Elle King’s life as a mother inspired new music.
“Ex’s & Oh’s” singer releases third album come get my wifeon Friday – one of the record’s highlights was inspired by her 16-month-old son, Lucky.
The lyrics to “Lucky” chronicle King’s turbulent life, from finding happiness with tattoo artist fiancée Dan Toukor to becoming a mother after two miscarriages.
“I was a runner/I was a fighter/I was a fuse/Hell, I was a lighter/I turned the bridges I burned all the wrong way/It’s got a bad reputation, but it worked so well I’ve earned it/I have to thank God this old life isn’t fair/There’s only one way to explain how I got here/I was lucky,’ says King on the poignant track sing in
“He knows the song ‘Lucky’ because I came back the day I wrote it.” [home], and I literally cried silently while playing it for him on the phone, 33-year-old King tells PEOPLE about her son. He knows his name too, but he also knows it’s for him. He recognizes my voice. He gets up and puts his hand on the speaker. ”
This is King’s third LP, but his first full country album. But the move is more of a detour than a complete departure for the Grammy-nominated singer.
Elking/Instagram
She found success in 2016 with Dierks Bentley’s duet “Different for Girls,” winning a CMA award at that year’s music event. She was named Music Event of the Year 2020 for singing on Miranda Lambert’s “Tricked and Fell in Love” cover alongside Cary Hammack, Ashley McBride, Maren Morris and Tennille Townes. Won an ACM award. And last year, she and Lambert won Video of the Year for “Drunk (and I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” on her ACM.
“of Elle King EP, Love Stuff When shake the spirit, they were all singing country songs. to each,” King says of her past projects. She also didn’t know that being in the country would give her so much freedom.thought she was stuck in one [genre] define me I never thought I could have so many… rooms. ”
Now living in the Nashville area, King has always lived in between genres and is no stranger to making country music.
“I had the first pressing of the record and I put it in the other day — I hadn’t actually heard it yet — and I was listening to it and was like, ‘This sounds like an Elle King album. says King. “It just happens to be a sticky one. But I feel like all of my different influences helped create my version of the country and what it sounds like to me. It’s everything I love, bluesy, southern, soulful, rock ‘n’ roll, it all boils down to it.”