How the ‘Daisy Jones’ cast went from beginners to bandmates

In order to portray famous musicians in the new limited series “Daisy Jones & the Six,” its cast including Riley Keough and Sam Claflin had to attend weeks of band camp. Keough says she had to learn how to project with her singing voice and Claflin needed to learn the guitar. In the end, the actors formed a real band and its their voices on the album due out Friday, the same day the show debuts. Grammy winner Blake Mills, who has produced for Alabama Shakes and John Legend, wrote the music. Kim Gordon from the band Sonic Youth also served as a consultant to the writers.

Sam Claflin is the first to admit that when he got the part of Billy Dunne, the co-lead singer of a world-famous 1970s rock band in “Daisy Jones & the Six, “he was no musician.

Claflin was the last person cast. His co-stars had already begun rehearsing at a band camp where the actors learned to play their designated instruments and perform original songs written for the show.

“They said, ‘OK, there’s about 15 songs you’re going to need to learn. Oh, and can you play guitar?’” Claflin recounted. “I didn’t play guitar and I barely had sung. I never recorded anything. It was quite an immediate shock of terror and fear and pressure.”

One might assume that, on the other hand, Riley Keough — inhabiting the titular role in the Amazon Prime limited series premiering Friday — had the music part in the bag. After all, as the granddaughter of Elvis Presley and the daughter of Lisa Marie Presley, Keough practically has music in her genes.

But Keough said singing did not come naturally, especially singing for an audience. She could carry a tune and submitted a “sort of soft” song for her audition but was told she needed to belt out the lyrics to play frontwoman Daisy Jones.

“I sounded awful the first few times I tried,” Keough admitted.

“Daisy Jones & The Six” follows a band that skyrockets to fame, helmed by lead singers with amazing onstage chemistry and a tumultuous behindthe-scenes relationship.

Chris Pizzello/Associated Press Riley Keough, a cast member in the Amazon miniseries “Daisy Jones and the Six.”