Q&A: Paris Strother from musical trio KING

Stavros Agorakis, A&E Editor


A&E


2016 has been KING’s breakout year: from the release of their debut album, “We Are KING,” to their international tour, the Los Angeles-based trio, made up of twins Paris and Amber Strother and their “musical sister” Anita Bias, has garnered its share of attention. Paris Strother, who produced the album and co-wrote the songs, talked to The Daily about the group’s rise to stardom. KING will be performing in Evanston Space on Oct. 11.

The Daily: You released your debut album this year. What was the process and the experience like?

Paris Strother: We were really happy to make the album that we always wanted to make — having the opportunity to take our time and put it together. The genesis of that album was “The Story” EP that grew into this full-length project. It was really just the three of us making the music how we wanted to and then eventually putting it out the way that we wanted to, which ended up being independently. It has been a really awesome journey.

The Daily: What does the art of songwriting mean to you?

Strother: It means a lot. It is a great form of storytelling — it is another aural tradition that tells people’s stories and passes along the history. It’s cool to be a part of this tradition … We’re just putting out the music that comes naturally to us, and we have a lot of influences that lie in black American music — there is a lot of stuff in there. The way it comes out definitely fits along with what we traditionally call R&B.

The Daily: How did it feel to collaborate with Robert Glasper on “Move Love” and be a part of a Grammy Award-winning album?

Strother: It was awesome. It was one of our first endeavors into songwriting — not just on our own record — and it was a really cool collaboration. The album is really groundbreaking, and it’s an honor to be a part of it.

The Daily: What are you most excited about for your tour?

Strother: I just can’t wait to get out there and share the music with people and meet a lot of new fans. The tour has been received very well, and I’ve seen a lot of people coming to the shows, which is exciting.

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Twitter: @stavrosagorakis