Kevian Kraemer Talks Ignoring Expectations and Pursuing His Truth

LA-Based Kevian Kraemer’s third studio EP merges vulnerability with unforgettable riffs and radiant pop production

PHOTOS BY CLAUDIA CHIOSSONE

Following a period of rapid change and constant movement, rising pop artist Kevian Kraemer sounds more grounded than ever. After finding his footing with Jersey or Mars, his 2nd EP in which he has described as the moment he truly discovered his sound, Kraemer returns with only if it matters, an EP shaped by trust, collaboration and a stronger sense of self. Created alongside close friends and producers including Micky Brandolino, Simon Oscroft, Harry Charles and Michael Kamerman, the project feels like a natural progression from Jersey or Mars — still fueled by yearning and intimacy, but viewed through a more reflective, matured lens.

For Kraemer, only if it matters marks a shift in his perspective as an artist. Less concerned with algorithms, expectations or “playing the game,” the EP centers on what feels tangible: music, connection and being present. 

“All that matters is the experience of being together alive and the music,” he tells Pleaser, describing the project as his most emotionally honest to date. Across expansive, live-built production, Kraemer explores what exists on the other side of heartbreak — not absence, but clarity.

The release arrives just ahead of Kraemer’s biggest headline tour yet, kicking off this July with stops at revered venues like Bowery Ballroom, Troubadour and Cat's Cradle. For an artist adamant that this project is meant to be experienced live, only if it matters feels less like the start of a wider, more confident evolution.

PLEASER: This EP comes out so soon! Final days, final week!

Kevian Kraemer: It’s freaky.

How does it feel as you get closer to the release? Does it get more nerve racking?

KK: It’s actually not nerve racking at all! It’s just a really weird feeling. I was at a Grammy event two months ago, and Lola Young was talking and she was saying how it’s [releasing an album] like having a kid. But I feel more detached from it, and I’m ready for it to be a thing because I’ve been so obsessed over it.

This EP feels like a very natural follow up to Jersey or Mars, which you’ve mentioned in the past is the project where you felt as if you had found your sound. Going into only if it matters, were there things that you were really adamant about wanting to bring with you, sonically or for the overall vibe, or anything you were wanting to leave behind?

KK: I wanted to build on the sonic world of Jersey or Mars for sure — definitely matured up a bit. The main thing that I brought into this project from Jersey or Mars was the people. For  this project, I have a strict group writing on it of people that I love and trust in. This project was also built for live!

I wanted to talk about the title of the EP specifically because it feels very introspective and self-protective in a way. What does that mean in the context of the project?

KK: That is really crazy because it is a self-protective project. Woah, that was nuts. This project, only if it matters, is about only things that matter, and all that matters is the  experience of being together alive and the music.

It’s not how I “play the game,” it's not about the internet, it's not about views — it's not. It's just fully about the music. If it got zero streams, I wouldn’t care. And this is the first project where I've been able to center myself and be like, “Wait, I live here, this is what I'm doing, this is insane, I went on tour, all of this is real.”It is time for me to make something where I actually don't care how it is. It has to either work, because I love it, or it's not gonna work.

That’s really refreshing to hear honestly, because people can obviously hear the passion in the music if it’s coming from a place of realness and authenticity.  

In terms of themes in relation to Jersey or Mars, the themes of romance and intimacy carry over in this great way. You can still hear the yearning that was so prevalent in your previous work, but it's from more of a settled, outside perspective making it feel very reflective. How do you go about pairing these more guttural sentiments and lyrics with the upbeat sound we hear throughout only if it matters?

KK:I don't think I'm consciously doing that.

As much as I'm doing so many sessions and writing so many songs, I feel like what always comes out is the truth.

With Jersey or Mars, I was in the moment when I was writing [at the same time I was] with this girl, and now I've traveled a lot more and I've seen a lot more things so if I was still that person, [that relationship]  wouldn't work. So that kind of mature, objective look at something that I still feel super passionate about can be heard in the music, which I'm stoked about because that's something that I've realized in the post of creating it. It wasn’t as clear to me at that moment. 

