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Nightmares used to startleKeshiawake.
Kenji Chong
“My subconsciouswas probably just saying, ‘Hey, thishasto work.
it’s possible for you to’t go back,'” Keshi tellsAllure.
Nightmares are sure to go away when your waking life becomes your sweetest dream.
Kenji Chong
But I don’t need to tell Keshi that.
He’s fully aware that theabsence of those nightmaresrepresent something much more abstract than these astounding stats.
A new wave of insecurity slammed against his mind.
Kenji Chong
“I was like, ‘There’s no way this could be real.
I’m going to fail,'” Keshi recalls.
“I’m in a better place.
Keshi
I’m coasting,” he shares.
“There’s still a lot that I want to do.
But I’m at a place now where I can be proud of what I’ve achieved.”
Kenji Chong
Imposter syndrome is bound to strike when you make a major career move no matter what it may be.
He just so happens to do so by decorating his.
(More on each soon.)
Kenji Chong
He stepped into the shoes of someone he wanted to be, he says.
In turn, his confidence started bubbling to the surface.
Taking his lyrics into account, Keshi began emulating them via an aura just as calming and introspective.
Embodying Keshi, therefore, became the ultimate imposter syndrome-combatting tactic.
“I created Keshi as a veil.”
“When you’re releasing music as yourself using your full legal name, you’re not convincing yourself.
You’re not convincinganyone,” Keshi explains in measured terms.
For a second, he takes me into one-on-one TED Talk of sorts on character development.
“There’s always someone around that can be like, ‘Oh, Casey.
Yeah, I know that guy.
He’s a friend of a friend.’
We’re not on the same plane.”
Inking the Deal
All good origin stories start with a pain point.
After graduating, tattoos followed.
I ask him what role they play in who Keshi is?
Well, they were the ultimate commitment to the manifestation of himself as an artist, he says.
Over 1.1 million accounts ended up liking the tweet.
It is and was supposed to be a striking image.
“I’m glad that it has that effect on people,” Keshi says.
But Keshi stresses his tattoos are neither all forothers’ enjoyment nor a mesmerizing marketing ploy of sorts.
They are a genuine homage to his love of Japanese irezumi art.
He even got them done by an artist in Tokyo.
“It took a couple of trips,” Keshi says.
(Let’s be real, I’m sure he’d agree.)
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These days, Keshi’s hair grazes his collarbones in lustrous onyx waves.
Today, it’s pulled back into a low bun with tendrils framing his face.
It’s washed every other day and nourished with an oil his stylist gave him.
Now, he can wear it straight, wavy, half-up, slicked-back.
But what hair-care products does Keshi reach for?
Hishairstylist Yukinatypically takes the lead on his product regime.
However, heisloyal to the same shampoo and conditioner that he’s always used.
“I get flamed for this a lot: I use Pantene Pro-V,” he admits.
“I grew up with it in the house, so I’ve never really changed out of it.
My hair has been really luscious and soft, even regardless.”
Nailing It
Manicures also factor into Keshi’s striking look.
Painted nails are the perfect accessory when you play guitar for a living if you ask me.
Again, like his hair, he loves the versatility of all-black tips.
Nail art appeals to Keshi, though.
“…like, Julie has some amazing nails on right now, right?”
She holds up hands decked out in oxblood talons adorned in gold accents and rhinestones.
“I would love to get into having that kind of style as well.”
Keshihateschipped polish, so I’m sensing a gel manicure with bold designs in his future.
But Keshi is rarely one for collaborating.
All are “ways in which I process the things that happen around me,” Keshi reveals.
“[Writing music] is really sacred to me.
I can’t write with other people.”
But he takes that last statement back.
Six co-writers helped him out withGabriel.
“I want to see to it that I have full control at all times.”
Keshi swears he’s not as hands-on when it comes to everything else in his life, though.
