CULTURE
THE BEAT GOES ON: A MODERN DAY MUSIC ICON IN THE MAKING
Emily King is the real deal, with a rich musical heritage that is hard to top. Born and raised in New York City to jazz icons Marion Cowings and Kim Kalesti, King was born to sing. Her soulful voice and exceptional songwriting skills have earned her critical acclaim and a growing fanbase. Drawing from a diverse range of influences, including classic soul, R&B, and pop, King creates music that is both timeless and fresh. She has collaborated with the likes of Nas, Sara Bareilles, and John Legend, and already has three Grammy nominations under her belt. As she continues to captivate audiences and earn critical acclaim, Emily King is well on her way to becoming a household name.
Emily King photo by Shervin Lainez
AS IF: Your parents were a well-known jazz duo, what role did they play in you becoming a musician?
Emily King: My folks have a huge influence on me musically, I really copy their vocal styling. They raised my brother and I on jazz standards, and we would go to their shows. It kind of sunk into my psyche, that music can really affect people, and how you can communicate to someone’s emotions and how important that is. It was the story telling with those old classic songs, the American Songbook, and old jazz standards. I was learning how to be a storyteller through those songs. Music wasn’t even a thought; it was just the family business. When I was a teenager, I realized that I could improvise. And of course, jazz was all about improvisation. I started to write songs and my mom got me my first gig at The Bitter End. There was a lot of help from a mom and dad, it was just a natural transition to be a musician, there was no expectation to go to college to be honest. Music was everything for us, our spirituality, our work, our everything.
How would you describe your sound?
I think my sound is very much influenced by my early childhood listening to crooners and instrumentalists like Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis and Lambert Hendricks. Middle school was all about 90s R&B and hip hop because that’s what was hot, you know? Everything from Mary J. Blige, Boys to Men, Mariah Carey, Bad Boy...Around 18, I went towards rock and roll, I discovered the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and all that stuff. There were periods in my life where these different things became fixations. I’m just a fan of so much great music. My music is definitely rooted in R&B, I’d say pop R&B.
Who are your influences currently?
Cat Stevens. Fleet Foxes, their first record is my favorite. I love Tom Petty, I got to see him at Red Rocks before he passed away. Wow, man, I just love his songwriting and his catalogue. I think more than the style of a song, I’m more interested in the makings of a song. And you can sort of package it in different ways. It’s so fascinating, because a really great song, you can put a different outfit on it. So I’m always listening for the lyric and the melody. Before I started writing songs, I remember I would have these moments where I really wanted to sing, you know, just to myself. But I couldn’t think of a song that would express exactly how I felt in that moment so I would just make things up. And I think I'm still trying to follow that instinct because I think that is maybe one of the better things that I do in life. And I would like to develop it more and make it stronger. I’m still very interested in becoming a better songwriter. If there’s one thing I would like to be remembered for, it would be that that's the thing I really work on the most.
