Multi-talented and rising rapidly in the global music scene: Houston-based singer-songwriter Keshi dropped by The Morning Rush to talk to Chico, Rica, Hazel, and Markki about what he’s been up to (The first time we met Keshi was about a year ago on The Daily Survey with JC and Ria – more about that interview here).

It’s undeniable that Keshi’s music career has quickly accelerated and his talent has become more and more recognized in recent years. Unfortunately like the rest of the music industry, lots of his plans were put on hold. “There were a lot of shows planned. I’m so sad those shows got cancelled, but I feel like I see a silver lining in everything that happened,” Keshi said. “I had a lot of time to circle back and refocus.” 

The pandemic has given Keshi a lot more time to recalibrate – he got to write the “always” EP, and as most fans know, his first album is underway. Creating the album has been keeping him busy, but it’s an exciting time! “I’m feeling inspired, I’m feeling motivated to finish the record.” 

Fans of Keshi left us some questions over Twitter: How has his writing style changed since the release of “The Reaper?” What was the process of recording the new album? What’s Keshi’s favorite track? And plenty more. To the delight of fans tuned in, the singer-songwriter-producer had lots to say about the upcoming album. 

Part of Keshi’s recording process is going back and forth between his home and Los Angeles. “I’d be going over to LA for a couple of weeks to just produce as many different sorts of sounds as I can,” he explained. “I didn’t wanna stress over lyrics or melodies because it takes longer than two weeks sometimes. So I’d much rather get as many ideas churned out, then back home I can kind of fine tune the ideas, and I can spend as much time writing in my little safe space as I want.” His fans would instantly recognize this ‘safe space’ of his – it’s the room we always see in his Instagram posts, and the room he was in during the interview!

During his time spent in LA, Keshi said he loves running into fans every now and then, but nothing beats the feeling of interacting with a crowd on stage. “It’s such a different feeling and it’s been so long since I last played a show!” Can you believe the last time he played for a live audience was in Fall 2019? He’s come so far since then! 

Something we love about Keshi is that his artistry continues to grow, and we see that in the hard work and thought he’s been putting into the current record. “I don’t let very many people in, in terms of production and writing,” he admitted his protectiveness over the project. It took a couple of sessions and some moments of doubt, but he eventually found the right person to help the album come to life.

“He’s an amazing producer. His name is Elie [Rizk], and he’s helping me with every song on the album, and it’s been going so well.” With a dynamic duo like these two working together, we can expect something fresh from the album. “It’s been so much more collaborative than it has been in the past, and it sounds a lot more honest.”

His favorite track on the new album so far? Keshi says he’s excited for Kults (a pretty unique fanbase name, if you ask us) to hear the song “get it.” “I feel like when fans hear it, they’re just gonna be blown away. The energy is just so different from what I’ve made.” He also picked his most recently finished song “millie” as a current favorite. “That happens with every song that I make that’s like, the most recent one. Like, it’s always on repeat until the next few days ‘til I make a new one.” Just goes to show that he’s been making music he’s really proud of! 

Keshi also talked about his latest release, “beside you,” a collab with DJ & producer Madeon, a track we’ve been loving on the Monster! Their management had set up a call for the two, and Keshi was ready to impress.

“Before the call, his team sent me over a beat that he was working on, which is the one we used for beside you. And I wanted to impress him, I kinda wanted to send him something so fast that it would blow him away. So I laid down the hook for beside you!” When Keshi played the track during their call, he and Madeon knew that they were onto something special and got to working on it right away. (By the way, Rica recommends putting the song on your running/cardio playlist. Thank her later!) 

The interview ended with Keshi showing his love to Filipino fans: “Thank you to everyone who is listening in the Philippines. I’m so grateful, it means the world to me,” he said. “I can’t wait for you guys to hear the album. It’s sounding really good! Can’t wait to get it out to you guys, and hopefully I’ll be able to announce the date to you guys pretty soon.” We’re looking forward to that announcement, Keshi! 

Watch the full interview with Keshi on The Morning Rush here: