Lukey & K.eena
Talk Philly, “OCEANA”, and Pandemic Collaboration
By Eli Goodwin
Philly’s own Lucas Geniza (Lukey) and Jules Keenan (K.eena) are 10/10 in their joy-inducing indie-pop classic “OCEANA”. The track is a direct product of the quarantine, a textbook Zoom collaboration built on their yearning for better days ahead. Over an infectious R&B beat, the artists take turns in sharing what they consider a “universal call to action.” The song’s hook most certainly puts it best: “Don’t just stand there, won’t you let yourself go?”
“OCEANA” is a return track for both Lukey and K.eena and is one that has fared well. Since its release on October 1st, the song has earned over 10k Spotify streams and counting. Patience was key, according to Lukey. “I wasn't too sure when I wanted to release this one,” he said. “But I wanted to put it out at the right time with the right people.”
We spoke to both artists about how the Philly music scene has shaped their sound, the perfect occasion to listen to “OCEANA”, and more!
Lukey and K.eena, first of all, congrats to you both! This is an amazing song. How are we feeling now that it's out?
K.eena: I'm ecstatic! It's been a while since I've put something out and I don't put a lot out, so it's nice. And then to be asked to have a verse on “Oceana” with Lukey, one of my favorite people, it was just so cool. I had a really fun time working on it.
Lukey: Yeah, man, same here! As far as releases go, it's been a while. I've been making music throughout the year, but this one we've been sitting on since July 2020 into early 2021. I wasn't too sure when I wanted to release this one, but I wanted to put it out at the right time with the right people.
And how did this collaboration come to be?
K.eena: Lucas and I go way back into college. We were both in the same program and music technology at Temple and actually met each other in one of our ensembles called BEEP (Boyer Electroacoustic Ensemble Project). I also co-founded The Music Tech & Business Society on campus with another student and then ran it with Marina, who is one of Lucas and I’d good friends. We just kind of vibed in that way. Since then, I've worked on a couple of songs with him for background vocals.
Lukey: Yeah! And all these years later, we had been making music but then COVID happened. This is around the time we were all locked down, still pre-vaccine, and I was just itching to make some fun stuff again. I feel like a lot of people were longing for the social energy that we had pre-COVID. That's when I hit up Jules to make the song. From what I remember, Jules loved what I had sent her and we kinda just worked virtually from there. I'm very particular about what I like, but whenever I work with Jules, everything is always so seamless and effortless. What she sent me was perfect for the song vibe-wise. My friend Nick is the bassist on the song, too, and we all kind of wanted to convey this very simple, fun energy of wanting to just dance again and it was amazing that time.
Can you walk us through the inspiration for Oceana?
Lukey: So at the time, I was in my hometown in Pottstown, PA. I was just in this process of making some feel-good tunes when I told myself: "I wanna drive to this with my friends after this (lockdown) all ends," you know what I mean? I wrote it and actually recorded a little snippet of it the same day. And after receiving some positive feedback on it, I decided to archive the recording because I knew I wanted to save it. I hit up Jules a couple of months after, told her about some of the backstories, and the rest is history!
K.eena: I guess what I was thinking of, since it was a pandemic, I was kind of really like trying to be on lockdown a lot of the time, so I wasn't having a lot of life experiences. But I wanted to really kind of be in that headspace of: "There's this thing that gets me out of my day-to-day routine and takes me daydreaming."
Love it! Jules, “OCEANA” sees you exploring a different type of genre than what you're used to. How was that for you?
K.eena: It was definitely liberating. I feel like it's so hard to put things in genres now, but this song is different, especially from this stuff that I have out now. Like, for "East Coast Summer," that was like something that I just wanted to put out because I wanted to have something out there and figure it out along the way.
I've definitely gotten kind of sidetracked since, but "OCEANA" was really great because I'm definitely more of a sad girl kind of vibe that kind of bops a little bit haha. Other than that, it was nice to write a song about just having fun and enjoying what's going on in the present. I really liked putting stuff in a different perspective and finding myself in a different perspective.
Which is each of your favorite lines from the song and why?
Lukey: I love this question! In the song, Jules says: "I saw you at the grocery store with your yellow jacket on. I swear, you got me thinking of the weekend." I think it's just so tongue in cheek. Like, it doesn't take itself too seriously. I think that perfectly summarizes Jules and I's energy and friendship and the collective energy we've been surrounded by from our friends throughout the years. If you ever were to give it a deeper meaning, maybe the yellow jacket represents the youth in a way I'm sure. And like the color itself is very youthful, too.
K.eena: The one I'm going to do is: "Fantasy, know your name, hold your hand when you're down and I'll be there." It just flows and it goes so well. There's so much emotion going on and that's like, just as yourself daydreaming again, thinking about what you're going to do next and I loved it.
What do you feel is the perfect occasion to listen to the song?
K.eena: I mean, definitely when you're bopping in the car with your friends, it's just something you just want to scream and just burst out. I love any time that I can listen to a song in the car, feel so free, and kind of turn it up so everyone else can hear around me, to share in that sound.
Lukey: I would agree to that, I had the first impressions of the song being inside cars with some friends of mine, where I would (safely) show them the old demo. They were like, “Yo, what is this?”, which makes me feel so happy. That's everything for me. And, I know Jules has also told me stories about how her friends enjoyed listening to it while driving. It just felt right for that mood and everything. It sounds cliche, but honestly, we need it at this time, so it’s been really cool in that way.
Both of you are from Philadelphia. How do you feel that the local music scene has affected your sound at all?
K.eena: I'd definitely say yes! I’ve been lucky to be surrounded by so many musically creative people in Philly, who I've definitely worked with to evolve my sound as well. It's been nice to have that trial and error process, in that way. I think there are so many different aspects to the Philly scene, so many different genres and characters. Everyone is so supportive, too, so it’s a really great environment to really try your stuff.
Lucas: Jules and I have met so many characters of people occupying different sounds and styles, and I'm very blessed to be in a position to know them on both a creative and personal basis. And I think, naturally, energies balance from one another. Not to say that we're mimicking each other, but like in a very flattering way, I feel like the energy is mirrored half of the time.
I'll shout out like a lot of my friends of mine who I've made during my time, not only in Temple but just music in general. My friend Josh Battalion, who has been a childhood friend of mine, and my friend Zach, who goes by Raphael, do their thing with the R&B front. My friend Zymoon does that quirky, Philly-type hip-hop style. And then there’s this group that I know, Anything Could Be Here, who are really pushing the boundaries of hyper pop, punk-pop, and all this modern, futuristic stuff. I would say the different approaches to music are so mind-blowing. I could go on forever. There are so many insanely talented homies I've made throughout the years in Philly, and it’s been so cool to see their growth.
If y'all were to, if y'all were each to host a music festival, who are the three artists that you're choosing to headline the event?
K.eena: Right now, definitely Maggie Rogers, St. Vincent, and Glass Animals!
Lucas: Okay, for me, I don't want to say Frank Ocean because he's such an easy guess for a lot of people. I'd say for Pharrell/N.E.R.D, Stevie Wonder, and Daft Punk (R.I.P.)!
Lukey, you're entering a new era of music with the latest release. What can fans expect from this new wave of songs from you?
Lukey: I'm actually going to say this with my full chest. I feel like I'm more confident in who I am than I've ever been in my entire life and I think that is going to translate in my music. I think I'm encouraged more to experiment. With that said, I don't want people to have too much of an expectation of what I'm doing next. I think what I'm doing next is what I'm doing next. But if I were to preface it, this year I'm releasing a lot of music you can blast in the car, but in 2022, I'm trying to make y'all cry haha. I'm also much more honest and brutally honest, in that, I'm really gonna wear everything on my sleeve in a way where I feel like I can finally embrace everything I've always desired to achieve with music up until this point.
And K.eena, what else can we expect for the rest of 2021?
Oh my goodness. Well, I definitely agree with Lukey. I really just kind of just let myself do things. It's going to be a lot for me because I'm moving across the country. But I'm definitely in a space now where I'm very excited to have my sound and continue to work on my creative side. So I'm really hoping that if I can get some releases out, they'll happen, and if not, that's okay. And y'all will have to wait, I'm sorry guys!
What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?
K.eena: I would say the one that sticks out for me every day is don't settle. There are always times where you're just ready to give up, like on a song that you're not fully behind, but that thought crosses your mind maybe I should just release it anyway. But like there's always, there's always something happening in the universe in my opinion. And I think there, everything happens for a reason. So don't just set on the first best thing that you see, like keep striving for yourself.
Lukey: The best advice I've ever been given is to take it easy. I think that so much has happened over the past year that it's so hard to have those moments. Just be forgiving to yourself for not feeling like you haven't done enough in a day or you haven't done your best. As long as you allow yourself to grow, taking it easy also means that you're never, ever running out of time.
When Lukey and K.eena make it to LA, _________________________.
Lukey: When I make it to LA, I will hold a place for everyone who's helped me to that point and I'll stay true to that. I will remain true to who I am.
K.eena: When I make it to LA, I will be unapologetically myself.