Casey Thai Luong (better known as Keshi,) is a Vietnamese American singer-songwriter. He had a slow burn of a career, as he has been releasing music since 2013. For years he had struggled to balance being a nurse while also trying to pursue his love of music. In Keshi’s collection in the “Mindset” app, he explains that once he realized that the music he was releasing on Soundcloud had blown up, he realized the revenue he was making from his music was the same as his nursing pay. He explained further that it was a hard decision to quit, especially because his parent’s hopes and expectations for him were to be successful, and with music, there is no guaranteed success. Ultimately Keshi knew he was miserable in his nursing career and knew his heart was in music. In 2019 while he announced the drop of his track “skeletons” on X, he also shared with his fans that he was officially now signed to Island Records.
Keshi has seen great success in the past few years. In 2021 he released a single for the Marvel movie “Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings”, he released his debut album in 2022, embarked on a world tour, and made his late-night television debut performing for “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” Keshi’s shown great artistic growth too, from earlier records having a low-fi hip-pop influence, to his debut album, “GABRIEL” exploring more of an experimental Trap and R&B sound.
Although a few of Keshi’s songs have gained popularity on TikTok, here are a few deep cuts from his discography that deserve more recognition. “HELL/HEAVEN” is a song that tackles the complexity that comes with growth and popularity in the industry. It’s a very complex song production-wise that is something unlike most. The album’s closer is the title track, “GABRIEL.” This track was intentionally made to sound like a hymn, as it is about his parents and his fears watching them grow old. It is more vocally driven and feels more raw and emotional, unlike the album’s opener “GET IT.” “GET IT” is a trap-heavy Brockhampton-inspired track. It features distorted vocals and rap-like delivery of verses. The instrumental is classic Keshi, a mix of guitar and piano with hints of electronic sounds and 808’s.
Over the past few months, Keshi has teased his forthcoming sophomore album. He has posted many pictures of himself in the studio and changed his bio to “ALBUM 2 WIP.”
If you haven’t given Keshi a listen yet, here is your chance before his new record drops.