Two years since his last record, Alt-R&B artist Keshi is coming back with his sophomore album “REQUIEM,” scheduled to release on Sept. 13. The singer-songwriter teased the highly anticipated release with two singles: “Say,” a groovy love ballad released on July 12, and “Dream,” a softer, reminiscent song released on Aug. 9.  

Born in Houston, Texas, in 1994, Casey Thai Luong first garnered popularity from his SoundCloud page around 2017, when he adopted the name Keshi — inspired by the childhood nickname his now-fiancé’s parents called him growing up. But it wasn’t until 2020 that he broke through as a mainstream artist with the release of three new singles: “Skeletons,” “Bandaids” and “Always.” The three tracks garnered a total of over 250 million streams on Spotify.

Since then, Keshi has released several successful singles, including “War With Heaven” for the soundtrack of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” in 2021. The following year, he released his first LP, “Gabriel.”

Now, the Vietnamese American artist is picking up right where he left off two years ago, but with a different approach. He is now trying to make songs that “get people to move,” he said in an interview with Hashtag Magazine. 

“I remember touring on the road and really craving to play songs that just felt good to groove to,” Keshi said. “‘Say’ is my answer to that. It’s got a moody sort of cadence with an admiration for city-pop baked into it.”

Co-written with artists including Elie Rizk, Imad Royal and Trey Campbell, the single combines Keshi’s signature catchy vocals with a shuffling percussive beat that compels listeners to move. This funky beat is the essence of city-pop, a style of Japanese pop music that has been popular since its conception in the 1970s. The addictive hook reminds listeners of the legacy Keshi is already building in the Alt-R&B genre. 

While he has a fanbase that stretches across the world, Keshi’s songs are designed to best connect with Gen Z. Touching on topics like longing and addiction through the artist’s personal experience, his music bring listeners together and connect them with himself. For instance, 2022’s “Understand,” a track that went viral after its release, captures the relatable emotions of risking a friendship in pursuit of love: “I hope you’ll stay / I’ll admit that I’m scared / ‘Cause I’ve never really cared as much as this / It’s worth the risk.”

In “Say,” Keshi continues to explore themes of yearning as he describes himself pursuing a girl without receiving the confirmation he needs. The music video portrays Keshi as he chases his lover through a night-lit, seemingly frozen Seoul. Where the girl goes, he goes; what the girl eats, he eats. In the frozen night, Keshi and the girl are alive amidst the silence. The music video, much like the track itself, perfectly encapsulates the feeling of being caught in limbo while Keshi waits to hear her answer.

Keshi surprised listeners with another single, “Dream,” which garnered almost three million streams on Spotify since it dropped. The singer overlays his smooth vocals with a haunting piano tune and gentle guitar line to create a complex yet beautiful song.

“It’s about the ‘what if’ that keeps you up at night, and the feeling you can’t seem to let go,” Keshi told Hype Magazine.

Compared to his earlier release “Say,” Keshi utilizes a slower tempo and softer chords to convey the feeling of being in a new relationship after moving on from an ex. Instead of keeping the exact same city-pop style of “Say,” “Dream” encapsulates on the Alt-R&B music style that he is best known for.

Following the artist’s hiatus since 2022, Keshi’s fans, or Kults, waited in anticipation for Keshi to come back, and he didn’t disappoint. The reception of “Say” shows it all: Within the first two weeks of its release, it gathered over 6.7 million streams on Spotify alone, and the music video had another 1.5 million views. 

With a world tour to follow the album release, this fall might just be Keshi’s biggest era yet, as he continues to grow his legacy beyond the hit LP “Gabriel” and towards much more.

Editor’s Note: This article is a review and includes subjective thoughts, opinions and critiques.