Erin McKeown is a musician, writer, and producer known internationally for her prolific disregard of stylistic boundaries. Her brash and clever electric guitar playing is something to see. Her singing voice is truly unique – clear, cool, and collected. A familiar presence on NPR and the BBC, McKeown’s songs have also appeared on numerous television shows and commercials. She has spent the last decade and a half playing nearly 200 shows a year while releasing 9 studio albums and refining a distinct and challenging mix of American musical styles.
McKeown’s first original musical, “Miss You Like Hell”, co-written with Tony & Pulitzer winner Quiara Alegria Hudes, had its world premiere in the Fall of 2016 at the La Jolla Playhouse. It opened Off-Broadway at The Public Theater in the spring of 2018 where it was nominated for 3 Outer Critics Circle Awards (Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Score) and 5 Drama Desk Awards (including Best Music, Best Lyrics, Best Orchestrations).
While a student at Brown University, Erin spent three years as an artist in residence at Providence, RI’s revolutionary community arts organization, AS220. An active voice on social justice issues and culture, Erin was a 2011-12 fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, and she has blogged and hosted for WNYC New York Public Radio. A former board member of the Future of Music Coalition, McKeown has also worked closely with a range of non-profits focusing on her core concerns of media justice and immigration reform.