Andreas Österberg aka Andy Keetla is a multi-talented actor, singer and songwriter. Andy, in the role of Magenta, and his fellow cast mates will be doing The Time Warp and revolutionizing the production of Richard O’Brien’s cult classic Rocky Horror Show, which opens February 2nd at Östgötateatern. The director Nils Poletti has taken the unusual step of casting a man as Magenta. Apparently it took some convincing for the playwright to go along with this change in casting. Kudos to Poletti for not only re-interpreting what Magenta, a transsexual alien, might look like, but for shaking up tradition and mixing up the casting (the lead is also a black actor). The unexpected casting  gives the story more dimension and makes it more relevant to today.

Give us a bit of background about yourself.

Growing up in a small town in the south of Sweden, in a musical family, I dreamt of a life on stage at an early age. Singing in the local choir, piano lessons, the theatre club and dance studio all laid a solid groundwork for me to, at age 15, star as Puck in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Right after earning those great reviews, I moved to Stockholm for studies at The Royal Opera Ballet School and Kulturama school of music. Starting out, I immediately benefited from all my training, booking jobs both as an actor and a singer. Between studio sessions and theatre roles, I was picked up by a modeling agency that booked me for a couple of years as a commercial model, landing me the cover of Nöjesguiden and an international campaign for American Express. I choreographed the play “Diamanten,” which earned a nomination for Best Show by Nöjesguiden and played a small role in “Kommer du med mej då,” a movie that won a Guldbagge for Best Sound. As a songwriter and solo artist, I’ve released two singles and am currently writing and co-writing new material. I’ve played roles such as Farouk in “Tal till Nationen” at Stockholm City Theatre and George Murchison in “A Raisin in the Sun” at The Swedish National Touring Theatre, and also been a musical theatre artist, playing Gary Coleman in “Avenue Q” and Mutumbo in “The Book of Mormon.” On February 2nd, I will be the first black male actor to play the role of Magenta in “Rocky Horror Picture Show” when the show opens.

Tell me about a childhood memory that shaped you most into the person who you are now.

Getting my first record and record player for my birthday.  My grandfather putting me on the top of his piano, playing and singing together.

What is your biggest inspiration for the role of Magenta?

I would say Grace Jones. But since Magenta is a transsexual alien and has never been played by a man before, I’ve created my very own version of her.

When you survey the landscape of acting, how does it reflect the time?

I want to see more black actors in leading roles. Things are slowly starting to change, but there’s still a very long way to go, so let’s pick up the pace.

What keeps you busy between projects?

Write songs.

What kind of songs do you write?

My genres are soul, RnB and pop. I write to relate and I write to be relatable. Both as a person and as an artist. I write music to understand life. Music has always been like a backdrop in my life and I interpret life through music. My topics are universal but my take on them is personal. In my music, I get access to all of me. Hidden thoughts, secret feelings and rediscovered memories. In music I can be anything. In music, I’m free.

Who mentors you? Who do you mentor?

Unfortunately, no one. I would love to have and to be a mentor.

photography & styling ANDREA DAVIS KRONLUND
makeup EMELIE WOOD OLSSON
model ANDY KEETLA

cover looks:
LEFT
jacket MACKAGE

RIGHT
shirt DOCKERS
top F.A.S.
chain belt MÄRTA LARSSON
kilt VINTAGE
socks ÖJBRO VANTFABRIK
sandals ECCO

BRANDS: DOCKERS, F.A.S., MINNA HEINO, NEUW, PHILIP HOG, JOHANNES ADELE, EWA LARSSON @JUS, PELLO BELLO, EMMA FÄLLMAN STOCKHOLM, MÄRTA LARSSON, ECCO, SJÖSTEN SWEDEN, CONCEPTS D’ODEUR, PILGRIM, ÖJBRO VANTFABRIK