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Vocalist, instrumentalist, and songwriter Keshi builds his infectious tracks out of lo-fi hip-hop beats and ultra-chill R&B vocalizing. His songs are defined by distant falsetto vocals, delicate and textural instrumentals, and booming drums. His output -- highlighted by the charting EPs Skeletons (2019) and Bandaids (2020), the Top 20 debut full-length Gabriel (2022), and the ruminative follow-up, Requiem (2024) -- has helped define a particularly gentle subset of R&B inspired by the likes of Frank Ocean and Bryson Tiller.

Keshi was born Casey Luong in Houston. Raised in nearby Sugar Land, he began learning guitar at 13 and first released bluesy and singer/songwriter-styled material under his own name. While working as a registered nurse, Luong shifted gears with his music. He took on the Keshi moniker in 2017 and first uploaded some demos experimenting with his new sonic personality. The lo-fi productions offered a sense of newfound musical freedom and excitement, and it wasn't long before his music took on a more solid shape. Defined by bittersweet melodies, lamenting lyrics of lost love, and wobbly lo-fi hip-hop beats, Keshi's first singles in 2017 broke through to millions of listeners. Tracks like "Just Friends" and "As Long as It Takes You" accumulated millions of streams and led to more acoustic guitar-based material like 2018's The Reaper EP.

Keshi's music continued to develop, taking on more a more polished sound with 2019's Skeletons. Issued on major-label Island, the EP reached number five on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. Additional EPs Bandaids and Always arrived over the course of 2020 and 2021, and were rounded out by Trilogy Remixes, featuring a contribution from Snakehips. Keshi's momentum continued to build later in 2021 and into the next year with the yearning ballads "Beside You," "Somebody," and "Touch." The latter two were featured on Gabriel, an album that entered the Billboard 200 at number 16 immediately after its release in March 2022. Keshi toured extensively throughout 2022 and 2023, and in September 2024 returned with Requiem. Although the album explored existential themes, it was led by the romantic and yearning "Say," produced by Keshi, Elie Rizk, Imad Royal, and Malay. ~ Fred Thomas & Andy Kellman