Emily King
American musician (born 1985)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Emily King (born Emily Cowings; July 10, 1985) is an American singer and songwriter. She started her career in 2004 and her first album East Side Story was released in August 2007. In December 2007, she was a Grammy Award nominee for Best Contemporary R&B Album.[1] In 2019, she was nominated for Best R&B Song for "Look at Me Now" and her album Scenery was nominated for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.[2] In 2020, King was nominated again, for Best R&B Performance with her song "See Me".[3]
Emily King | |
|---|---|
King performing in Portland, Oregon, August 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | July 10, 1985 |
| Origin | New York City, United States |
| Genres | |
| Occupations | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Labels | |
Partner | Jeremy Most (2007-2021) |
| Website | emilykingmusic |
Biography
Born in 1985 in New York City, King grew up in a small apartment on the Lower East Side.[4] Her parents, Marion Cowings and Kim Kalesti, were a singing duo who performed and traveled regularly taking her and her older brother with them. At the age of 16, King left high school after earning her GED to pursue her music career.[5] She began playing shows in restaurants and venues around New York City, including CBGB and The Bitter End.[6]
Career
King signed her first record deal with J Records in 2004 and appeared on Nas's 2004 album Street's Disciple credited as simply "Emily".[7] Her first album East Side Story was released in August 2007. It received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Album of the Year. After leaving the label in 2008, King continued her work independently with producer Jeremy Most. She self-recorded her follow-up EP Seven in her home, released in July 2011.[5] Throughout this time, King toured domestically and internationally with many artists including Nas, John Legend, Floetry, Alicia Keys, Chaka Khan, Erykah Badu, and Maroon 5.[6]
In 2012, King was awarded the Holly Prize (a tribute to the legacy of Buddy Holly) from The Songwriters Hall of Fame for recognition of the "all-in songwriter" whose work exhibits the qualities of Holly’s music: true, great and original.[8] In the fall, King was invited by Emeli Sandé to open for her UK tour playing sold out shows in five cities including at The Royal Albert Hall in London.[6] King collaborated with José James on his album No Beginning No End in 2013 and can be heard on the tracks "Heaven on the Ground" and the acoustic version of "Come to My Door".[9] In 2014, King performed as an opening act for Sara Bareilles' Little Black Dress tour.[10]
King's second studio album, The Switch, was self-released by her own label, Making Music Records, on June 26, 2015. The Wall Street Journal remarked that the album is "a tasteful collection of eleven songs that showcase King’s distinctive voice".[11]
She signed with the independent label ATO Records in 2017 and with them released her third studio album, Scenery, on 1 February 2019.[5]
In late 2019, King once again performed as an opening act for Sara Bareilles in her Amidst The Chaos Tour.[12]
In 2019, King helped to compose "Being Human", the ending theme song for the Cartoon Network animated series Steven Universe Future, which she sang. Her song "Can't Hold Me" was also used in an episode of the series.[13]
King released her fourth studio album, Sides, on January 17, 2020. The album features acoustic takes on her previous songs, and includes a guest appearance by Sara Bareilles on the track "Teach You."[14] In response to racial unrest in the summer of 2020, King released the song "See Me" in August.[15] The song was nominated for Best R&B Performance in the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.
King appeared on stream with Marc Rebillet on March 21, 2021, as his first ever guest performer.[16]
King's Tiny Desk Concert went online on November 3, 2025. The set list: "Distance", "Georgia", "Down", "This Year". and "Special Occasion".[17]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Curr. [18] |
US R&B HH [19] |
US Heat [20] |
US Indie [21] | ||
| East Side Story |
|
— | 60 | 18 | — |
| The Switch |
|
— | 41 | 16 | — |
| Scenery |
|
86 | — | 6 | 14 |
| Sides |
|
— | — | — | — |
| Special Occasion |
|
79 | — | — | — |
EPs
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| East Side Story (Sampler) |
|
| Seven |
|
| Emily King on Audiotree Live |
|
| Change of Scenery (Remix EP) |
|
| Spotify Singles[24] |
|
Instrumental albums
Singles
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B/ HH [27] |
US Adult R&B [28] | |||
| "Walk in My Shoes" (with Lupe Fiasco) |
2007 | 74 | 22 | East Side Story |
| "U & I" | 2008 | — | 26 | |
| "Ordinary Heart" | 2012 | — | — | Non-album single |
| "The Animals" | 2013 | — | — | The Switch |
| "Distance" | 2014 | — | — | |
| "BYIMM" | 2016 | — | — | |
| "Crush (Amazon Original)" | 2017 | — | — | Non-album single |
| "Remind Me" | 2018 | — | — | Scenery |
| "Look at Me Now" | — | — | ||
| "Can't Hold Me" | 2019 | — | — | |
| "Incredible Manage Question" | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Look At Me Now (Acoustic)" | — | — | Sides | |
| "Radio (Acoustic)" | 2020 | — | — | |
| "Teach You (Acoustic)" (featuring Sara Bareilles) |
— | — | ||
| "Being Human" (Theme From Steven Universe Future) |
— | — | Steven Universe Future (Original Soundtrack) | |
| "See Me" | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "First Time" | 2021 | — | — | |
| "This Year" | 2022 | — | — | Special Occasion |
| "Medal" | 2023 | — | — | |
| "False Start" | — | — | ||
| "Special Occasion" | — | — | ||
| "Bad Memory" (with Norah Jones) |
— | — | Norah Jones Is Playing Along | |
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "What's Never Gone" (Jake and Abe featuring Emily King) |
2021 | Non-album single |
| "What Love Can do" (Robert Glasper featuring Emily King) |
2023 | Run the World, Season 2 |
Guest appearances
| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Take a Walk" | 2008 | Tame Waipara | Leaving Paradise |
| "Heaven on the Ground" | 2012 | José James | No Beginning No End |
| "What Must I Do" | Selan | Space Flight | |
| "Stay Slow" | 2013 | Tame Waipara | Fill Up the Silence |
| "Decisions" | 2014 | Taylor McFerrin | Early Riser |
| "Good Enough" | 2019 | Kraz | Telescope |
| "That's the Way Life Goes" | Hannah Georgas | Imprints | |
| "Georgia - J Most Remix" | 2021 | Brittany Howard, Jeremy Most | Jaime (Reimagined) |
| "If I Can't Have You" | Sara Bareilles | Amidst the Chaos: Live from the Hollywood Bowl | |
| "Miracles" | Benny Sings, Peter CottonTale | Music | |
| "Lucky" | Jason Mraz | Look for the Good (Deluxe Edition) | |
| "Invitation" | 2022 | Robert Glasper | Black Radio III (Supreme Edition) |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Grammy Award | Best Contemporary R&B Album | East Side Story | Nominated |
| 2020 | Grammy Award | Best R&B Song | "Look at Me Now" | Nominated |
| 2021 | Grammy Award | Best R&B Performance | "See Me" | Nominated |
| 2024 | Grammy Award | Best R&B Album | Special Occasion | Nominated |
Tours
Headlining
Supporting
- Hands All Over Tour (supporting Maroon 5) (2011)
- Our Version of Events Tour (supporting Emeli Sandé) (2012–13)
- Amidst the Chaos Tour (supporting Sara Bareilles) (2019)[35]