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. Kelsey Lu was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and had a strict Jehovah's Witness upbringing. Both of Lu's parents are musicians: their father is a percussionist, their mother a pianist. Their father's family hails from Nigeria. Lu began studying classical composition at age 6, learning piano, violin, and cello. At age 18, Lu left their family home to attend the University of North Carolina School of the Arts on a scholarship. A year later, they dropped out of the school. Kelsey Lu recorded their debut EP, Church, in a church in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. During this time, they toured with the band Wet as their opening act. They released Church in 2016. They released their debut album, Blood, in 2019. In that year, they also released Blood Transfusion, a collection of remixes of tracks from Blood. Lu uses they/them pronouns. On March 18, 2026, Lu announced their second studio album So Help Me God with the release of the single "Running to Pain". Produced by Jack Antonoff and Yves Rothman, the album is scheduled for release on June 12 via the label Dirty Hit. Featured artists will include Sampha, Kamasi Washington, and Kim Gordon. 2019 – "Blood Tour" 2026 – "So Help Me God Tour" Short Film House Comes with a Bird, Directed by Janicza Bravo (2022) So Help Me God The Film, Directed by Savanah Leaf (2026) Web Show Hydroharmonia, format 2 episodies (2020) "Cover Story: Avant-Pop Star Kelsey Lu on Reclaiming Her Freedom". "Kelsey Lu review: A beautiful, bewildering piece of performance art". 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. Joshi, Tara (2020-09-05). "Kelsey Lu: 'The white, cis, male hetero-patriarchy, it's all being deconstructed'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-06-12. Gore, Sydney (February 15, 2016). "Cellist Kelsey Lu Will Have You Under Her Spell". Nylon. Retrieved April 29, 2019. Hager, Emma (July 15, 2016). "Kelsey Lu Doesn't Sound Like Anyone Else". Elle. Retrieved April 29, 2019. 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. Frank, Alex (August 12, 2016). "Kelsey Lu's Dreams Are Better Than Yours". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 2, 2020. Nikas, Joanna (August 25, 2016). "Kelsey Lu McJunkins, Hitting the Stages of Afropunk and Barclays Center". The New York Times. Retrieved April 2, 2020. 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. Mokoena, Tshepo (April 24, 2019). "Kelsey Lu Had to Manifest Hopeful Pop from Pain". Vice. Retrieved April 29, 2019. Bruce-Jones, Henry (November 15, 2019). "Kelsey Lu enlists Lafawndah, Omar S and Skrillex for Blood Transfusion remix EP". Fact. Retrieved April 29, 2019. Joshi, Tara (5 September 2020). "Kelsey Lu: 'The white, cis, male hetero-patriarchy, it's all being deconstructed'". The Guardian. Breihan, Tom (March 18, 2026). "Kelsey Lu Announces New Album So Help Me God: Hear 'Running To Pain'". Stereogum. Retrieved March 20, 2026. "Morning After Coffee – Single by Kelsey Lu on YouTube" – via YouTube. "Empathy – Single by Kelsey Lu on YouTube" – via YouTube. "Shades of Blue – Single by Kelsey Lu on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved June 16, 2021. "Due West – Single by Kelsey Lu on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved June 16, 2021. "I'm Not Love – Single by Kelsey Lu on YouTube". Retrieved June 16, 2021 – via YouTube. "Blood – Single by Kelsey Lu on YouTube". Retrieved June 16, 2021 – via YouTube. "Foreign Car – Single by Kelsey Lu on YouTube". Retrieved June 16, 2021 – via YouTube. "Morning Dew – Single by Kelsey Lu on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved June 16, 2021. "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. "Ride or Die – Single by Kelsey Lu, Boys Noize and Chilly Gonzales on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved June 16, 2021. "Love & Validation – Single by Kelsey Lu, Boys Noize, Mike Marsh and Soulwax, on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved March 20, 2026. "French Lessons – Single by Kelsey Lu, Mykki Blanco, James Rand, Joe Crow and FaltyDL, on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved March 20, 2026. "When or When - Single by Kelsey Lu and Onyx Collective on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved June 16, 2021. Official website Kelsey Lu discography at Discogs