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KelseyBrae: Berlin Dark Pop with a 2000s Heart

KelseyBrae is a Berlin-based dark pop and indie pop rock artist who went from playing ukulele folk songs at open mics to building a big, emotional sound inspired by the bands she grew up with. Her debut album, "Love & Not", came out single by single, and its tenth and final track dropped in August 2026. Here's her story and where to listen.

From open stage to dark pop

KelseyBrae started songwriting in 2015, after moving to Berlin. For nearly a decade she hosted a popular open stage in the city, a place where new songwriters could try out their music in front of an audience.

She began as a ukulele folk singer-songwriter. Over the years she grew into a multi-instrumentalist, and in 2018 she launched KelseyBrae as the project we know today.

For her, songwriting isn't just a hobby. As she puts it on her website, writing music is "more powerful and more to the core of who I am" than spoken words.

Her sound: nostalgia, with an edge

KelseyBrae's music sits between dark pop, indie pop rock and emo revival. Her biggest influences are the bands of the 2000s and 2010s, like Paramore and Yellowcard, and you can hear that nostalgia in her melodies and her big choruses.

Her live show is something of a one-woman band: powerful vocals, synth bass, floor tom, ukulele and backing tracks, all at once.

"Love & Not", her debut album

In 2025 she started releasing her first full-length album, "Love & Not", one single at a time. With the tenth and final track out in August 2026, the album is now complete. It's inspired by the nostalgic indie pop rock of her youth. It's an independent release, supported by two of Germany's best-known music funding programmes, Initiative Musik and the Music Board Berlin.

Listen to KelseyBrae on Orbit

You can stream KelseyBrae on Orbit, starting with "Delay". Every play pays the artist directly, the moment you press play. For an independent artist like KelseyBrae, that means every listen directly supports her next release.

Quick facts

• Artist name: KelseyBrae
• Based in: Berlin, Germany
• Genres: dark pop, indie pop rock, emo revival
• Debut album: "Love & Not" (released single by single, 2025–2026)
• Influences: Paramore, Yellowcard
• Live setup: vocals, synth bass, floor tom, ukulele
• Label: independent
• Website: kelseybrae.com