King was born to an international jazz duo, Marion Cowings and Kim Kalesti. King and her brother were always exposed to music, especially jazz and classical sounds during their childhood. "It was an amazing experience," she says. "It was very challenging. We went from the fanciest hotels one day, to the dirtiest motels the next day -- you know, just living off a musicians paycheck. Also, being around so much incredible music. We were in the jazz world so I was with Dizzy Gillespie one day to Clark Terry the next day. It was my education."
As the daughter of two singers - one Italian, one African American - who performed internationally as a Jazz duo, King has always been exposed to music, its challenges and its rewards, from an early age. She always knew she would follow in her parents' footsteps. "I had a hard time in school," she says, "because I already knew what I wanted to do, so I was like, let me just get started." At age 16, King took two giant steps: She got her GED, and she started writing songs.
The music on her J Records debut, East Side Story, reveals roots that are both deep & ambitious. Kings words are packed with references to the wide range of great artists that inspired her - the Beatles, Nas, Sarah Vaughn, Radiohead & Michael Jackson. "Every record that I’ve ever heard has been an influence on me", she says.
The very first song that she completed, "Business Man" - a commentary on heartless capitalists - is a central moment on East Side Story. "I always thought if I write a song, it's not going to be about relationships," she says. "There are so many things in this world to talk about." She quickly advanced from banging around on a guitar in her apartment to performing on the local folk club circuit at such noted venues as the Bitter End and CBGB's Gallery.
In the meantime, King had discovered hip-hop and immersed herself in a culture that would add yet another ingredient to her musical mix. She met Sony Music publisher Bill Brown who introduced her to Sony writer/producer Chucky Thompson, a member of Bad Boy Entertainment's famed Hitman studio team who had recorded smashes with the likes of the Notorious BIG and Mary J. Blige. Thompson signed her to his production company, and together they began searching for the right sound to capture King's eclectic tastes and styles. After taking her demos to various labels, they signed with J Records.
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.
King's second studio album, The Switch, was self-released by her own label, Making Music Records, on 26 June 2015.
She signed with the independent label ATO Records in 2017 and with them released her third studio album, Scenery, on 1 February 2019.
King released her fourth studio album, Sides, on January 17, 2020.
More information can be found at www.emilykingfans.com or www.emilykingonline.com
Colorblind
Emily King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Til I heard a word that turned it all around
Came home from school one day confused with who I was
I didn't understand the hatred I had found
And in my mind were many questions
A child of interracial love
And I'm askin'
Are we so different? Or
Are we the same?
Is it what we feel inside?
They say it's ignorance
But when will it change?
Do we see in black and white?
As I grew older I had different sets of friends
Tryin' to find the place where I could be myself
Night after night I'd watch my parents go on stage
And the music always healed the pain I felt
And then one day it spoke to me
And said, "Use me to release what's on your mind"
Now I'm singin'
Are we so different? Or
Are we the same?
Is it what we feel inside?
They say it's ignorance
But when will it change?
Do we see in black and white?
Are we so different? Or
Are we the same?
Is it what we feel inside?
They say it's ignorance
But when will it change?
Do we see in black and white?
It happens everyday
Don't want to complicate
These colors in my picture I just find
See my view in life is different
Now I know and I can live it
But these questions must be answered all the time
So I'm askin' you
Are we so different? Or
Are we the same?
Is it what we feel inside?
They say it's ignorance
But when will it change?
Do we see in black and white?
Are we so different? Or
Are we the same?
Is it what we feel inside?
They say it's ignorance
But when will it change?
Do we see in black and white?
In Emily King's song "Colorblind," the singer reflects on her experiences growing up as a biracial individual and struggling to find her place in a world where people are often divided by race. The song begins with her reflecting on a moment from her childhood when she came home from school confused about her identity and the hatred she had encountered. She questions whether people are truly different based on the color of their skin or if it is just a perception. As she got older, the singer found solace in music, specifically through her parents' performances. Eventually, she realizes that music can be used as a medium for her to release the thoughts and questions she has about her place in society.
Through her lyrics, King delves into the complexities of identity and race. She questions whether people truly see each other as different because of race or if it is just ignorance. The repetition of the phrase, "Are we so different? Or are we the same?" highlights the paradox of people being both the same and different at the same time. The singer acknowledges that her view on life is different from others, but it doesn't mean that one is better than the other. She sees the world in a unique way and acknowledges that these questions about race and identity need to be answered all the time.
Overall, "Colorblind" is a thought-provoking song about race and identity, and the complexities that individuals face when trying to understand their place in a world that often defines people by their skin color.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to think I was the same as everyone
I thought that I was no different from anybody else.
'Til I heard a word that turned it all around
But then I heard a word that changed my perspective completely.
Came home from school one day confused with who I was
After school one day I was confused about my identity.
I didn't understand the hatred I had found
I couldn't comprehend the hatred I witnessed.
And in my mind were many questions
I had a lot of questions swirling around in my mind.
A child of interracial love
I was born to parents of different races.
And I'm askin'
And I'm asking these questions.
Are we so different? Or
Are we really so different from one another?
Are we the same?
Or are we essentially the same?
Is it what we feel inside?
Is our identity based on what we feel inside?
They say it's ignorance
Some people call it ignorance.
But when will it change?
But when will this ignorance change?
Do we see in black and white?
Do we really see in terms of black and white?
As I grew older I had different sets of friends
As I got older, I made friends from different backgrounds.
Tryin' to find the place where I could be myself
I was striving to find a place where I could be true to myself.
Night after night I'd watch my parents go on stage
I would watch my parents perform on stage night after night.
And the music always healed the pain I felt
Their music always made me feel better.
And then one day it spoke to me
And then one day, music spoke to me.
And said, "Use me to release what's on your mind"
It told me to use it to express what was in my mind.
Now I'm singin'
So now I'm singing about these questions that I have.
It happens everyday
These types of situations happen every day.
Don't want to complicate
I don't want to make it complicated.
These colors in my picture I just find
I just see the different colors in my life.
See my view in life is different
I have a different perspective on life.
Now I know and I can live it
But now I understand and I can live with it.
But these questions must be answered all the time
But these questions still need to be answered all the time.
So I'm askin' you
So I'm asking you, the listener.
Are we so different? Or
Are we really all that different from one another?
Are we the same?
Or are we essentially the same?
Is it what we feel inside?
Is our identity based on what we feel inside?
They say it's ignorance
Some people call it ignorance.
But when will it change?
But when will this ignorance change?
Do we see in black and white?
Do we really see in terms of black and white?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RASHEEM SHARRIEF PUGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind