In their sophomore album So Help Me God, Kelsey Lu is letting go in order to move forward
With the help of Sampha, Jack Antanoff and more, the singer and composer makes their full-length return after a 7-year hiatus.
A comeback looks different to many people. But for Kelsey Lu, it’s a full rebirth.
The American artist’s decade-long career began in 2016, when their EP Church, an ethereal, distorted body of work, dropped. It came at a time when the music industry was uncovering their musical dexterity, as they contributed cello backing, in which they’re classically trained, to Lady Gaga’s Joanne and vocals to Solange’s A Seat at the Table. Then came their 2019 debut album, Blood. It was a project that revealed Lu’s most notable track, an atmospheric rendition of 10cc’s I’m Not In Love, and officially introduced Lu to the mainstream.
Lu had gained the type of momentum most artists dream of. But instead of using it to churn out a stream of projects, the 35-year-old artist took an alternative route – a 7-year-long break from making full-length projects. Over those years, Lu embarked on a global and emotional voyage, searching for personal healing and dissecting their relationship with music whilst there. They composed, wrote, produced and sang during that time, and not just for themselves. Their hiatus opened them up to other avenues of music – most notably composing. Lu was the driving force behind the sound of A24’s BAFTA-winning Earth Mama – starring Doechii and Dominic Fike – and the Netflix documentary, Daughters.
With their cinematic musical universe fully formed and her soul-searching complete, Lu has returned with sophomore album, So Help Me God. The sonic tale of a person battling the complexities of life, wrapped in haunting instrumentation and operatic vocals, it’s a 10-track-long diary entry from Lu’s time away, also featuring inserts from Sampha, Jack Antonoff and Yves Rothman. The album creation proved to be a cathartic experience for the musician and artist, reflected in soul-baring song titles such as Running To Pain, Portrait Of A Lady On Fire and Only The Lonely. So Help Me God sends a clear message: Kelsey Lu is back, and they’re better than ever.
Before Lu took off on a well-deserved holiday, the artist joined EE72 to discuss their return and who they’d cast in So Help Me God the movie…
Before this album’s release, you had a big break from creating music. How has it been re-entering the cycle of creating and promo?
It’s an adjustment, but it’s also been really exciting and a fun challenge. It’s been about finding the balance. This is my life, and I know this is my purpose. I’m so proud of this album, and I worked so hard on it. I want to reach as many people as I can, and I also want people to understand where it’s coming from, the stories behind how it was made, and my journey into this. Even though it’s been a lot, being able to find little moments of rest in nature has been great.
Do you have a favourite spot in nature where you’re able to recharge?
Locally, if I’m feeling really overwhelmed, I love walking to the water. There’s this park on the water with a long boardwalk, and you can see the Statue of Liberty, the city skyline and Jersey. Once you’re in New York, everything is so all-encompassing. It’s really nice to stand on the edge of it all and think. When I want to go deep into nature, I really love going to this place called the Piaule Catskill hotel.
You spoke about how much travelling you did between the albums. Could you see yourself uprooting and leaving New York?
This is a constant question between me, my friends and my partner. New York has lost some of the charm that it had for artists. It’s overpriced and there are lululemons everywhere. There is a charm that New York could never lose, and that is because of the people. But, how can artists who aren’t nepo babies make it?
What was your earliest memory of music?
My earliest memory of music is my mom playing the piano. My dad would blast Fela Kuti, Phil Collins and Sting. He was a portrait artist, and his studio was at the house. He’d play music really loudly while he was working. My sister and I would be thrashing our recently brushed-out hair. We would also be rocking out to Rachmaninoff.
The title of the album is So Help Me God. Why did that feel like the right title to summarise the project?
Making this album was the only way through a lot of the pain and things that felt too unbearable to keep going through. My relationship with spirituality has grown and changed, and I think God, as a sort of broad concept, means something different to everyone. The term ‘so help me God’ is something that someone says before they’re about to do something they might regret, or they’ve reached their limit. There were many moments in my life where I reached a limit and felt like I was going to end it there. I’d also reached my limit with the relationships I was in across music, love or friendship. Music has always been a source of feeling. It’s also been a source of pain for me. Through the making of this, I’ve accepted the multiplicities of that and of life. I think So Help Me God is something to reach for when you need a little bit of light.
Through the making of this, I’ve accepted the multiplicities of that and of life. I think So Help Me God is something to reach for when you need a little bit of light.
KELSEY LU
Was this album a mechanism for coping with what you were going through at the time?
The album has been a way of letting go. You can only control so much. There’ve been many moments in the making of this album where I’ve been like, ‘I think I know exactly what I want and the path seems really clear.’ Then all of a sudden it’s very unclear, and that feeling is really uncomfortable. Instead of trying to force comfort, I was allowing room for discomfort.
Tell us about the importance of collaboration in this process.
It was really huge. For five and a half years, I was sitting alone making, producing, writing, recording, and composing these songs. After a transformative trip I took to Indonesia, I went straight to LA and was like, ‘Okay, it’s time to really complete this.’ I went to the studio with Yves Rothman, and I was like, ‘I have this massive bushel of songs. I need help organising them.’ For Running To Pain, I wanted it to be a banging pop song so I was like, ‘What’s up, Jack Antonoff?’ We met, spoke for two hours, and had a lovely conversation. Every time we’ve worked together, there’s been a sense of playfulness and love of music that was really complementary.
Over the last seven years, whilst you’ve been out of the album cycle, you’ve been scoring films and TV shows. How did you get into that, and what attracted you to it?
It’s been a dream of mine for a really long time. I went to a conservatory for cello, and my roommate was in the film programme. They were constantly watching movies and studying them, and I was always watching with them. That introduced me to this whole other world of music and film. I write music in a pretty cinematic way, so it felt like a natural progression and evolution. My first film,Earth Mama, was a Savannah Leaf film. She had put one of my songs in her short film, The Heart Still Hums, and reached out to me about doing a closing credits song for Earth Mama. My rep was like, ‘In the future, Lu would really love to score films.’ She was like, ‘Really? Would she want to score this one?’ It all happened very serendipitously. I watched the film, and within the first 10 minutes, I was just like, ‘I have to do this.’
If So Help Me Godwere a film or a show, who would you have star in it, and what genre would it be?
Willem Dafoe, Steve Buscemi, Gollum, Michaela Coel, Rowan Blanchard and Jeremy O. Harris. I have to say Garance Marillier, as she’s already in the film for So Help My God. This is a stacked cast. The person who played Gandalf. Ayo Edebiri and Myha’la, too. It could be a psychological thriller or a dark comedy.
What is fuelling your creativity currently?
Honestly, ketamine therapy. It’s trauma healing, but it’s also really creatively inspiring. I’ll see some really incredible visualisations, and when I get out of it, I’m just drawing and painting.
Allow Naomi Scott to reintroduce herself with debut album F.I.G Allow Naomi Scott to reintroduce herself with debut album F.I.G
Allow Naomi Scott to reintroduce herself with debut album F.I.G
“I loved the seediness of that time:” From Hollywood royalty to New York hustlers, Gary Lee Boas reflects on an indelible career and an incredible life “I loved the seediness of that time:” From Hollywood royalty to New York hustlers, Gary Lee Boas reflects on an indelible career and an incredible life
“I loved the seediness of that time:” From Hollywood royalty to New York hustlers, Gary Lee Boas reflects on an indelible career and an incredible life
The Ocean Within: Why the Future of Wellness Begins in Antarctica The Ocean Within: Why the Future of Wellness Begins in Antarctica
The Ocean Within: Why the Future of Wellness Begins in Antarctica
After over two decades at the forefront of the zeitgeist, Rihanna is still shaping the cultural conversation After over two decades at the forefront of the zeitgeist, Rihanna is still shaping the cultural conversation
After over two decades at the forefront of the zeitgeist, Rihanna is still shaping the cultural conversation
How horsegiirL became pop’s wildest new environmentalist How horsegiirL became pop’s wildest new environmentalist
How horsegiirL became pop’s wildest new environmentalist
Inside Nora Chipaumire’s radical new Tate Modern commission Inside Nora Chipaumire’s radical new Tate Modern commission
Inside Nora Chipaumire’s radical new Tate Modern commission
Serena Williams is returning to the tennis courts. But first, she joins EE72 for a moment of reflection Serena Williams is returning to the tennis courts. But first, she joins EE72 for a moment of reflection
Serena Williams is returning to the tennis courts. But first, she joins EE72 for a moment of reflection
Is Backrooms A24’s scariest horror movie yet? Is Backrooms A24’s scariest horror movie yet?
