Emma King’s remarkable journey has already taken her from Northern England to Tennessee, touring Europe and receiving 5-star album reviews along the way.
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From the grass roots of Hull, East Yorkshire and learning from her parent's love of Fleetwood Mac & Elvis, Emma developed the deep, soulful Americana timbre that has now become a trademark of her sound. What made it even more impressive (and still does!) is how such a huge sounding voice comes from such a petite frame…
300+ gigs later and while still a teenager, Emma’s calling became apparent when she spotted American legends like Johnny Cash & Willie Nelson on late-night TV and soon declared her musical future to be America’s homes of Rock ‘n’ Roll: Nashville & Memphis. For Emma, she knew that musical growth meant travel, and started to look outside of the city that had primed her for what was to come. Next stop, Brighton…
When Emma turned 17 she won a scholarship to the Brighton Institute of Modern Music awarded by Carleen Anderson (Brand New Heavies, and God-Daughter of James Brown).
It was here that Emma King and The Heartsets was formed, featuring Emma and 4 young musicians from Brighton, all busting out Country-tinged Americana. After multiple tours to Germany, and inspired by Emma’s ambition and plans to tour America, the band followed suit and together they began self-funded trips to Nashville, TN. The group’s instant likeability (and British accents!) eventually hit upon a management & record label team in PLC Records that took on and settled the whole gang in a traditional ‘band house’ in Manchester, Tennessee, heralding the start of a new adventure. Emma and the band went on a 5 year adventure that deserves a biography of its own one day
In between 21-hour drives touring up and down the Midwest, Emma recorded at Sun Studios ,Memphis (home of Elvis and Rock n Roll’s earliest recordings); became a welcomed regular at Nashville’s legendary Bluebird Café; made herself at home in all of Nashville major studios; was the subject of a recording documentary project at Curb College of Music, Daytona Beach, FL.; she represented the UK at Nashville’s CMA International Show, appeared on radio stations such as the famous WSM Radio (home of the Opry); she even found time to write and record with multi-award winning producers and engineers including Chas Sandford (Steve Nicks, Chicago, Bette Midler), Milan Bogdan (KC & The Sunshine Band and Jake Niceley(Alison Krauss) and to support acts such as Exile, Jo De Messina, Deanna Carter, Old Dominion, Thompson Square, Rhonda Vincent, Brett Michaels – as well as Toploader, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Colin Blunstone and The Drifters (in the UK).
Eventually, Emma and co-writer/producer Ritch Spence moved back to the UK to release 2016’s eponymous debut album. The record received national radio play (BBC Radio 2 & BBC London), was an HMV recommended release, and was supported by Abbey Road Studios (where it was mastered), BASCA, BPI, and Blues Magazine where Emma shared a covermount with artists such as Joe Bonnamassa.
New music in 2025!​​