KING BIO
(LONGFORM)

KING’s story began in 2011 when the self-contained trio made waves by independently releasing their three-song EP to much acclaim- heralded by industry greats, media and fans alike, The Story EP captured the hearts and imaginations of many with their whimsical, modern sound.

Twins Paris and Amber Strother and their musical sister Anita Bias are collectively known as dream-pop trio KING. With the goal in mind to share their sound with family and friends, the trio independently released their debut EP alongside their handmade video for The Story. Nearly instantly upon the release, the word was spread via excitement from a host of artists and tastemakers including Questlove, Gilles Peterson, Nile Rodgers, Miguel, Janelle Monae, Solange Knowles, and Jill Scott among many others, attracting media attention including a piece in the LA Weekly highlighting just what was so compelling a story about the indie collective. The self-produced project, released with little fanfare, made a mark on music lovers, and the impression seemed to be that there was a magical quality coming from the women that hadn’t been heard in years- if ever before at all. Longtime supporter Erykah Badu described why she was such a fan: “It’s something I’ve never heard before- it sounds like we’re in the year 2029, yet they’re still ahead of that time. The melodies are so stirring and have brought something out of me- I am now inspired”.

There’s something undeniably retro about the quality of the sound, though their music also possesses a futuristic flair. Paris cites jazz standards, Ravel, Disney films, and Nintendo soundscapes as textural influences for their sound – the latter which inspired their 8-bit videogame style animation for upcoming The Greatest and cartoon style visual for the Carry On music videos. “I’ve always been inspired by Koji Kondo and the music of Super Mario – we love putting in little aural surprises and interesting instrumentation. No matter how many times you play the game or hear the song, there’s always something new”. Avid readers and lovers of poetry, they wind their affinity of the literary arts into their lyrical storytelling- and it’s evident in their music. From Mic Magazine: “Their sound is as if they- and you- are falling madly in love…KING injects sounds from across an array of genres and eras to make something entirely new”. KING’s shared musical influences include Steely Dan and Stevie Wonder- but each of the women bring their own individual inspirations. Amber cites Quincy Jones, Ryuichi Sakimoto and The Cocteau Twins; Anita: Brenda Russell, Patrice Rushen, and Babyface; and Paris: XTC, Joni Mitchell, and Frank Zappa. All of these sounds, plus their own musical sensibilities go into the pot when handcrafting KING’s unique sound.

What’s in a name? Says Anita of their moniker, “KING was like a revelation- it was the first and only name that came to us. We were determined to tell our own story.” Adds Amber: “It was the element of surprise that comes with people not knowing what to expect…and the challenge of it. We wanted people to think; who is that? Who dare calls themselves KING?”

The Story, Supernatural and Hey made up the 3-piece introduction to the carefully crafted dreamy sound of The Story EP. Within months, the project had seen write ups by NPR, Billboard, The Guardian, LA Weekly, Essence, Glamour, and VIBE Magazines among a host of blogs and placements in major motion pictures and TV networks; cover songs and dance tributes popped up from fans worldwide, and the industry took notice. Fellow artists played their music during DJ sets and on radio shows, and their material was remixed and sampled by a number of musicians, most notably Kendrick Lamar on his mixtape Section.80. The word continued to spread and KING garnered countless new fans, including Prince, an enthusiastic early supporter who invited the trio to open for and perform alongside him during a night of his run at the LA Forum. KING has since toured with a slew of headlining dates that include New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Minneapolis, Chicago, London, Atlanta, Amsterdam, and London among a host of other cities, and the band has also built their live fan base by performing as supporting act to a diverse cast of artists including Laura Mvula, Lianne La Havas, Yuna, Me’shell Ndegeocello and Erykah Badu. KING’s live set up consists of just the trio: Paris mans a collection of classic synthesizer keyboards and drum machines, and the band is endorsed by Moog, Dave Smith Instruments, Nord, and MXR pedals, the mainstays of her setup- and their live set also incorporates the lush sounds they’ve created in studio.

Following the release, KING began growing their collaborative projects with a number of artists and compilations. Their collective releases include an appearance on Aviici’s Lay Me Down with Adam Lambert and Nile Rodgers, The Foreign Exchange’s single All The Kisses, Jill Scott’s So Gone, producing/co-writi