Kelsey Lu

Last updated
Kelsey Lu
Birth nameKelsey Elizabeth McJunkins
Born (1989-05-12) May 12, 1989 (age 35)
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Origin Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Genres Avant pop, [1] baroque pop [2]
Occupations
  • Singer
  • cellist
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • cello
Years active2016–present
Labels
Website www.kelsey.lu

Kelsey Elizabeth McJunkins (born May 12, 1991), known professionally as Kelsey Lu, is an American singer and cellist based in Los Angeles, California. [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Kelsey Lu was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and had a strict Jehovah's Witness upbringing. [4] Both of Lu's parents are musicians: their father is a percussionist, their mother a pianist. [5] Their father's family hails from Nigeria. [6] Lu began studying classical composition at age 6, learning piano, violin, and cello. [4] At age 18, Lu left their family home to attend the University of North Carolina School of the Arts on a scholarship. [5] A year later, they dropped out of the school. [7]

Career

Kelsey Lu recorded their debut EP, Church, in a church in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. [8] During this time, they toured with the band Wet as their opening act. [4] They released Church in 2016. [9] They released their debut album, Blood, in 2019. [10] In that year, they also released Blood Transfusion, a collection of remixes of tracks from Blood. [11] Lu uses they/them pronouns. [12]

Discography

Studio albums

TitleDetails
Blood
  • Released: April 19, 2019
  • Label: Columbia Records
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Soundtrack albums

TitleDetails
Daughters
  • Released: November 13, 2024
  • Label: Netflix Music
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Extended plays

TitleDetails
Church
  • Released: July 8, 2016
  • Label: True Panther
  • Format: LP, digital download, streaming

Remix albums

TitleDetails
Blood Transfusion
  • Released: November 15, 2019
  • Label: Columbia Records
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Singles

TitleYearAlbum
"Shades of Blue" [13] 2018Non-album single
"Due West" [14] Blood
"Morning Dew" [15] 2020Non-album single
"let all the poisons that lurk in the mud seep out"
(with Yves Tumor featuring Kelly Moran and Moses Boyd) [16]
"Ride or Die"
(with Boys Noize featuring Chilly Gonzales) [17]
2021

Guest appearances

TitleYearArtistAlbum
"Where or When" [18] 2020Onyx CollectiveManhattan Special
"Manchild"2022 Neneh Cherry The Versions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jehovah's Witnesses</span> Restorationist Christian denomination

Jehovah's Witnesses is a nontrinitarian, millenarian, restorationist Christian denomination. In 2023, the group reported approximately 8.6 million members involved in evangelism, with around 20.5 million attending the annual Memorial of Christ's death. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the destruction of the present world system at Armageddon is imminent, and the establishment of God's kingdom over earth is the only solution to all of humanity's problems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solange Knowles</span> American singer and songwriter (born 1986)

Solange Piaget Knowles is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Knowles expressed an interest in music from an early age and had temporary stints as a backup dancer for Destiny's Child, which featured her older sister Beyoncé among its members, before signing with her father's label, Music World Entertainment. At 16, Knowles released her first studio album Solo Star (2002). She also appeared in the films Johnson Family Vacation (2004), and Bring It On: All or Nothing (2006).

Ronald Lapin was an Israeli-born American surgeon, best known as a "bloodless surgeon" due to his willingness to perform surgeries on severely anemic Jehovah's Witness patients without the use of blood transfusions. He completed medical school in New York City and established his practice in Orange County, CA, in the 1970s, where he lived until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dev Hynes</span> British musician (born 1985)

Devonté Hynes, also known as Blood Orange and formerly Lightspeed Champion, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and director based in New York City. From 2004 to 2006, Hynes was a member of the band Test Icicles, playing guitar, synth, and occasionally performing vocals. They released one full-length album in 2005. Hynes went on to release two solo studio albums as Lightspeed Champion and subsequently five more as Blood Orange, between 2008 and 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metro Station (band)</span> American pop rock band

