ʃˈɛli wʌz bˈɔːɹn ɪn lˈʌndən, ˈɪŋɡlənd, ðə dˈɔːɾɚɹ ʌv dˈɛbɚɹə blˈuːmstaɪn, ɐn ˈɑːpɚɹə sˈɪŋɚɹ ʌv ɹˈʌʃən dʒˈuːɪʃ dᵻsˈɛnt, ænd kˈɜːɾɪs ʃˈɛli, ɐ kəmpˈoʊzɚɹ ʌv dʒˈɜːmən dʒˈuːɪʃ ˈɔːɹɪdʒˌɪn.
Shelley was born in London, England, the daughter of Deborah ( Bloomstein), an opera singer of Russian Jewish descent, and Curtis Shelley, a composer of German Jewish origin.