Does Riley Keough really sing in ‘Daisy Jones & The Six?’

As the granddaughter of Elvis Presley, it only made sense that Riley Keough would be cast to play the Stevie Nicks-esque rock n’ roll legend Daisy Jones in Prime Video’s new limited series Daisy Jones & The Six. 

The 10-episode series follows Daisy Jones, an aspiring young musician with unparalleled talent, as she joins the already-established band The Six to form one of the biggest rock ‘n roll groups of the 1970s. The story is told through the oral history format with accounts from members of the band, their families, and friends. It includes flashbacks, drama, and, of course, drugs, sex, and rock n’ roll. 

Based on the Taylor Jenkins Reid novel of the same name, Daisy Jones & The Six took a total of three and a half years to complete, from the moment of its conception to its official release date. The delay was due in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic but thankfully, it gave its cast plenty of time to get comfortable on stage. 

Included in the show are 10 original songs as part of the fictional album Aurora, for which Reid wrote the lyric herself in the novel. Ahead of the show’s premiere, the album even shot to number one on the US iTunes charts. In addition to being available to stream, fans can also purchase the vinyl version.

The real question though is whether or not Riley Keough — and the rest of the cast —  sang her own songs, or if someone else was brought on to do the reference vocals and the actual songs themselves

Is that really Riley Keough’s voice on the mic, or someone else?

Musicality really does run in the family. That songbird refrain you hear coming out of Daisy Jones’ voice is, in fact, Riley Keough’s. The 33-year-old actress spent over a year strengthening her vocal cords to keep up with the rigor of recording an entire album. As a matter of fact, there is zero dubbing on the show whatsoever.

Initially, Keough found the prospect of singing publicly daunting. Executive producer Lauren Neustadter told Vanity Fair that Keough’s lineage was taken into consideration prior to casting, and she was asked whether or not she could feasibly (and convincingly) sing live. “We talked about her singing and we talked about her grandfather,” said Neustadter. “And she sort of said, ‘You know, I know I have it in me, but I really don’t sing outside the shower. This is not a thing that I’ve done before, but I’m ready to do the work’, and she really did.”

When told she would have to learn how to belt, Keough said, “I was like, what does that even mean? I didn’t even know how one gets to be able to sing loud. I went to a vocal coach and I was like, they need me to belt.”

Keough leaned on Lady Gaga for inspiration, practicing the hit song “Shallow” from A Star is Born, which does indeed include a massive belt. 

“I was like, are you out of your mind, it’s not an easy song to sing. I sounded so bad that I started crying. I was like, I can’t do it, and when I can’t do something it lights a fire in me to be able to do it. I was like, I have to do it. I’m gonna go to this vocal coach, and he’s gonna teach me how to f****ing belt, whatever I need to do to get this. It really became about pushing myself to do things I’ve never done before.”

It all paid off. Sam Claflin, who plays Billy Dunne in the show — Daisy’s bandmate, co-lead singer, and star-crossed lover — said, “Seeing her come alive in that role is just, I mean, it’s mesmerizing, it’s magical.” 

In the novel, Daisy Jones is described as having an innately captivating singing voice that mesmerizes anyone who hears it. She’s fierce, passionate, and unapologetic, and that all comes out when she sings. That’s not an easy trait to capture, but seeing as Keough’s performance is what reviews can’t stop raving about, she evidently succeeded. 

Daisy Jones & The Six premieres on Prime Video on March 3.