The final curtain call of a cultural phenomenon has sparked an unexpected chart shake-up, sending a familiar face from the Upside Down straight to the top of Spotify’s rankings.
According to the New York Post, Joe Keery, best known to millions as Steve Harrington on Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” surged to No. 1 over the weekend — not as an actor, but as a musician.
Releasing music under the name DJO, Keery overtook Taylor Swift’s long-dominant track following a fan-driven streaming surge after the show’s series finale.
Keery’s song “End of Beginning,” originally released on his 2022 album “Decide,” climbed past Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” to claim the platform’s top spot. The movement came as viewers revisited Keery’s music after watching the final episode of the hit series.
Swift’s song, from her 2025 album “The Life of a Showgirl,” had been a fixture at No. 1, holding the position for 78 consecutive days before being displaced.
The chart twist carries a touch of irony. Keery and Swift previously crossed paths at Electric Lady recording studio in New York City, where the pop star unexpectedly praised the very song that would later dethrone her.
“I just happened to be there the day that she was there. And she’s really nice. I mean, I’ve met her a couple of times,” Keery recalled on “The Spout Podcast” in 2024. “Before anything happened with this track, she said, ‘Hey, I really love that track of yours, ‘End Of Beginning.’ She just said that she had heard the song and, you know, obviously I’m like, ‘What? You heard that song? How the hell did you hear that song?’”
Keery went on to marvel at Swift’s reputation as a devoted listener. “But she’s like a music lover, really. And she’s also so hip to new music and things that are coming out,” he said. “So, somehow it came across her desk, and she listened to it and then said that she liked it. Really, really nice of her.”
He later described the surreal studio encounter during an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
“That was a very confusing day because I was just in there with John, minding my own business,” Keery said. “People looked at me expecting Taylor, and were like, ‘Who’s this guy?’”
As for a future collaboration, Keery left the door cracked open. “Maybe that would generate something,” he said. “But I don’t know.”
Long before “Stranger Things,” Keery was already building a musical career. He’s a member of the psychedelic rock band Post Animal and has released three solo albums — a path now echoing loudly across the charts.
