Emily King

Emily King
Emily King performing in Portland, Oregon August 2016
Background information
Born	(1985-07-10) July 10, 1985 (age 31)
Origin	New York City, United States
Genres	R&B, soul
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Years active	2004–present
Labels	J Records
Website	www.emilykingmusic.com
Notable instruments
Vocals, guitar

Emily King (born July 10, 1985) is a Grammy-nominated American singer and songwriter. She started her career in 2004 and her debut album East Side Story was released three years later in August 2007. In December 2007, King was listed as a Grammy nominee for Best Contemporary R&B Album.

Born in New York City in 1985, King grew up in a small apartment on the Lower East Side. Her parents, Marion Cowings and Kim Kalesti, were a singing duo who performed and traveled regularly bringing her and her older brother along with them. At age 16, King left high school after earning her GED to pursue her music career. She began playing shows in restaurants and venues around New York City including CBGB and The Bitter End.

King signed her first record deal with J Records in 2004 and was featured on Nas's 2004 album Street's Disciple credited as simply "Emily". Her debut album East Side Story was released 3 years later in August 2007. It went on to earn a Grammy nomination for "Best Contemporary R&B Album of the Year." During that time King toured with John Legend and Floetry. She also opened for various artists such as Nas, Alicia Keys, Chaka Khan and Erykah Badu. After parting ways with her label in 2008, King continued her work independently. She self-recorded her follow-up EP Seven in her home, released July 2011. Later that year in October, she accepted an invitation from Maroon 5 to be the opening act on their European/Scandinavian tour.