The Queen and King
Nashville, TN | Established. Jan 01, 2014
Music
Press
Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
Caroline: Peachy! We have been busy, busy and couldn’t be happier about it.
Can you talk to us more about your latest single “Trouble”?
Greg: It’s one of the first songs we ever wrote as a band and it was a complete accident. We had a lot of ideas, but stripping this song down and doing it acoustic felt right. I think people will enjoy how minimal it is.
Did any event in particular inspired you to write this song?
Caroline: Greg and I were at a party one night and in mid-conversation I spaced out and started thinking about someone I shouldn’t have been thinking about… you know, an ex. And the main melody for “Trouble” popped into my head. At that point in my life, no matter what, whenever I spaced out or let my mind wander, it always went back to this one person. So I ran into the restroom at the party and recorded the melody on a voice memo, but I didn’t touch it for awhile.
Greg: And then Caroline was binge watching the Netflix show “Orange Is The New Black” in the Summer of 2014 and she thought, along with millions of other people, that Piper and Alex’s relationship was intriguing and extremely frustrating. Pretty soon after, she was inspired by the show and wrote the rest of lyrics to that song, and it came together just right.
The single comes off your new EP Cavities – what’s the story behind the title?
Greg: When the time came to buckle down and name the EP, we were still joking around about letting our music “penetrate your aural cavities.” I threw out the idea that we should call it “Cavities.” We weren’t crazy about it at first because it didn’t really seem like the title an electronic pop band would give their very first EP, but really we just let the title marinate for a few days and it felt comfortable.
Caroline: Over time, I’ve created a double meaning for it as well. I associate children or juvenile behavior with cavities, and I think it makes a lot of sense with “Cavities” being our first EP. It is the first step, and we had a lot of growing pains and learned a lot making this record.
How was the recording and writing process?
Greg: The writing and recording process for the this EP came pretty smoothly. Caroline was doing most of the songwriting and I was programming the tracks. Caroline paired my beats with her lyrics and our songs were born. It took about a week or so to finish all vocals, and the EP itself took six weeks to finish. This EP came out pretty smoothly, which isn’t always the case in this genre.
Having toured with the likes of Tyler Ward – what did you learn from that experience?
Caroline: Tyler is the King of Hustling. I learned that you have to be dedicated every day to your work. Tyler never let a minute go to waste. We had fun and watching him work was inspiring.
Greg: I learned a lot of things being on the road with Tyler. What I most took away was the importance of actually performing when you’re on stage. I realized that performing doesn’t mean you have to go absolutely insane when you’re on stage (you absolutely can) but it’s extremely important to connect with the human beings in the audience and making that show a great experience for them. I loved being on the road. We had a solid group of people out there with us.
Any plans to hit the road?
Caroline: We plan to play out in town (Nashville) and break into the electronic scene here. Then we are going to hit nearby cities like D.C. and Atlanta.
What else is happening next in The Queen and King’s world?
Caroline: We’ve already got another EP ready to release! It’s called “Pep Talk” and it is definitely true to our electronic pop artistry. We can’t wait to get that EP on it’s feet next. We’re thinking a Summer release.
Greg: Getting ready to release “Pep Talk” is on the forefront and putting out as much content as possible on our Spotify and YouTube channels for our fans to enjoy. Also, we’re always writing. Whether it be using my computer to make a song or writing with pen and paper. But really always writing and getting in those 10,000 hours. - Vents Magazine
Premiere—The Queen & King Reinvent The Chainsmokers’ ‘Roses’
The-Queen-&-King,-The-Chainsmokers'-Roses-Cover,-First-Listen,-Exclusive-Premiere,-Header
Posted on 02/19/2016 at 10:59 AM
Jason Scott
Related To: hot
The Popdust Files: exclusives, music, the queen and king
Music is in the ear of the beholder. For Nashville-based pop duo, The Queen and King, when they first listened to The Chainsmokers‘ hit Roses (featuring Rozes), they were struck by a deeper, more sorrowful story underneath. In a Popdust exclusive, the duo, comprised of Caroline Shumate and Greg Graves, give the Hot 100 track a complete overhaul. “‘Roses’ is an upbeat, feel good love song but when I heard it for the first time I honestly thought it was kind of heartbreaking,” Shumate shares.
