keshi's "more" Is an Enthralling Portrait of Love and Heartbreak
Existing somewhere between best-kept secret and how is this artist not already an international sensation lies keshi. Yet, with each new empathic release and streams regularly increasing by the millions, keshi moves further from the former and into what feels like an eventuality - the promise of budding stardom. The hints of this inevitably are clearly visible in the Houston artist's latest single, "more."
"more" marks the first taste of new music from the forward-thinking R&B artist since the release of his 2020 EP bandaids, which we championed as a portrait of infectious melancholy. Leveraging his immaculate pop-R&B sensibilities, SoundCloud-bred lo-fi origins, and penchant for emotive storytelling, the latest from the Houston artist is equal parts Billboard chart worthy stunner and soft-spoken diary entry.
In trademark keshi fashion, there is a heartbreaking romanticism to every second of the three-minute affair. "Said I gotta get money, swear I still love you / I don’t wanna go but you know that I have to / Touch road, gotta play shows / Crowd go wild for the shit I wrote," coos keshi behind a hypnotic a guitar line. Juxtaposing the adrenaline rush of sold out shows to feeling someone slip away before your eyes, "more" is a moving addition to music's ongoing self-reflection on the price of seeking out fame.
Similarly to keshi's previous EP and much of his body of work, "more" never feels one-dimensional or vapid in its portrayal of ensuing heartbreak. There is a tangible weight to every pained lyric forced out, to every unexpected burst of understated production. It is a unique gift for musicality and heartfelt storytelling that makes us believe every word of keshi's closing lines, "Said she want more, I’m not enough / Getting low and I think I’m giving up / Baby, come home, I want us / I want us, said I want us."
Listen to "more" below:
