'Thunder' by Keekai starts with a hazy synth pad, the push and pull of electronica emerging into a dreamlike glitter of arpeggios. The lead vocals emerge from the haze with an airy echo, conveying emotions as they float through the beautiful space. Rooting down in a pumping kick and echoey snare hits, the track arrives at a picturesque new point, the electronics beginning to swirl around the line with new melodies and harmonies tugging at the listener. Dragged in hundreds of directions until everything falls into control, Keekai commands the soundscape with raw emotion and authenticity.
Keekai as a project embodies Roberto Sy’s identity as a queer Filipinx singer and songwriter. Inspired by powerhouse R&B idols, Keekai’s music features layered vocals, shimmering synths, and vibrant pads, evoking Manila’s disco scene and Japanese city-pop. His sound intertwines emotion and pulse, exploring honesty, intimacy and queerness.
Looking ahead to his new EP, Keekai adds, “This EP coexists with trauma and love. It is fabulous, broken, funny, triumphant. All the in-betweens. At once, lost in the understanding of love, but now finding power in its grand capacity to love. To be able to exist in these two modes and to find power in them is what makes this new iteration of my music so alluring and true. It is intentional in its practice of self-love and the romance of others. It is a voice that giggles, swoons, begs, cries, and yearns. A voice that wants love and is surrounded by it.”
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