Emily King

Emily King
Emily King performing in Portland, Oregon August 2016
Background information
Born (1985-07-10) July 10, 1985
Origin New York City, United States
Genres R&B, soul
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter
Years active 2004–present
Labels ATO, J Records
Website www.emilykingmusic.com

Emily King (born July 10, 1985) is an American singer and songwriter. She started her career in 2004 and her debut album East Side Story was released three years later in August 2007. In December 2007, King was listed as a Grammy nominee for Best Contemporary R&B Album.[1]

Biography

Born in New York City in 1985, King grew up in a small apartment on the Lower East Side. Her parents, Marion Cowings and Kim Kalesti, were a singing duo who performed and traveled regularly bringing her and her older brother along with them. At age 16, King left high school after earning her GED to pursue her music career. She began playing shows in restaurants and venues around New York City including CBGB and The Bitter End.

Career

King signed her first record deal with J Records in 2004 and was featured on Nas' 2004 album Street's Disciple credited as simply "Emily". Her debut album East Side Story was released 3 years later in August 2007. It went on to earn a Grammy nomination for "Best Contemporary R&B Album of the Year." During that time King toured with John Legend and Floetry. She also opened for various artists such as Nas, Alicia Keys, Chaka Khan and Erykah Badu. After parting ways with her label in 2008, King continued her work independently. She self-recorded her follow-up EP Seven in her home, released July 2011. Later that year in October, she accepted an invitation from Maroon 5 to be the opening act on their European/Scandinavian tour.

In 2012, King was awarded the Holly Prize (a tribute to the legacy of Buddy Holly) from The Songwriters Hall of Fame for recognition of the "all-in songwriter" whose work exhibits the qualities of Holly’s music: true, great and original. In the fall, King was invited by Emeli Sande to open for her UK tour playing sold out shows in 5 cities including The Royal Albert Hall in London. King collaborated with José James on his album No Beginning No End in 2013 and can be heard on tracks Heaven on the Ground and the acoustic version of Come to My Door. In 2014, King was performing as an opening act for Sara Bareilles' Little Black Dress tour.

2015 marked the release of King's second studio album The Switch which was self-released by her own label Making Music Records on June 26. The Wall Street Journal remarked that the album is "a tasteful collection of 11 songs that showcase King’s distinctive voice."[2]

Discography

EPs

  • East Side Story [Sampler] (2006)[3]
  • Seven (2011)[4]

Studio Albums

Singles

References

  1. ↑ "Emily King, Auckland Arts Festival". NZ Herald. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  2. ↑ "Emily King Listens to Her Instincts on 'The Switch' (Exclusive Album)". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  3. ↑ "East Side Story [Sampler]". Allmusic. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  4. ↑ "Seven EP". Allmusic. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  5. ↑ "East Side Story". Discogs. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  6. ↑ "Walk in My Shoes". Allmusic. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
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