Metro Station was an American pop rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California by singer Mason Musso and bassist/guitarist Trace Cyrus. In late 2006, the band signed a recording contract with Columbia Records and RED Ink Records. The band is best known for the commercially successful hit single "Shake It" from the group's self-titled debut album. In 2010, tension between Cyrus and Musso caused the band to go on hiatus. In 2011, the band returned, however, it was announced that Cyrus was no longer a part of the group and Musso had purchased the rights to the name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solange discography</span>

American singer and songwriter Solange has released four studio albums: Solo Star in 2002, Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams in 2008, A Seat at the Table in 2016, which peaked at number one in the US Billboard 200 chart, and When I Get Home in 2019. Solange released a music video and single for "Losing You" on October 2, 2012. The single was released in promotion of her first EP, titled True, which Solange worked on with Dev Hynes and was released on November 27, 2012, by Terrible Records.

<i>Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams</i> 2008 studio album by Solange

Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams is the second studio album by American R&B singer and songwriter Solange. It was released on August 26, 2008, by Geffen Records. Solange was heavily influenced by the "Motown Sound" of the 1960s and 1970s prior to the album's recording, prompting her to work with several like-minded producers and songwriters such as Jack Splash, CeeLo Green, Mark Ronson, and Lamont Dozier, formerly of Motown's Holland–Dozier–Holland. The production also incorporated elements of downbeat and electronic music that Solange had familiarized herself with on previous trips to Europe, while the songwriting explored themes of independence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surfer Blood</span> American indie rock band

Surfer Blood is an American indie rock band from West Palm Beach, Florida, United States, currently signed to Kanine Records, formerly signed to Joyful Noise Recordings and Warner Bros. Records. The band currently consists of four members: John Paul Pitts, Tyler Schwarz (drums), Mike McCleary, and Lindsey Mills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kindness (musician)</span> Musical artist

Kindness is the solo project of English singer Adam Bainbridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hozier</span> Irish musician (born 1990)

Andrew John Hozier-Byrne, known professionally as Hozier, is an Irish musician, singer and songwriter. His music primarily draws from folk, soul and blues, often using religious and literary themes and taking political or social justice stances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Wimberly</span> American musician (born 1983)

Jonathan Patrick Wimberly is an American record producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer and mixing engineer best known as being one-half of the synth-pop duo Chairlift. The band parted ways in 2017 so Wimberly and former bandmate Caroline Polachek could focus on their careers as producers/songwriters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vérité</span> American singer-songwriter

Kelsey Regina Byrne, known professionally as Vérité, is an American singer and songwriter based in Brooklyn, New York City. Her first single "Strange Enough" was self-released in July 2014, reaching number one on Hype Machine and becoming the #1 Most Viral Twitter Artist the week of release. Described variously as indie pop, electropop or alternative pop, Liza Darwin of Noisey wrote that her 2014 Echo EP is "packed with crisp, delicate vocals, soaring melodies, and glistening production." Her second EP, Sentiment, was self-released on June 8, 2015. The EP was praised by Time, who called her vocals "rich and ethereal". She has toured internationally and performed at events such as Neon Gold Popshop, South by Southwest, The Knitting Factory, Brooklyn Bowl, the Firefly Festival and Lollapalooza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celeste (singer)</span> British R&B singer (born 1994)

Celeste Epiphany Waite is a British singer and songwriter. She began her career in 2014 providing vocals for electronic producers such as Avicii, Tieks and Real Lies, while also self-publishing content onto SoundCloud on the side. She made her solo debut via Lily Allen's vanity label Bank Holiday Records with the EP The Milk & the Honey (2017), and then released her second EP Lately (2019) after signing with Polydor Records in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Lacy</span> American musician (born 1998)

Steve Thomas Lacy-Moya is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and musician. He gained recognition as the guitarist of the alternative R&B band the Internet, which he joined in 2015. His self-produced debut EP, Steve Lacy's Demo (2017), was met with critical praise and became a sleeper hit. Lacy then guest performed alongside Frank Ocean on Tyler, the Creator's 2017 single "911 / Mr. Lonely", which received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). That year, he also co-wrote songs for artists including Solange Knowles, and Kendrick Lamar on his song "Pride".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivia O'Brien</span> American singer

