When your fanbase includes Prince, Erykah Badu and Questlove from The Roots, you know you’re doing something right.
These superstars are not the only ones cheering on Los Angeles-based soul trio King, a group whose recent debut album We Are King further amplifies their cause. This is soul music which gets under your skin, an album of songs which fit just right thanks to the trio's soft, strong, classy vocals.
The King story begins with family and friendship, Paris Strother explains. The Minneapolis native first met bandmate Anita Bias while studying at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. Later in Los Angeles, the pair were joined by Strother’s sister Amber and started making music initially for fun.
“At the start, we were just hanging out together and writing and recording music for fun. It wasn’t until a few months into working together that we decided to give it a name and really organise the project.
“I think it’s a good thing that the music came out of our friendship and there was no pressure to prove anything to anybody. We just wanted to make the music we’ve always wanted to hear.”
It turns out others wanted to hear it too. From the moment their first track The Story appeared in 2011, King attracted attention. Having Prince get in touch about a support slot was quite an endorsement. That show turned out to be their first-ever official appearance as King.
“We supported him at the Forum in Los Angeles,” says Strother, “and it was thrilling and kind of insane to have our first show in front of 17,000 people.
“Looking back, it set such a high standard for the live show. It was a great experience.”
They were also among the cast of singers and musicians on Robert Glasper's 2012 Black Radio album alongside Erykah Badu, Bilal, Lupe Fiasco, Lalah Hathaway, Yasiin Bey and others.
Admire
“It was really wonderful to be welcomed into a community of people we admire on the Robert Glasper album,” says Strother. “It was fun to work with someone who has stayed true to their sound and learn from them.”
When it comes to King, Strother is the chief producer and instrumentalist with the others at the microphones hitting the high notes. She feels it is another reason why King stand out of the pack.
“People may have assumed that we had outside producers when we first came out because that’s the norm for some soul groups. But the fact that all the music is self-written and self-produced has become such a part of our story that I think people are aware of where the music comes from now. They pick up on the authenticity of the sound and know it’s really us they’re hearing, and they’re drawn to that.”
Strother’s fondness for warmer, vintage instruments and gear comes out in the sounds on the album. Instead of going digital, she favours the more old-fashioned approach, which helps to make the album sound both old-school with fuzzy Stevie Wonder vibes and future-soul at the same time.
“There’s a special warmth to the sounds on old records,” she believes. “We still use other digital instruments and digital recording, but using analog instruments just seems like a purer way of getting to our sound.”
The We Are King album was five years in the making which makes sense, says Strother, as it is the story of King so far and you couldn't hurry that process.
Easy to digest
“I know we took our time but we wanted it to be right. There’s so much going on on the album – there’s instruments on it, some only for a second or two – and we had to make sure that it was easy for people to digest it and take it all in.
“It’s been awesome to see how the songs have grown and changed and developed. They represent who we are and what we do musically and it’s been really exciting to create this in a way where we don’t have any boundaries. It’s pushing us melodically and rhythmically.”
They also had the confidence which comes from knowing that some high-profile people were already on their side. “When you know that [Prince] loves it, you can be confident about your music,” says Strother.
“When you’re getting advice from people who would have certain ideas about what we should be doing, you always know that Prince, someone who’s been there and who’s done it all, is giving you honest advice about the strength and the value of your work. That was huge for us.”
- We Are King is out now. King play Dublin's Sugar Club on Friday, April 1st
