Name: Emily King
Locality: New York City, NY, USA
Color: Violet Mist—as a spin on “Purple Rain,” because
Emily’s crooning is a breathy version of Prince’s excellence.
The Story: Kim and Marion were two jazz mavens who gave
birth to the next soul princess, Emily King. The Big Apple residents were her
first lessons in the genre, and they birthed in her the passion for singing and
music, so much so that in her teenage years, she was already a certified
working musician, rocking the legendary former CBGB’s and The Bitter End.
It wasn’t until Hitman producer Chucky Thomson saw her
potential, and that chance meeting led to a pairing with music maven Clive
Davis. She got signed to J/Records and Sony Music, and released her debut album
East Side Story in 2007. The album had a modern R&B sound, as a complement
to her distinct pipes. This release garnered a Grammy Nod for “Best Contemporary
R&B Album of the Year.”
After much thought, she parted ways with her label in 2008;
a slight change of sound culminated with a new EP entitled Seven, released in
2011. With this release Emily produced a retro old-school flavor, a lighter
vocal presence, and a new image as well. This release she dropped
independently, but the buzz from her former partnership along with her great
new tunes produced a cult-like following.
Right now Emily is taking her floaty, celestial sound to the
next level. Her latest single, “Distance,” has mellow aspects to the guitar-laden
production and background vocals. For her, taking it back has created a
timeless sound to which no one can compare. Many are anticipating what is to
come from Emily, who is now putting her head down and working on her sophomore
release, sure to wow the masses.
Coloring Outside The Lines Because: It’s like all the puzzle
pieces fit when Emily King creates one of her masterpieces; take the production
and simple background “ooh” vocals that are seamless with the music, so much so
that the “melt” into the production. The melodic seamstress is never overpowering, but
always in control, growing much from her days as round the way R&B powerhouse.
Her voice is a soft wail, exhibiting massive constraint
like, say, the playing of an instrument. The way she stretches notes is simply
amazing, pulling back her voice almost to the point of silence, and holding
notes there.
Think: Soft, plush pillows, clouds, the sky and the stars; a
boat floating on the water, or the way a bike rolls along a flat surface—a light
glide; a very thin string being pulled taut almost to the point of breaking, a
toot of a horn like a flute or a recorder, Prince.
