Emily King Press Photo for ‘Special Occasion’ / Photographer: Sherwin Lainez
Born in 1985, Emily King began her passion for music at an early age. Raised in Lower East Side, New York, King grew up with her singing duo parents. They performed and traveled regularly, taking her and her older brother with them. At age 16, the young artist left high school to pursue her music career. She started playing shows in restaurants and venues around New York City. Some of those include the legendary clubs CBGB and The Bitter End.
Emily King’s Musical Success Backstory
An American singer and songwriter, her career started in 2004. Her first album, East Side Story, came out in August 2007. In December 2007, Emily King was listed as a GRAMMY nominee for Best Contemporary R&B Album. In 2019, she was nominated for Best R&B Song for the 62nd GRAMMY Awards. Her album Scenery was nominated for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. In 2020, Emily King was nominated again, this time for the category of Best R&B Performance for her song “See Me.”
Special Occasion
In 2023, Emily King dropped her latest release, fifth studio album Special Occasion. Pulled by the single “This Year,” Emily King’s album was an introspective project that embraced sonically innovative yet personal tones. It gave a unique, jazzy shade to her usual R&B.
Embracing her R&B influences, Emily King put her unique touch in all 11 songs that made her new release. “Special Occasion” and “This Year” shine as the lead performances. Genuine, fragile and open-hearted, the album embraces the essence of Emily King and portrays her fragility and vulnerability hidden in her forceful vocals and lyrics.
Emily King Goes Live
To promote the release of her fifth album, the singer set up a North American tour. King has brought her music through the country in both her own headlining concerts and as the opening act—mainly opening for Jacob Collier’s Djesse Vol. 4 headlining tour in North America. So far, she has completed most of her programmed dates, which she will carry out until the end of June.
The tour played Nashville’s famous Ryman over Memorial Day weekend and then headed east from there. And, in the honor category, she was one of many performing at Washington DC’s Kennedy Center on June 16th and 17th in a tribute to Marvin Gaye.
Emily tapped some great talent for her headling tour. King has brought two big names by her side. With Joseph Solomon first and Devon Gilfillian later, King made sure to organize the best lineup for her fans. She’ll then spend July touring from Poland to Germany to Belgium and the UK. There’s an exciting date in the Netherlands at the North Sea Festival. Presently, there’s one date set back in the US for a night in LA at the Hollywood Bowl on August 9th.
So, for more stories like this, stay tuned with us at Music Daily!
