Strumming Colors of Soul
Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Emily King was born with music in her blood. The New York City-based musician started her career in 2005, released a debut album a year later and has been well-received ever since.
East Side Story, Emily King’s debut album, received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Urban Album in 2008. Since then, she has been performing in the local NYC scene and toured with the likes of Alicia Keys and John Legend. With the crafted mash-up of soul, jazz and hip hop with a splash of old school, King’s sultry voice and music serves to prove points of love, race relations and life.
King was born to international jazz musicians Kim Kalesti and Marion Cowings and as a child, was constantly exposed to jazz sounds. She eventually fell in love with music and decided to continue the family tradition. According to an interview in Jive Magazine, King stated she had a hard time in school because she knew what she wanted to do and was anxious to get started. She was able take on her music at age 16 when she completed her GED and began writing songs. Determined to stand out from the rest, the first song she finished had nothing to do with relationships.
“Business Man” discusses heartless capitalists and has been proclaimed as a central moment on her debut CD. It wasn’t long before she advanced from playing and singing in her apartment to performing in local New York City venues, such as the Bitter End, to signing a deal with J Records. Bad Boy producer Chucky Thompson, who has worked with greats like hip-hop soul queen Mary J. Blige and the Notorious B.I.G., worked with King and helped her develop her eclectic style as she became more exposed to hip hop. After signing with a label, King started recording her album.
With her first single “Walk in my Shoes,” King soulfully sasses up a storm explaining how it ain’t easy bein’ Emily and how a person can’t give a how-to lecture to another person unless they walk in their shoes. The video shows a strong depiction of various people, their personal struggles and reactions from other people who aren’t in a similar situation. Even though her first song wasn’t live, she eventually wrote and did “U & I.” This slow groove jam is definitely the type of musical art that a lovestruck young lady can use to describe how she feels about her lover. Then there is “Colorblind,” the single that applies to her experience as the offspring of an inter-racial union.
“I think that song really brings it all together,“ she said on her Blackplanet page. “It sums up what I’m about, where I’m from and gives an idea of the passion behind what I’m doing.”
The lyrics speak for themselves detailing how society claims to be colorblind while questioning how that’s possible when black and white issues are still brought up. She proclaimed in the song that it was music, not her different set of friends, that allowed King to be herself. King’s music is a fusion of jazz, hip hop, soul and various influences from Beatles, Michael Jackson, Miles Davis and Mary J. Blige, and the ambition to bring people together with her music.
King is happy to be doing what she loves, has received great success since the release of her album and her fans have some awesomeness to expect on her sophomore release.
For more on Emily King and upcoming performances visit her MySpace.
(Photo credit: Blackplanet)
