(Photo Credit - Rick Caballo)
We had the opportunity to interview up-and-coming singer/songwriter Lillie King about her debut self-titled EP! King has a signature style that just has to be heard, but first check out our interview with her!
1. Your sound is an eclectic mix of pop, blues, and soul that is accompanied by powerhouse vocals. It's unlike much of what's out there today. Can you speak to some of your inspirations and how you crafted such a unique sound and voice?
"Growing up in the theatre, I've had pretty intense vocal training since I was young, but i’ve always been trained as an operatic soprano. If you’ve heard my music, this might seem strange because my natural singing voice is pretty far from ‘sweet soprano’. This huge gap between my training and my natural instincts have honestly created such a cool studio voice and I have the best time using it (obviously). As for my sound, I grew up listening to music from the 70’s and 80’s, so most of my influences get their roots from this time. When it comes to 70’s rock and 80’s soul, you can’t go wrong."
2. Your lyrics feature a blend of metaphor, turn of phrase, etc. that tell dynamic stories. Can you share a little bit about your writing process and how you arrived at the tracks you did?
"In my opinion, the coolest thing about the EP is that these songs were really my first tries. I hadn’t really gotten into music before I got the EP deal, so you really get to hear my writing style grow from its infancy. The more I wrote, the more I became addicted to writing something that felt more narrative and real as opposed to metaphorical. When the song feels real, I think it's easier to connect to the story that I’m trying to tell. I can’t wait to see how my writing process grows as I grow as a person."
3. The pandemic has had such an impact on the music industry (and life in general). What challenges has this presented for dropping your debut EP?
"Well for starters, my EP was originally supposed to drop in April, not November - I have the pandemic to thank for that one. But really, this delay was just a blessing in disguise. Being locked in my house during those few months allowed me to reevaluate the project and look at it with a fresh pair of eyes. After doing this reflection, I decided that not only did I want to revisit some of the tracks and change them slightly, but I wanted to add an entirely new song. The EP definitely took on a bit of a different persona because a big part of my original perspective had changed, and I just hadn’t had time to realize that yet."
4. We love the inclusion of a cover of Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey" on this release. What was it about that track that made you think "I have to cover this"?
"Tupelo Honey has been a favorite of mine since I first heard it years ago. I’m a Van Morrison fan girl, and there is just something so innocent and sweet about Tupelo Honey that I felt like a young female voice could do justice to. I’m also the type of person to think every song is talking about me, so I love to sing the song in third person which would mean that I’m the “she” who is “as sweet as tupelo honey”. I sing it like it's a love song to myself."
5. What's next for Lillie King?
"I am so ready to release another EP or album. I have this thrilling drive right now to just keep writing and keep producing music, and I want to get it out there for people to hear. More than anything, though, I want to get back to performing live. I’m an actress at heart, and this pandemic has kept me away from the stage for too long. I would give anything to perform my music live for an audience - that’s my current motivation."