Actor Joe Keery secured millions of fans as Steve Harrington in Stranger Things, but his identity as a musician under the project DJO is equally significant. In September 2022, his second album 'Decide' contained a track called 'End of Beginning'—an ordinary song at first. But in 2024, it suddenly began to explode on TikTok. The two-year time gap didn't matter much. The song was simply good enough. The world just wasn't ready yet. And when Stranger Things Season 4 concluded and fans worldwide rode waves of emotion, 'End of Beginning' became exactly what its title promised—dominating UK charts.
From Chicago to LA: A Song Written at the Crossroads of Growth
Before Stranger Things, Joe Keery was living in Chicago. He attended DePaul University and wandered through local theater stages as an unknown actor. That place was his 'space left behind for himself,' full of the traces of youth. The casting for Stranger Things flipped his life 180 degrees. He was called to Hollywood and stepped into a new world in Los Angeles.
'End of Beginning' captures exactly that process. Joe Keery himself made the song's intent clear: "It's about what it means to be an adult, to look back on a section of your own life and miss that time, while simultaneously feeling deep gratitude for everything that happened." Over the soft electronic sound unique to indie pop, that emotion seeps through transparently. The song is faint yet sharp. Reminiscence is always beautiful.
"It's about what it means to be an adult, to look back on a section of your own life and miss that time, while simultaneously feeling deep gratitude for everything that happened."
— Joe Keery, DJO Project Interview
Two Years of Silence, Then TikTok's Revival
When the 'Decide' album was released in September 2022, 'End of Beginning' was simply a good indie pop track. It received some attention within the Stranger Things fanbase, but didn't gain major traction on music charts or mainstream media. Joe Keery's identity as an actor was far stronger, and DJO the musician was just a side project. But in 2024, TikTok's rhythm changed.
Suddenly, content creators began making videos set to the beat of 'End of Beginning.' The song's emotion was deep yet fast-paced, and the chorus was striking. Gen Z users expressed the song through their own moments of growth and change. Thirty-second videos piled up, reaching millions of views, and eventually trending worldwide. 'End of Beginning' was no longer a 2022 song. It became the song of 2024, and the song of 2026.
A Fateful Meeting with Stranger Things' Finale
In early 2025, the final season of Stranger Things (Season 5) was preparing to come to the world. Marvel's golden age, the MCU's imperial status—these were now things of the past. But Stranger Things remained a cultural icon to countless fans. That world, blending 1980s nostalgia, superpowers, and teenage friendship and love, had followers almost religious in their devotion.
When news of Stranger Things' ending spread and Joe Keery's name appeared in the credits as Steve Harrington, 'End of Beginning' on TikTok reached an inflection point. Fans naturally connected Joe Keery's acting career with his musical work. As if following the journey of one person. That emotional synchronization was extremely powerful. On March 1, 2024, 'End of Beginning' was officially re-released as a single.
The ultrasonic wave of vintage nostalgia began to shake the digital world of 2024. That is the true power of a good song.
— Music Critic, Music Publication
The Legendary Revival of the UK Charts
TikTok's viral effect began influencing the global music market around 2023. But 'End of Beginning's entry onto the UK charts was special. In January 2026, right after Stranger Things Season 5's finale aired, the song suddenly broke into the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart. On the January 15 chart, it surpassed all other artists and took the number 1 spot.
This was an extremely rare occurrence. A song released in 2022 reaching the top of the charts about three years later? The only precedent was Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill,' which was also triggered by a Stranger Things appearance. Joe Keery became the second artist connected to Stranger Things to reach number 1 on the UK charts after Kate Bush.
From Actor to Musician: The Expansion of Identity
Joe Keery's music career truly began after the Stranger Things casting. In 2019, he unveiled a small project called '100 Years of Forgotten Dreams,' and in 2021 released his debut full album 'DECIDE.' His second album 'Decide' showed a more mature sound. His music, influenced by synth-pop, indie-electronic, and new wave, existed outside the mainstream pop scene, but for that reason it was more emotional and profound.
'End of Beginning' was a particularly standout track on that album. It perfectly combined mainstream hooks with indie sophistication. But the problem was that at the time of its release, the world wasn't waiting for that song. The division between actor and musician identity, or the bifurcation of fandoms, was already a phenomenon many Hollywood actors had experienced. But Joe Keery didn't stop there. He consistently made music and trusted his fans. And in 2024, the timing finally aligned.
The Mystery of Timing, and the True Power of a Good Song
'End of Beginning's success wasn't a coincidence. It was timing. It was emotion. And most importantly, it was an excellent song itself. The point where indie pop meets mainstream music, the moment nostalgia meets the future. That song stood precisely at that juncture. The reason it didn't work in 2022 was that the world wasn't ready; the reason it worked in 2024 was that the world needed it.
Joe Keery himself acknowledged the unexpectedness of this success: "Obviously I'm not going to do something foolish. With all of this happening, I need to be grateful and humble." While understanding that his success wasn't accidental but the result of effort and sincerity, he simultaneously recognized the love of many people he met in the process.
'End of Beginning' is now more than a simple song. It has become a cultural phenomenon that transcends generations. The fact that a 2022 song was rediscovered in 2024 and still remains on the charts in 2026 shows how much good music transcends time and space. And Joe Keery, too, has become an artist fully recognized not just as 'the actor from Stranger Things' but also as 'musician Joe Keery.'
