Emily King

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

Emily King
Emily King performing in Portland, Oregon August 2016
Background information
Born (1985-07-10) July 10, 1985
OriginNew York City, United States
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
Years active2004–present
Labels
Websitewww.emilykingmusic.com

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 taking her and her older brother 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 appeared on Nas' 2004 album Street's Disciple credited as simply "Emily". Her first album East Side Story was released in August 2007. It received 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 leaving the label in 2008, King continued her work independently. She self-recorded her follow-up EP Seven in her home, released in July 2011. In October 2011, 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 five cities including at 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 the tracks "Heaven on the Ground" and the acoustic version of "Come to My Door". In 2014, King performed as an opening act for Sara Bareilles' Little Black Dress tour.

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

She signed with the independent label ATO Records in 2017 and with them released her third studio album, Scenery, on 1 February 2019.

In late 2019, King once again performed as an opening act for Sara Bareilles in her Amidst The Chaos Tour.[3]

In 2019, King helped to compose "Being Human", the ending theme song for the Cartoon Network animated series Steven Universe Future, which she sang. Her song "Can't Hold Me" was also used in an episode of the series.

Discography

Studio albums

Title Details Peak chart positions
US
Current

[4]
US
R&B
HH

[5]
US
Heat

[6]
US
Indie

[7]
East Side Story
  • Released: 28 August 2007
  • Label: J
  • Formats: CD, digital download
6018
The Switch
  • Released: 26 June 2015
  • Label: Making Music
  • Formats: CD, digital download
4116
Scenery
  • Released: 1 February 2019
  • Label: ATO
  • Formats: CD, LP, digital download
86614
Sides
  • Released: 17 January 2020
  • Label: Making Music, ATO
  • Formats: CD, digital download

EPs

Title Details
East Side Story (Sampler)
  • Released: 2006[8]
  • Label: self-released
  • Formats: CD
Seven
  • Released: July 12, 2011
  • Label: self-released
  • Formats: CD, LP, Digital download
Emily King on Audiotree Live
  • Released: November 15, 2015
  • Label: Audiotree Music
  • Formats: Digital download
Change of Scenery (Remix EP)
  • Released: October 11, 2019
  • Label: ATO
  • Formats: Digital download
Spotify Singles[9]
  • Released: July 22, 2020
  • Label: ATO
  • Formats: Streaming

Instrumental albums

Title Details
The Seven EP Instrumentals[10]
  • Released: 23 April 2012
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: Digital download
Scenery (Instrumentals)[11]
  • Released: 19 June 2020
  • Label: ATO
  • Formats: Digital download

Singles

As lead artist

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
R&B/
HH

[12]
US
Adult
R&B

[13]
"Walk in My Shoes"
(with Lupe Fiasco)
2007 7422 East Side Story
"U & I" 2008 26
"Ordinary Heart" 2012 Non-album single
"The Animals" 2013 The Switch
"Distance" 2014
"BYIMM" 2016
"Crush (Amazon Original)" 2017 Non-album single
"Remind Me" 2018 Scenery
"Look at Me Now"
"Can't Hold Me" 2019
"Incredible Manage Question" Non-album single
"Look At Me Now (Acoustic)" Sides
"Radio (Acoustic)" 2020
"Teach You (Acoustic)"
(featuring Sara Bareilles)
"Being Human"
(Theme From Steven Universe Future)
Non-album single

Guest appearances

Title Year Other artist(s) Album
"Take a Walk" 2008 Tame Waipara Leaving Paradise
"Heaven on the Ground" 2012 José James No Beginning No End
"What Must I Do" Selan Space Flight
"Stay Slow" 2013 Tame Waipara Fill Up the Silence
"Decisisions" 2014 Taylor McFerrin Early Riser
"Good Enough" 2019 Kraz Telescope
"That's the Way Life Goes" Hannah Georgas Imprints

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result
2008 Grammy Award Best Contemporary R&B Album East Side Story Nominated
2020 Grammy Award Best R&B Song "Look at Me Now" Nominated

References

  1. "Emily King, Auckland Arts Festival". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  2. Eric R. Danton (22 June 2015). "Emily King Listens to Her Instincts on 'The Switch' (Exclusive Album)". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 20 March 2016. (subscription required)
  3. "Emily King Announces Fall Arena Tour Supporting Sara Bareilles". ATO Records. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  4. "Emily King: Chart History - Top Current Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  5. "Emily King: Chart History - Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  6. "Emily King: Chart History - Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  7. "Emily King: Chart History - Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  8. "East Side Story [Sampler]". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  9. "Spotify Singles - Emily King". Spotify. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  10. "The Seven EP Instrumentals". Bandcamp. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  11. "Scenery (Instrumentals) by Emily King". Tidal. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  12. "Emily King: Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  13. "Emily King: Chart History: Adult R&B Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 15 June 2020.


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