Photo by Bao Ngo
By the age of 20, R&B singer Emily King accomplished what takes some artists an entire lifetime of touring and recording music to achieve. Signed to Clive Davis’ J Records by the age of 19 in 2004, King went to work and released her debut album “East Side Story” in 2007.
The album was critically acclaimed and earned the young artist a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Contemporary Album that very same year. Although she was dropped by her label shortly after that, King has joined the likes of Maroon 5, Alabama Shakes, Sara Bareilles and John Legend on the road in support.
In a recent interview with CBS News, the singer discussed the split from the label and how it turned out being a big learning experience for her.
"You can't fool yourself. I've tried, and it just doesn't work. So, I think that's what I took from that situation is, like, just go with your instincts, especially creatively," King said.
King grew up in a musical household, her parents are jazz duo Marion Cowings and Kim Kalesti. To say the singer was destined for her own tout with greatness would be an understatement.
Her own sound is very much rooted in the world of R&B and soul with carefully crafted pop melodies. The singer has an undeniable charm to her performance on stage and after ten years as a professional musician has packed all that together in her third full length release, Scenery.
Emily King- Look at Me Now (Live from Apogee Studios)
While recording this album, King sought an escape from her life that largely was rooted in New York City. Though it was always home, she felt trapped there.
“There was nothing exciting me there anymore,” King says in a recent press release. “I’d see tourists wide-eyed and excited about the sights, but I had seen them for 33 years. Every street is a memory for me, so it’s hard to draw a new memory out of them. I felt like I was on a hamster wheel. I needed a place to record, and I knew I had to get out.”
Though she admits not every song on the new LP centers around her desires of freedom and escape from the norms of her life, all songs were a result of her final decision in making the move. These new songs were written and recorded in a garage on the countryside of the Catskill Mountains giving King full creative freedom.
Whether it is the burning 80s’ pop inspired “Remind Me,” or the lead single “Look at Me Now” packed with a confident strut of keys and strings, King shines in her new found “scenery.”
King is coming off exciting performances at Coachella earlier last month and is set to take the stage at A&R Music Bar tonight with special guest Jennah Bell. Tickets are $22 and are available for purchase at the box office or via TicketMaster here.
Rocco Falleti is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at rfalleti@cityscenecolumbus.com
