At first glance, Will Lyu’s music feels atmospheric–fluid guitars, textured drums, and ethereal harmonies. But beneath the surface of his sound lies a deeper story: a producer shaped by two worlds, two cultures, and an obsession with crafting emotion through frequency.
Will Lyu in the session
Born in Beijing, Lyu began playing guitar at thirteen, spending hours studying everything from classic soul to alternative rock and early 2000s hip-hop. What started as teenage escape soon became a lifelong discipline, guiding him toward a more expansive creative identity. His journey took a decisive turn when he moved to Los Angeles to study recording and production seriously. There, at the Musicians Institute, he became immersed not just in audio engineering, but in the cultural and artistic worlds that orbit the city’s studios. The transition from China to LA wasn’t just geographical-it was a shift into a place where experimentation is a way of life.
This spirit led Lyu to Sound Factory Studio, where he contributed to sessions with artists such as Doja Cat, Tems, and Mark Ronson. The experience exposed him to a new level of creative expectation: the pressure of major sessions, the magic of collaboration, and the intimacy of shaping sound behind the glass.
His work eventually caught the attention of Om’Mas Keith,the Grammy-winning producer best known for his collaborations with Frank Ocean. Under Om’Mas’s wing, Lyu stepped into rooms with genre-bending artists including Free Nationals, Jaden Smith, Budjerah, and Soul in the Horn. The mentorship challenged him to think beyond genre, beyond structure, and even beyond conventional notions of musical identity.
Session at Shangri-La studio with Om’Mas Keith
As an artist, his project YELV reflects this evolution. The music isn’t bound by category–it’s a collage of memories, cross-cultural influences, and emotional experimentation. His sound carries a particular duality: soft yet assertive, digital yet deeply human.
Lyu represents a generation of global musicians who see creativity as borderless. Whether crafting subtle atmospheric productions or shaping major-label releases, he approaches music as a space to translate feeling into form. His rising career bridges the distance between Beijing and Los Angeles–two places that, within his sound, feel impossibly close.