Even since Casey Luong started releasing music under the moniker Keshi back in 2013, the Vietnamese-American artist has continued to hone a sound that contains elements of acoustic, lo-fi, heartbreak, and longing. By the time his first full-length album Gabriel came out in 2022, Luong had amassed a deeply dedicated fanbase that sang along to every word of his songs at his concerts.
His second full-length album, Requiem, came out on September 13 to positive acclaim. Luong talked to Playboy about how some of the specific songs were created, the inspiration for the completed album, and more.
Playboy: What song from Requiem was the most difficult for you to write, and why?
Keshi: My gosh, that’s a great question. And it’s funny because the one that took the longest was one that I feel is most familiar to my sound: “Like That”.
The reason why it took so long was because when we made the foundation for the song, I was so confident in the potential of it. I knew what it could be. And no amount of any suggestion from anyone else in the room that could convince me that it was good enough. I just had to take it home and slam my head against it for months. It was so early in the process that we got that little nugget of gold and it was the very last one I finished for the record. It just took forever.
Playboy: What song from Requiem came the easiest and why?
Keshi: We never opened up “Bodies” again after we finished it [and] we finished it in one day. Eli, one of my main producers, was on the piano and was playing a chord progression and he and Ahmad had heard it one way and Jacob had heard it another. So [it was] four grown men in a room yelling at each other about a song that didn’t exist quite yet. It got to the point where it was just like, Hey, it doesn’t matter where the song starts in the progression. Once we got over that initial hump, we didn’t have to change a thing.
Playboy: What song hits the hardest for you on an emotional level?
Keshi: I would say Requiem hits me the hardest on an emotional level. I remember the process of writing it started in a room full of people and then I quickly called off the session because that was one where I just had to sit with that on my own. You’re talking about loss and it should be how it affects you and getting down to the depths of your soul about it.
Playboy: In other interviews, that said that you had a big loss between your last album and this album and I feel like you can see it embroidered throughout Requiem.
Keshi: The two songs “Requiem” and “Just To Die” — I think those two songs are not out of a need for a song for a recording contract, because it was therapy for me and cathartic to do. Nobody could have told me otherwise, but I’m glad that I kept them on the record to prove that it’s not always about just the easiest thing to listen. But music should also be easy to listen to. So you have both on the record.
Playboy: It’s been two years between Requiem and Gabriel. Do you feel changed both personally and professionally?
Keshi: I mean there were a lot of changes. It’s funny, I feel like even at 29 I’m still growing and learning new things about myself and maturing and I’m getting to a point where I feel like I don’t need to be completely upfront about every detail about my life anymore. I very much enjoy my privacy. So, yeah, wrangling with those sorts of things and, ambition and touring, and after having done it for a few years, it takes a little bit of a different shape. The novelty wears off a little bit. And I’m constantly trying to process that as time goes on.
Playboy: The tour kicks off in December. What song are you looking most forward to performing on stage?
Keshi: As we get into rehearsals, I’m excited to play “Euphoria” just because I love playing guitar solos. I feel like a rockstar. I get to live My Little John Mayer fantasy.
Playboy: What does Requiem mean to you at this point in time?
Keshi: I feel like I wrote “Requiem” as a song, put it on the album, titled the album after it because I thought it was such a sort of formative experience for me. And then I came around to understanding that this whole album was the requiem for that friend who had passed away. And I didn’t get that until after. I realized that proving myself and making this thing as big as possible was the best homage that I could give them.
Keshi’s new documentary about about the making of Requiem is available to watch here.