Kelsey McJunkins, otherwise known by her stage name, Kelsey Lu, is an American musician and recording artist known for her collaborations with Blood orange, Lady Gaga, and Wet. ^[1]

Kelsey Lu (Musician) was born and raised in the state of North Carolina, where she lived for most of her young adult life. She spent much of her younger life playing outside, digging in the

dirt.

Her mother played the piano and her father was a percussionist while working as a portrait artist.

She also has an older sister who she shares her musical background with.

She grew up surrounded by art and music, and recalls moments when her father would be working on an art piece all the while listening to some of the most legendary of Jazz music, Afro-Cuban salsa. Once her sister picked up the violin, Kelsey began studying classical composition at the age of six years old.

While she grew up in a musical family, she was also raised in a Jehova's Witness household. Even though she attended a public school, she wasn't allowed to hang with other kids outside of the congregation after the bell. She also didn't have cable so she rarely watched programs on MTV.

At the age of 18 years old, just when she was about to graduate from high school, on her senior year, she decided on Senior Skip Day to audition for an enrollment at the North Carolina School of the Arts.

She hadn't scheduled an audition, nor send an application, nor contact the cello instructor.

She sat on the floor and waited.

When the instructor arrived, she convinced him to let her play.

After auditioning for enrollment on her senior skip day during high school at North carolina school of the arts, she was given a full ride scholarship and enrolled without telling her parents. ^[1] She received her degree in Music.

Lu was asked to play the cello during a Nappy Roots concert that took place at her college. She was then invited to participate in the recording sessions of their new album to be released by Organized Noize, the imprint behind Outkast. During the process of collaborating with the label, she met André 3000, along with a slew of other artists.

The opportunity would eventually allow her to move to New York where she continue to collaborate with artists across many genres.

Lu is a musician known for her bare cello and sometimes vocal sound which has a unique flair in the pop tonality that she has created as an artist.

In late 2015, she began to collaborate with an array of independent artist in Brooklyn, New York, just months after graduating from college. ^[1]

In 2016, she collaborated with people such as Blood orange, Lady Gaga, and Wet. ^[1]

She released her debut LP titled Church in 2016.

Tracklist:

In 2019, Kelsey released her album Blood, containing 13 tracks.^[25]

Tracklist: