It has been seven years since the release of Blood, the debut album from Kelsey Lu that established her as a singular voice in modern music. That long-awaited hiatus is finally coming to an end, as the artist has officially announced her sophomore album, So Help Me God, scheduled for release on June 12. Following the previously shared track "Running To Pain," Lu has returned with a new single and accompanying video, "Portrait Of A Lady On Fire."
The new track is a stirring composition, anchored by lush, sweeping strings and Lu's signature emotive vocal delivery. On social media, the artist described the inspiration behind the song, noting, "That unspoken connection that can go on for so long, feeling forbidden to ever truly actualize but in all of that is what’s so luring and romantic about it…."
Co-produced alongside Jack Antonoff and Yves Rothman, So Help Me God promises to be a deeply personal exploration of growth. Reflecting on the project, Lu shared, "So Help Me God was built slowly and intentionally across seven years of transformation. Sonically and emotionally it holds so many different worlds at once — devotion and desire, collapse and becoming — trying to make sense of what it means to break, to believe, to long for something without seeing it clearly, and to be reborn again and again and again.”
Album Details and Upcoming Tour
The album features a ten-track collection that highlights the breadth of Lu's artistic evolution:
1. "Reaper"
2. "Portrait Of A Lady On Fire"
3. "What Can I Do"
4. "Running To Pain"
5. "Comfort"
6. "American Sonnet"
7. "8 52"
8. "Only The Lonely"
9. "Better Than That"
10. "Cutting Off The Head Of A Ghost"
In support of the new music, Kelsey Lu has also announced a series of intimate performances for April 2026:
- 04/16 — New York, NY @ Blue Note Jazz Club
- 04/17 — New York, NY @ Blue Note Jazz Club
- 04/25 — Los Angeles, CA @ Blue Note
- 04/26 — Los Angeles, CA @ Blue Note
So Help Me God arrives on June 12 via Dirty Hit.