is still strong as ever in Adelaide, which is cool to say. I've never had a bad night nor day in Adelaide. Just hopping around, going to bars, talking to random people. It feels like somewhat of a lost art in Sydney, especially. There are all these people out at night, which I love.
If you could describe your upcoming album in three words, what would they be?
Ooh, hard one. Three words. Liberation. Joy. Introspection. Those were the three main emotions I felt while making it.
Keli Holiday performs at Unibar Adelaide on March 28. Capital Fiction is out on all major streaming platforms on February 6, 2026.
