By Amalia Theocharidou,
If you are an R&B lover, or just discovering new underrated artists that have recently started getting a bit more spotlight, then I have just the proposition for you. Keshi, or Casey Thai Luong, is a Vietnamese-American artist, who has recently released his latest album, Requiem, which, in my opinion, deserves a save in all Spotify libraries.
Since he was little, he felt slightly disoriented regarding his culture and how to combine it with the American lifestyle he was currently involved in. Studying at the University of Texas, he became an oncology nurse, placing music as a second role in his life, while always debating on whether he was following the right path. His answer came fast, after an incident of a breakdown of one of his colleagues in front of him: “It was just so clear to me at that point. I obviously cannot do both things anymore’“, he says.
Music had shaped his childhood. Despite participating in choirs or self-teaching instruments, Keshi’s first encounter with the second love of his life was through a Nickelodeon show, Drake and Josh, where Drake is an aspiring guitarist. Notice how I mentioned second? That’s because Keshi met his first love, Mai, in middle school, after she’d transferred from the UK, during orchestra classes. Ever since, they’d been inseparable, while Mai played a major role in the shaping of Keshi’s career. Mai originally comes from Japan and due to that, when she met him, she couldn’t quite well pronounce the name “Casey”, resulting in saying “Keshi”. Upon hearing this, the musician knew that this was meant to be his stage name and a way of “carrying” his loved one with him on this path. His love for Mai is evident in most of his tracks, given the fact that he mainly composes and produces love songs that are mostly dedicated to her. At some, he has even recorded his partner saying his name and used it in his song, making it his signal watermark. In 2023, the couple happily announced their engagement.
Keshi has publicly expressed how when he was first discovered and joined the label, he had a huge “impostor syndrome”, feeling out of place and a little hesitant about his sudden change of path, it took him time to find his self-worth. That happened relatively due to his active social media presence and the start of the building of his fanbase. Now, with the release of his latest album, I can argue that this is his best work. Keshi has composed very known songs –especially for Tiktok users–, like Understand, Limbo, and like i need u. But Requiem seems to me like a very emotionally charged album. As he’s grown into a more well-known artist, Keshi manages to describe the feeling of all that sudden fame, and the way it has influenced his life, and his personal relationships. When asked about his feelings about being bicultural, he says, “At the end of the day, I think our experience is such that we don’t want a spokesperson for anything because we all feel like our experiences are unique. But at the same time, it’s nice to see a champion out there that looks like us“.
Keshi’s success has been there to prove that music always finds itself back to its lovers, no matter the time or place. The meaning he pours into his songs and the way they’re all personally connected to him, combined with the relaxing beats, have placed them on top of my list of my most beloved R&B musicians.
References
- Keshi Biography. All about music. Available here
- The journey of Houston’s Keshi from TMC nurse to pop star. Preview. Available here
- Keshi On His New Album “Requiem,” Grappling With People’s Perceptions, And His Love Of Music. Buzzfeed. Available here
