keshi

Keshi constructs his catchy material from lo-fi hip-hop rhythms fused with laid-back R&B singing. Ethereal falsetto lines, finely detailed and layered instrumentation, plus heavy percussive drive give his work its signature atmosphere. Releases such as the charting EPs Skeletons in 2019 and Bandaids in 2020, the Top 20 debut album Gabriel from 2022, and the contemplative Requiem that followed in 2024 have shaped a notably soft corner of R&B influenced by Frank Ocean and Bryson Tiller.

Casey Luong entered the world in Houston and spent his childhood in nearby Sugar Land, where he first picked up the guitar at age 13. Early recordings issued under his own name leaned toward blues-inflected singer/songwriter fare. While employed as a registered nurse, Luong redirected his creative focus, adopting the Keshi alias in 2017 and posting initial demos that tested this emerging style. The lo-fi approach delivered fresh creative latitude, allowing his ideas to coalesce into more defined pieces. Bittersweet melodies, lyrics centered on romantic loss, and gently unsteady lo-fi hip-hop beats marked the 2017 singles that quickly reached millions of listeners. Tracks such as “Just Friends” and “As Long as It Takes You” drew massive streams and opened the door to further guitar-driven efforts, among them the 2018 EP The Reaper.

Continued refinement brought a sleeker finish to 2019’s Skeletons. Released on major-label Island, the project rose to number five on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. Follow-up EPs Bandaids and Always appeared across 2020 and 2021, joined by Trilogy Remixes that featured a contribution from Snakehips. Later in 2021 and into the next year, the yearning singles “Beside You,” “Somebody,” and “Touch” sustained the upward trajectory. Both of the latter cuts appeared on Gabriel, which entered the Billboard 200 at number 16 upon its March 2022 release. Extensive touring filled the remainder of 2022 and 2023, after which Keshi returned in September 2024 with Requiem. Although the album addressed existential concerns, it was fronted by the romantic and yearning lead single “Say,” produced by Keshi, Elie Rizk, Imad Royal, and Malay.