Elle King settles in Nashville as a mom and country singer
Singer Elle King has never fit neatly into any one box. Her early years were split between Ohio, New York City and Los Angeles, and her rock music was always banjo-based, with elements of bluegrass, rockabilly and country pulling at the seams.
Now raising her young son in Nashville, King is releasing her third album — a country album through a country music label — that is fully connecting all the colorful threads of her life. It releases Friday.
“Now as a resident and living here, Nashville and country music unfolds more and more layers for me,” said King during an interview backstage at the Ryman Auditorium.
She named the new record, “Come
Get Your Wife,” after a snide comment a man made about her to her fiancé, but instead of getting angry, she got inspired.
The heavily tattooed singer-songwriter with the bluesy voice has spent years trying to figure out where she fits in musically after breaking out with her hit “Ex’s and Oh’s” but motherhood has given her perspective and some peace of mind. She’s had No. 1 hits on four different Billboard formats, including pop, alternative and country, but right now she’s just happy putting all her eggs in this country basket.
Her duet with country star Dierks
Bentley, “Different For Girls” in 2016, began her journey into country music, eventually winning her a Country Music Association Award. Now she’s a regular on the country awards shows, gone out on tour with Chris Stapleton and Miranda Lambert and her single, “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” with Lambert was nominated for a Grammy last year.
“It’s like everything was thrown into a melting pot to make this country album that is all encompassing of all of the things that I love, which is soulful blues, southern rock and roll, funny country music,” said King.