Meet Keju Luo | Music Producer & Film Composer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Keju Luo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Keju, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Music has always been a central part of my life. I grew up in China during the final days of the Dakota era (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakou), spending my teenage years collecting CDs and listening to bands like Nine Inch Nails and Rage Against the Machine. I picked up the guitar, though I never became particularly skilled, and my early attempts at making music involved programming MIDI using a mouse and keyboard. In college, I played in bands and taught myself more about producing and mixing.

I don’t think there was a critical point when I consciously decided to pursue music as a profession. I started as an amateur, and in a certain way, I still consider myself one. I’m mostly self-taught and I appreciate the freedom that comes with not always knowing exactly what you are doing. Along the way, I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with incredible filmmakers and animators who trusted me with their projects. One opportunity led to another, and here I am today.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I want to share two projects that are coming up.

Over the past two years, I’ve been producing an album for the incredibly talented singer-songwriter Shii, who’s currently based in Chengdu. This will be her sophomore album. It’s a collection of synth-driven, multi-layered songs and I’m proud to have been part of it. The album is set to drop in February via Merrie Records. In the meantime, you can check out one of the singles here:: https://open.spotify.com/album/6XPpKnwz8U569tYfGuI0GK?si=dOoT-uEWQ2-8nXLvNGzaUw

I’ve also been working on the score for My Father’s Son, the second film by director Sheng Qiu. It’s an emotional family drama with a touch of sci-fi, and the director gave me plenty of creative freedom to craft some moody and atmospheric music. I’m so excited to share it with you soon!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m a foodie and I love exploring different neighborhoods in the LA area. I have a long list of restaurants – mostly mom-and-pop joints in immigrant enclaves. A few top picks:

– Evil Cooks
– Mandalay Morning Star Burmese Kitchen
– Eighth Street Soondae
– Carnitas el Momo
– Buddha Vegetarian Restaurant
– Zhengyalov Hatz
– GS Cafe and Ethiopian Cuisine
– Sababa Falafel Shop
– Los 5 Puntos
– Fuego Restaurant

My favorite movie theaters and music venues:

– Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum
– Egyptian Theater
– The Regent Theater
– Lodge Room
– 2220 Arts + Archives

Other random things to do:

– Amoeba Music
– The Iliad Bookshop
– Alameda Swap Meet
– Ernest E. Debs Regional Park
– Mount Wilson Observatory
– Long Beach harbor boat tour

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are a few friends in LA I’d like to share:

– Jesse Cai – guitarist and producer (https://www.caisounds.com/)
– Louzhang – producer (https://linktr.ee/louzhang_lz)
– Longwei Deng – director (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6565966/)
– Sam Fan – sound editor (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5558946/)
– Peter Labberton – music producer and mixing engineer (https://peterlabberton.com/)

Website: https://kejuluo.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kejuluo/