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Throughout only if it matters, the emotional honesty that defined Jersey or Mars remains, though now viewed from a more reflective perspective. Tracks like “down under” carry an easy warmth and sense of nostalgia underscored by acoustic instrumentals, while “i just get worse” builds toward a massive release that feels tailor-made for a packed out venue. Even “does it still mean something?” — the EP’s opening track and emotional centerpiece pairs introspective lyrics with bright, expansive production, capturing the balance between longing and clarity that runs throughout the record.

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I do want to go back to your lead track  “does it still mean something?” It feels like the perfect intro to the album both thematically and sonically.  Did you write it with the intent of it being the first track or did that choice come later?

KK: I didn't write it with that intent. It was with my two friends during a 6 p.m. session and we just showed up and ate Chinese food and hung out in this little room.  We got a groove going, and the intro is when I felt I knew what was gonna happen, with this project being focused on being present in the moment and do not take it for granted. That was a known theme by my collaborators. 

I had a bunch of videos and clips from this music video from the song “Tan Lines,” that I put out last summer, and that was the first time in my entire life, where my personal life and my music life have mixed. I had all of my friends in my home city, on the beach just super natural and so much fun, so I brought in a bunch of audio from that shoot. That kind of feeling is super important to me, so I figured this is first going on the project, but second, I think this is gonna be a massive song. 

This rollout has been crazy and I've seen a lot of people claiming it’ll be a Kevian Summer, which I can definitely foresee.
The EP drops and then you’re on the road in July.
What does that look like for you in terms of prepping both personally and performance wise?

KK: I'm trying to finish this roll out super strong!
In June, I go back home, and I take about two weeks to take my minute and to see my friends, drive around on the beach, be a degenerate and just hang. Then we start rehearsals in Brooklyn for two and a half weeks — it’ll be really fun building out that show. And then we're out! We're slumming it out in the transit van.

The venues on this tour are iconic: Bowery Ballroom, the Troubador, and Cat's Cradle, which is a personal favorite. Are there any that you’re particularly pumped to play this go around?

KK: I have like a whole manifestation list for this tour on every venue that I wanted. I told my agent, “You're getting these venues or cancel everything.”
I'm really stoked about these venues. It's pretty insane to see the ticket counts and everything. This was the next step, because of the last tour…I think 10 out of 13 sold out very quickly. So it was like, what else do you do? Do you just want to do the same venues and sell it out faster? No, I want to play in big rooms.

It's fun at this stage to build this log, because this is, in my experience of watching people and just being a part of [what] people build, this is the tour where it either kind of makes or breaks you. This is the line that you have to cross, and then once you cross it successfully, it's, like, “Sh*t. This is the threshold.
That's a big touring act.” [It’s] fun to have a challenge, to see “is it gonna sell out?” and then just watching it get closer and closer. A lot of different cities will surprise you as well.

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For anyone who has seen Kraemer live before, the jump to larger rooms feels less like a risk and more like a natural next step. His shows already carry the kind of communal energy that makes even the biggest spaces feel intimate, and with only if it matters built so intentionally for a live setting, tracks like “how can you tell,” “i just get worse” and “down under” seem destined to become defining moments throughout the set.

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You’ve been so adamant about this EP being meant for live shows. With that, is there any particular track you’re excited to debut live? Or any songs that you think may be the setlist “underdog”?

I have a few thoughts since the whole thing is built for a live setting. I think the craziest moment where it’ll be like “Oh, f*ck,” is when we take [the show] down to dead silence, and then the riff of “i just get worse” comes in. That's just gonna be stupid. 
And then “down under”! It's such a classic, well done smash.

Did you want to share any parting words about your EP or tour?

KK: My final parting words are: this project cannot be fully experienced unless you see it live. 

Pleaser asks that you respect Kevian’s wishes and catch him on his “Only if it Matters” Tour kicking off in July, and to check out his new EP of the same name streaming now!