Good Vibes Only: We Speak Exclusively To Chiara King

Last week we introduced you to up and coming London-based singer songwriter Chiara King, and her new single, ‘Dancing With Me’, featuring Remo The Rich Boy. We really enjoyed the song, and felt our readers would enjoy learning a bit more about Chiara, and so Lisa took the opportunity to ask her a few questions.

Hi Chiara! Lovely to meet you! You’re a singer songwriter, and you’ve been interested in singing since you were very young. Tell us something about that. What got you interested?

Since I can remember, I have always loved performing, dancing, singing and acting, from nursery through school, doing musicals and singing in the chapel choir. Having taken a year out before university, I travelled solo around Asia. I questioned what I really wanted in my life and last year I realised that I don’t just want to follow the typical path of university and getting a job in the city. I couldn’t just live my life as others wanted me to. I had to make my life fulfilling for myself as I am the one living it. My passion has always been singing and I decided that this is it. I love making good music with a strong beat and I want to make people feel happy and MOVE!

What have you done besides singing?

I am a Business student at King’s College London but I have modelled in the past and I’ve done some acting as well. I also have a passion for Yoga and decided to become a qualified yoga teacher when I was 17. I feel like doing all these things gave me the confidence me to follow my dreams in pursuing singing for real.

We see you supported Jason Derulo recently, along with Fredrik Ferrier. We’ve met and interviewed Fred before – such a nice guy! How was the experience of supporting Jason go? How did that come about? Was it hard to stay professional?

It was pretty surreal! Especially it being my first performance debuting my single, I was so scared! Shortly after I released my song on Spotify, my manager got an email from the production team, asking if I wanted to perform live in about 10 days. They didn’t mention who else was performing. I am always up for a challenge so I said, “why not”. Very last minute, I found back up dancers and we put a choreographed dance together. I only found out that Jason Derulo was scheduled to perform when were told: “you can’t have the green dressing room because that is the one Jason Derulo is using. You are singing right before him.” That was a “no pressure” moment! It ended up being such a great experience and totally unexpected. Fredrik was also really fun to work with and I’m happy I gained a friend from this experience. I love his music. He is a great singer and a lovely person.

Do you have any other gigs lined up we should watch out for?

You will have to watch this space, who knows what we have in store in the next few months so keep your eyes peeled 😉

Your debut single, ‘Dancing With Me’, is doing really well! Did you write the song, and if so how did you come up with the concepts? What’s the songwriting process for you? How did Remo The Rich Boy come to feature on the track?

I wrote ‘Dancing With Me’ together with Remo, an incredibly talented artist and rapper from Venezuela, we even share the same birthday haha! It was originally something we wanted to try and play around with the beat, but ended up being the song we both liked. Working with Remo, and Juan the producer of the song was a great experience. It was not easy as Venezuela is having many difficulties and political instability, but this song proves that everything is possible even with all the obstacles we had to overcome. I hope to work with them again and I developed great admiration for the people of Venezuela. They never give up! Fuerza Venezuela!

We really enjoyed the video for ‘Dancing With Me’ too, and we enjoyed the bits in the cinema where you’re watching yourselves, and the video on the old JVC TV. Who thought of those ideas?

Chiara King - Dancing With Me

I had a mood board in my head and I decided that I wanted an old school 90s yet fun retro theme in the video. As you can tell I love pink so that had to be there! All these ideas were transmitted I think really well and I’m super happy with the finished product! It wasn’t all easy though, actually quite the opposite! I got offered a part in a feature film, but filming was on the same date as filming for the music video so during the day I was filming on the film set and in the evenings and night we were filming my music video! Hopefully I didn’t look too tired in the video!

Who would you consider to have most inspired you musically? How about personally?

Musically I have always been a crazy fan of Ariana Grande. I watched her and was obsessed with her since her Nickelodeon days on ‘Victorious’, up till now where she is one of the most historic musical icons of our time. I also have been inspired by reggeaton and latin music, as I love the beat and how it makes people move. I have always also been a massive fan of Jazz music and adore Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Amy Winehouse. Alongside Pop and Latin music, Jazz has a big place in my heart.

What three songs are most played on your playlist right now?

Right now I’m LIVING for Selena Gomez’s new song, ‘I Can’t Get Enough’, featuring J Balvin, Tainy and Benny Blanco. I can’t get it out of my head!

benny blanco, Tainy, Selena Gomez, J Balvin - I Can't Get Enough (Official Audio)

Also loving, ‘Mocca’ by Lalo Ebratt:

Lalo Ebratt, Trapical - Mocca

and ‘Good Vibes’ by Fuego and Nicky Jam. Not to mention anything Anitta or Bad Bunny gives me GOOD VIBES ONLY.

Fuego, Nicky Jam - Good Vibes

What’s been the thing you have been most surprised to learn about becoming a recording artist?

I have learnt that singing is so much more than just taking a mic and giving it a life. It is feeling the moment, putting your heart in it and actually living the message you are trying to transmit. My music is all about making people happy. My aim is to create that moment, to make people dance and make great memories with their loved ones. I want to give people a feeling of euphoria when they listen to my tracks and I want to also make music that people (especially young girls like myself) can relate to. Music runs through my blood. I eat, sleep and practically live listening to music and I am a fan of all genres. I appreciate good music no matter what genre.

What’s next for Chiara King?

I am working on more fresh tracks which will be released in the coming months but that is all you are getting out of me for now!

‘Dancing With Me’ is available to stream and download from Spotify, iTunes and Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and Google Play Store.

You can find out more about Chiara King online on her official website, Facebook, and Instagram accounts.

About the author

Lisa has been writing for over 20 years, starting as the entertainment editor on her university newspaper. Since then she's written for Popwrapped, Maximum Pop, Celebmix, and ListenOnRepeat.

Lisa loves all good music, with particular fondness for Jedward and David Bowie. She's interviewed Edward Grimes (Jedward), Kevin Godley, Trevor Horn, Paul Young, Peter Cox (Go West), Brendan B Brown (Wheatus), Bruce Foxton (The Jam), among many many more. Lisa is also available for freelance writing - please email lisa@essentiallypop.com

Leave a Reply