Justin “LJ” Wilson was born into a musical family and it definitely shows!
His dad, Justin Wilson II of Los Angeles, California, is a sound engineer and a Grammy Award-winning composer. As for his mom Shelana, she’s a school psychologist with a beautiful singing voice. Even LJ’s baby sister Shia is naturally gravitating toward music!
When LJ was just 18 months old, his dad set him down at a drum kit and let him go to town. It didn’t take long before Justin and Shelana saw his natural talent come shining through.
“It started pretty early – he had an uncanny sense of rhythm,” Justin explained.
The Wilsons nurtured LJ’s blossoming talent, starting a YouTube channel and other social media pages for their “Baby Boy Drummer.”
People noticed right away that not only was he gifted, but he also really seemed to adore drumming. Every picture and video the family shares shows the child beaming with joy!
“People love him because he always has a smile on his face,” Justin said. “He clearly loves what he does.”
The first-grader has already hit a milestone that many people never will: He’s gone viral!
Videos of the tiny phenom have been viewed more than 14 million times on Twitter alone. He’s also made live television appearances and wowed an arena full of people during a Golden State Warriors game in Boston. Not to mention, he’s released his own album, which is called “LJ’s World.”
With his dad’s support, LJ hopes to help other kids learn to play the drums. Together, they’ve started a project called Drum Hub for Kids, where LJ will give lessons, tips, and advice to other young musicians.
“He’s teaching drum lessons and how to have fun,” Justin said. “I go over how to inspire young kids and the methods we use [as parents] to nurture [LJ’s] gift.”
In addition to LJ’s budding solo career, the whole family makes music together on YouTube. Even baby Shia is learning to sing like her mom and bang the drums like her big brother.
What a fun, talented family! We can’t wait to hear what they do next!
Check out one of their group performances in the video below, and be sure to share this story to make someone smile.
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