A former music publisher was disappointed that Joe Keery’s melancholic song, 'End of Beginning,' needed the fame of Stranger Things to gain the recognition it deserved. The song was a viral hit in 2024, and it continues to enjoy success across streaming platforms. However, the song was not an immediate success when it was initially released and received little attention from listeners. 

It began gaining traction much later, mostly after fans realized that the song was by the Stranger Things favorite babysitter. That connection ultimately helped push the track to mainstream recognition, and this is what troubled the former music publisher.

An Instagram account titled Signordecline features a father-daughter duo in which the father, a former music publisher, listens to songs selected by his daughter and decides whether he would have signed or declined them if they had been submitted to him. In their latest post, the song they listened to was Joe Keery’s 'End of Beginning', which the former music publisher happily approved and said he would have signed. However, he was disappointed when his daughter told him how the song eventually gained recognition.

“But it's such a pity that it needed Stranger Things exposure to become successful because it's such a good song," he said. 

While some keen listeners were quick to discover and appreciate the song without knowing the singer, much like the former music publisher. Many others took notice after recognizing the singer behind it. Keery wrote “End of Beginning” after completing his studies in Chicago and shortly before landing the role of Steve Harrington in Stranger Things. He released the song in 2022, and its lyrics about the end of one chapter and the beginning of another connected with the listeners. 

Unsurprisingly, the song surpassed 2 billion streams in 2026, just as Stranger Things was approaching its end. The record put Keery ahead of none other than Taylor Swift on the global Spotify chart. However, one factor that may have contributed to the song’s delayed popularity could be Keery’s name.

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The Stranger Things actor released the song under his musical alias, Djo, rather than his real name. He took a different stage name when he started his solo music career which is thriving now. 

Joe Keery was a co-founder of the Chicago-based band Post Animal and contributed as a drummer, vocalist, and guitarist on the band’s albums. He eventually left the group in 2018 as he transitioned further into acting and continued his role as Steve Harrington on Stranger Things. In 2019, he self-released his single 'Roddy' and took the stage name Djo for his music career. That helps explain why many listeners may have been unaware that the hit song 'End of Beginning' was by Keery. 

Following his early singles, he released his debut album, 'Twenty Twenty,' in 2019. His second album, 'Decide,' arrived in 2022 and featured 'End of Beginning'. Most recently, he released his third album, 'The Crux,' in 2025, which earned a nomination for the 2026 Grammy Award for Best Album Cover. While Keery has successfully balanced his acting and music careers, his work as a musician indeed deserves to be recognized and appreciated separately from his Stranger Things fame.

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Do you agree with the former music publisher about Joe Keery's song? Let us know in the comments.