Casey Luong (born November 4, 1994),[1] known mononymously by his stage name Keshi (stylized in all lowercase), is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Known for his distant falsetto vocals and textural instrumentals, he has accumulated over one billion streams with songs such as "Like I Need U", "2 Soon" and "Right Here".
Keshi | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Casey Thai Luong |
| Also known as | Keshi |
| Born | (1994-11-04) November 4, 1994 (age 27) Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres |
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| Occupation(s) |
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| Years active | 2017–present |
| Labels | Island |
| Website | keshimusic |
Luong was born in Houston, Texas, to Vietnamese parents and grew up in Sugar Land. Despite living in an ethnically diverse community with a large Asian population, he recalls that he often felt out of place and disconnected from his heritage while growing up, as others around him were mostly ethnically Chinese.[2] When he was 13, he began learning the guitar after picking it up from his grandfather. He began teaching himself the instrument while using his grandfather's Vietnamese music book. Another one of his motivations for learning guitar came from watching Drake Bell on the Nickelodeon TV show Drake & Josh. He cites John Mayer and Ed Sheeran as his biggest influences as a kid.[3]
He graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School in Sugar Land and earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas at Austin.[4] He then worked as an oncology nurse at the Texas Medical Center for two years.[5]
The stage name "Keshi" comes from the childhood name that his fiancé's parents gave him. They have been childhood friends since 5th grade. Whenever he visited, her parents would call him "Keshi", which they still do to this day.[6]
He created the moniker "Keshi" and began to share music via his SoundCloud page around 2017. He credited watching YouTube tutorials for teaching him how to write, produce, and engineer his music.[4] Initially, he was in doubt of his abilities and musical direction, but slowly his distinct style, which relies on his dreamy vocals combined with lo-fi beats and guitar, garnered more attention and popularity.[2] In 2019, he quit his job as a nurse and flew to New York City to sign with Island Records. His decision to quit nursing and the pursuit of music was ultimately made due to his realization that the fear of missed opportunities exceeded his fear of failure.[7] From there, his first singles attracted millions of listeners upon release.[1]
He cites John Mayer, Frank Ocean, The 1975, Drake, and Bryson Tiller as some of his greatest musical influences.[8]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [9] |
AUS [10] |
CAN [11] | ||
| Gabriel |
|
16 | 72 | 70 |
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Track listings | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | ||||
| Heat [12] |
Album Sales [13] | |||
| The Reaper[14] |
|
— | — |
Track listing
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| Skeletons[15] |
|
5 | 50 |
Track listing
|
| Bandaids[16] |
|
— | 72 |
Track listing
|
| Always |
|
— | — |
Track listing
|
| Title | Details | Track listings |
|---|---|---|
| If You're Not the One for Me Who Is |
|
Track listing
|
| Good Days |
|
Track listing
|
| Bandaids (Live Sessions) |
|
Track listing
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| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album/EP |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ Hot [17] | |||
| As lead artist[18] | |||
| "Over U" | 2017 | — | Non-album single |
| "If You're Not the One for Me Who Is" | — | If You're Not the One for Me Who Is | |
| "As Long as It Takes You" | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Magnolia" | — | ||
| "Just Friends" | — | ||
| "Good Days" | 2018 | — | |
| "Onoffonoff" | — | ||
| "2 Soon" | — | The Reaper | |
| "Right Here" | 2019 | — | Bandaids |
| "Blue" | — | ||
| "More" | 2020 | — | Always |
| "Always" | — | ||
| "Drunk" | — | ||
| "Beside You" | 2021 | 7 | Non-album single |
| "Somebody" | 24 | Gabriel | |
| "Touch" | 2022 | 24 | |
| "Get It" | — | ||
| Collaborations | |||
| "Pillows" (with eaJ) | 2020 | — | Non-album single |
| "Sociopath" (with Jeremy Zucker) | 2021 | — | Crusher |
| Title | Year | Artist(s) | Album | Credits | Written with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "(What I Wish Just One Person Would Say to Me) aka Happy for You" | 2020 | LANY | Mama's Boy | Co-writer/guitarist | Paul Jason Klein |