Lusamba Vanessa Kalala (born 21 July 1995), better known by her stage name Lu Kala (stylized in all caps), is a Congolese-Canadian singer. She began her career writing music for other artists, being credited on tracks by Jennifer Hudson and Katy Perry.[1] She gained recognition for her guest appearance on American rapper Latto's 2023 single "Lottery", which entered the Billboard Hot 100 and Canadian Hot 100.[2] Her 2025 extended play, No Tearson This Ride, spawned the viral hit "Pretty Girl Era" and Canadian iTunes number one "Hotter Now". In addition to a solo tour, Kala has also toured with Cyndi Lauper and Aqua.
Kala emigrated to Canada at the age of three. She first grew up in the Regent Park neighbourhood and later lived in Ajax, Ontario.[3]
Kala began her career with songwriting, as she is credited as a writer on Jennifer Hudson's track "Dangerous" from her 2014 studio album JHUD.[4][1]
Kala performed at the Canadian Music Week in 2019[5] where she performed her debut single, "DCMO (Don't Count Me Out)".[6] She also won the grand prize at Royal Bank of Canada's Emerging Musician Program,[7] earning $10,000 worth of studio time among other prizes.[8]
In February 2023, Latto released "Lottery" which featured Kala, marking Kala's first entry on the Billboard Hot 100[9] and Billboard Canadian Hot 100.[10] On 1 March, Latto and Kala performed the song at the 2023 Billboard Women in Music event.[11] In April, her 2022 single "Pretty Girl Era" entered the Billboard Canadian Hot 100,[12] marking her first solo entry on the chart. On 24 September 2023, Kala received the Emerging Artist Award at the Legacy Awards.[13] On 10 December, she performed at TikTok's inaugural In the Mix festival in Mesa, Arizona.[14]
Kala was nominated for two Juno Awards in 2024,[15] and she performed at the opening night of the show.[16] In March, Kala received two No. 1 Song Awards from SOCAN for her singles "Hotter Now" and "Nothing but Love".[17] Following this, "Hotter Now" became her highest peaking song on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100.[18] In April, it was revealed that Kala had written a song with Katy Perry (later revealed to be "OK" from the deluxe edition of Perry's 2024 studio album 143).[19] On 4 July, Kala won the inaugural Billboard Canada Women in Music Rising Star Award.[20] In the same month, her single "Who's Gonna" the entered Canadian Contemporary hit radio chart.[21] In September 2024, Kala released her single "Criminal" after performing it at the Billboard Canada Women in Music event.[22] In October 2024, Kala joined Cyndi Lauper as an opener for two dates on the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour. On 21 November 2024, Kala appeared as a guest judge on the season premiere of the fifth season of Canada's Drag Race.[23] Two days later, she announced her single "Cry Baby".[24]
↑Canadian Music, Week (8 August 2019). "LU KALA 'Don't Count Me Out'". YouTube. Archived from the original on 13 August 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020– via YouTube, owned by Google.
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