A Chat With King Sis
Today, King Sis introduces her debut album, ‘Ascension,’ to the world. She sat down with us to chat about love, songwriting, and her grandmother’s approval.
She started her career as a background vocalist living in her car, and today she introduces her debut album to the world: ‘Ascension.’ King Sis sat down with us to chat about love, songwriting, and her grandmother’s approval.
Q: Congratulations on the release of your debut album! Can you tell us more about what this release means to you?
A: It means the world to me! Alongside having been singing and creating music for basically my entire life, I’m also a perfectionist. So it's an important moment for me that I’m finally proud enough of a complete body of work to release it to the world. It almost feels like my birthday!
Q: Can you tell us more about Ascension and how it came to be?
A: Ascension is a collection of songs I have been working on that tell a linear story. When I arranged them in a certain order, I immediately felt the concept of ‘Ascension’ - an upward journey about love for yourself, love for others, and love for life itself. Beginning with my relocation story, coursing through the passions of a twin flame relationship, and closing with a divine stamp of approval from my granny – this album is about learning from mistakes, ending karmic cycles, and ascending spiritually.
Q: If you had to pick a favorite track on Ascension, which one would it be and why?
A: It’s so hard to choose, but if I had to pick one, it would be “Ocean Breeze (Westside)” because it’s the most personal song on the album for me. All the others are about my relationships with someone else, but this song is about my relationship with myself and my own personal journey to inner peace.
Q: If someone reading this is discovering you and your music for the first time, can you tell them who you are and what your music is about?
A: I am simply another human being living this earthly experience, but I also happen to be an artist, so my job is to write and sing about our human experiences. I hope to inspire people to disconnect from digital life and reconnect with the earth, our inner selves, and each other in healthier ways.
Q: Where do you live, and why did you choose to become a music creator?
A: I’m from the Washington DC area, but I currently live in Los Angeles, CA. Being a musician definitely chose me! Although I tried to take a different career path (I can’t believe I have a master’s degree in Sustainable Architecture & Design!), nothing has ever fulfilled me like creating music. I actually lived in my car for almost two years while simultaneously touring the world as a background vocalist. Tour buses and hotel rooms were my home base while I was working, then I’d fly back and forth to my real home (my car/bed) in LA until I finally got stable here.
Q: Can you give us a bit of an insight into your creative process? Once you get an idea, how do you transform it into a finished track?
A: I’m a writer, so I always have a lot of poems and concepts written down. But when I record a track, I like to start with the actual music first, with a few chord progressions or with a beat loop from a producer. I let the sound of the music tell me what it feels like saying, and then I speak for it, marrying one of my concepts and lyrics to it or writing something new. When working with another songwriter, we’ll fine-tune each other’s ideas, and then I let my voice and my love of harmonies do the rest!
Q: How has the Covid-19 pandemic influenced your creativity and productivity?
A: It hasn’t really changed it all, really, since I’ve always worked on my art from home. But now that my album is out, I’m excited to start virtual performances. I think that having my first shows as virtual ones rather than performing live to an audience will give me the chance to build my fan base worldwide before developing it locally. Usually, it is the other way around!
Q: What do you enjoy most about working with Epidemic Sound?
I enjoy building a rapport and mutual appreciation with content creators who are so important to break new music and gain exposure in this digital era. In my opinion, this is almost as important as the radio once was. The creative team at Epidemic Sound is also always great to work with!
Curious about King Sis’ new release?
Click below to have a listen!
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