“Rozes begs in the chorus ‘say you’ll never let me go,’ so Greg and I wanted to take a mellow, melancholy approach with the song and let it breathe in darker light,” she continues.
Premiere—The Queen & King Reinvent The Chainsmokers’ ‘Roses’
The-Queen-&-King,-The-Chainsmokers'-Roses-Cover,-First-Listen,-Exclusive-Premiere,-Header
Posted on 02/19/2016 at 10:59 AM
Jason Scott
Related To: hot
The Popdust Files: exclusives, music, the queen and king
Music is in the ear of the beholder. For Nashville-based pop duo, The Queen and King, when they first listened to The Chainsmokers‘ hit Roses (featuring Rozes), they were struck by a deeper, more sorrowful story underneath. In a Popdust exclusive, the duo, comprised of Caroline Shumate and Greg Graves, give the Hot 100 track a complete overhaul. “‘Roses’ is an upbeat, feel good love song but when I heard it for the first time I honestly thought it was kind of heartbreaking,” Shumate shares.
“Rozes begs in the chorus ‘say you’ll never let me go,’ so Greg and I wanted to take a mellow, melancholy approach with the song and let it breathe in darker light,” she continues.
Listen below:
The Queen and King recently issued an acoustic version of 2015′s Cavities EP. It is now available on iTunes. - Popdust
The Queen and King are a Nashville-based electronic pop duo that originally hails from Houston. The pair have got a new cover of the Christmas classic, "Santa Clause Is Coming To Town", and today we premiere the new single, along with its sinister music video.
"Santa Clause Is Coming To Town" is a song that has always conjured up images of a wicked St. Nick that visits your neighborhood to wreak havoc. And in this electronic cover, which features sweet, but sinister vocals, and creeping drum loops, Santa Clause is a shirtless, delinquent with wire cutters and a penchant for fire. Check it out. - Unruly Factions
What’s better than an awesome girl/guy musical duo? If your answer to that is “nothing”: Check out the Queen and King. While writing insanely catchy originals, the electro-pop duo are also known for releasing popular covers that may have music fans puzzling over which version they like better.
Yahoo Music is excited to debut the pair’s acoustic EP, Cavities, for fans to get a taste of their sound. - Yahoo! Music
Caroline Shumate and Greg Graves, better known as The Queen and King, are taking the electronic pop scene by storm. PopWrapped got a chance to talk to one half of The Queen and King, Greg Graves, about the band, their music, and more. - PopWrapped
Discography
2016 - Pep Talk EP (Unreleased)
2015 - "Cavities" Acoustic EP
2014 - "Cavities" EP
Photos
Bio
Years before forming their own electronic pop duo, Caroline Shumate and Greg Graves — the two members of The Queen and King — performed together as teenagers in Houston.
Caroline and Greg started their musical careers as instrumentalists - Caroline playing guitar and drums, while Greg switched between bass and guitar. Together, they toured the country and even gigged overseas, supporting solo artists and bands.
That changed during the summer of 2014 on tour with Tyler Ward, when the two gave up their jobs as sidemen and began brewing up some club-friendly songs of their own. The duo began taking on new, unexplored roles.
Growing up learning mostly on string instruments, Greg began to experiment with drums and production, while Caroline focused on vocals and songwriting. Growing more comfortable in their new roles, The Queen and King formed.
TQK's first EP, Cavities, expresses a left-of-center pop sound. The songs offer up both hooks and heft with driving melodies that are somehow bright amidst weighted lyrics. Filled with a culmination of processed instruments and vocal-focused production, Cavities sounds digital and human at the same time - with The Queen and King taking pointers from artists like Tove Lo, Lights, and Ellie Goulding.
"On the surface, it seems like fun pop music," says Caroline. "But when you dig in, it's got some meat to it. It's high-energy dance music, but there’s a lot of heart. Our music is versatile. When you’re out having fun and dancing with your friends, or when you’re feeling down and need reassurance that it’s going to be alright - we strive to create music that wants to be celebrated in good times and bad.”
Cavities is the first step toward a longer career for The Queen and King that is already in full upswing. The duo have a new EP in the works, this time produced by Kyle Dreaden (Ugly Kids Club, Thrillers, Totem) and longer tours on the horizon. Stay tuned.
Band Members
Links