Olivia Gail O'Brien is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in 2016 after collaborating with Gnash on the single "I Hate U, I Love U", which peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States and number one in Australia. The success resulted in a recording contract with Island Records, with whom she released two extended plays, three mixtapes, and her debut studio album Was It Even Real? (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masego (musician)</span> Jamaican musician (born 1993)

Micah Davis, known professionally as Masego, is a Jamaican-American musician and singer, known for incorporating the saxophone into his music. Masego released two EPs in 2016, The Pink Polo EP with Medasin, and Loose Thoughts. He gained widespread attention with his collaborative record with FKJ called "Tadow" released in 2017. In 2018, he released his debut album Lady Lady. His album Studying Abroad: Extended Stay was nominated for the 2022 Grammy Awards in the "Best Progressive R&B Album" category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yves Tumor</span> American musician and producer

Sean Lee Bowie, best known by the recording alias Yves Tumor, is an American musician and producer of experimental music, born in Miami, Florida, and currently based in Turin, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JP Saxe</span> Canadian musician

Jonathan Percy Starker "JP" Saxe is a Canadian singer and musician. He is best known for his collaboration with American singer Julia Michaels titled "If the World Was Ending" which was released in 2019. The song was nominated for a 2021 Grammy. His "hero" grandfather, noted cellist János Starker, was a multiple nominee and Grammy winner.

Yirrmal Marika, known mononymously as Yirrmal, is an Indigenous Australian vocalist. A Yolngu man, his music features traditional sounds and elements of Yolŋu music.

Bryndon Cook, who also goes by the solo act Starchild & the New Romantic, is an American musician, producer, and singer-songwriter. He is best known for his work as the touring guitarist and music director for singer Solange Knowles, and his collaborations with musician Dev Hynes.

References

  1. url=https://www.anothermag.com/fashion-beauty/12238/kelsey-lu-musician-interview-profile-2020-grounded-blood-transfusion
  2. url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/music/kelsey-lu-review-a-beautiful-bewildering-piece-of-performance-art-a4197106.html
  3. Easter, Makeda (August 20, 2019). "Solange. Blood Orange. Kelsey Lu. There's a new wave of genre-bending black artists". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 Gore, Sydney (February 15, 2016). "Cellist Kelsey Lu Will Have You Under Her Spell". Nylon . Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  5. 1 2 Hager, Emma (July 15, 2016). "Kelsey Lu Doesn't Sound Like Anyone Else". Elle . Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  6. Maitland, Hayley (March 24, 2019). "Front Row Regular Kelsey Lu On Her Jehovah's Witness Upbringing And Stunning Debut Album". Vogue . Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  7. Frank, Alex (August 12, 2016). "Kelsey Lu's Dreams Are Better Than Yours". Pitchfork . Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  8. Nikas, Joanna (August 25, 2016). "Kelsey Lu McJunkins, Hitting the Stages of Afropunk and Barclays Center". The New York Times . Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  9. Lobenfeld, Claire (November 10, 2016). "Kelsey Lu is the maverick cellist whose loop experiments have wooed Blood Orange and Solange". Fact . Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  10. Mokoena, Tshepo (April 24, 2019). "Kelsey Lu Had to Manifest Hopeful Pop from Pain". Vice . Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  11. Bruce-Jones, Henry (November 15, 2019). "Kelsey Lu enlists Lafawndah, Omar S and Skrillex for Blood Transfusion remix EP". Fact . Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  12. Joshi, Tara (5 September 2020). "Kelsey Lu: 'The white, cis, male hetero-patriarchy, it's all being deconstructed'". The Guardian.
  13. "Shades of Blue - Single by Kelsey Lu on Apple Music". Apple Music . Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  14. "Due West - Single by Kelsey Lu on Apple Music". Apple Music . Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  15. "Morning Dew - Single by Kelsey Lu on Apple Music". Apple Music . Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  16. "let all the poisons that lurk in the mud seep out - Single by Kelsey Lu, Yves Tumor, Kelly Moran and Moses Boyd on Apple Music". Apple Music . Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  17. "Ride or Die - Single by Kelsey Lu, Boys Noize and Chilly Gonzales on Apple Music". Apple Music . Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  18. "When or When - Single by Kelsey Lu and Onyx Collective on Apple Music". Apple Music . Retrieved June 16, 2021.