Willy Alberti, the Amsterdam singer who became known with songs such as Marina and The smile of a child and died in 1985 is directly related to Kelsey. “My grandfather and Willy were brothers, so Willy is actually a great-uncle of mine,” Kelsey explains.
Willeke Alberti, Willy’s daughter, is of course also family. “I have been in contact with Willeke since I started singing,” says Kelsey. “She regularly gives me tips and we will probably release a song together soon.”
Still, Kelsey doesn’t want to use his famous family members too much as a wheelbarrow for his own career. “I don’t have the name Alberti either, but I just want to make it as Kelsey Verbrugge.”