Sarah King rips. That’s kind of all you need to know about her, but here’s some more: King’s fiery, bluesy interpretations of country and Americana are hard-hitting and sultry, her EP The Hour a penetrating exploration of relationships gone horribly, horribly wrong. King takes a lighter approach on her cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Hey Hey What Can I Say?”
“Hey Hey” was the first song King learned to play on guitar by ear from hearing it on the radio, despite the somewhat loose tuning in the original song. It’s fitting that the song has become an important statement of self.
“I chose to keep the original pronouns as a nod to my own queerness. I’ve been hesitant to label and somewhat private when it comes to my personal life, but I’ve dated some wonderful women in the past, and thought the song was a great way to accept and own my sexuality.”
King, who is married to a man, explains her past struggles with labels.
“I’ve always struggled with labels when it comes to sexuality – as a kid, I remember wanting to kiss my girl friends and stuff, but being told by my family that any gay couples we knew were ‘just good friends’ was kind of confusing. I was pretty sheltered and literally didn’t know being anything other than heterosexual was an option. In time I realized I am indeed attracted to men and women, but then I struggled with the term bisexual, because it’s never been split 50/50 for me. I’m more into men, and I felt like I was somehow letting down the LGBTQ community by not being “bi enough” so I just kept quiet and tried not to label
myself. I’m so thankful that, overall – I know we still have a LOT of work to do – there’s a lot more acceptance and education about sexuality now, and I’m letting go of some of the self-shame I was feeling by worrying about labels.”
This liberation explains her cover’s easy groove and the liberation clearly felt in her backing band’s energetic performance.
“I hope the fun vibe on the song can help listeners feel that same freedom, no matter who they’re attracted to.”
King is currently on a solo tour in the Southeast throughout September in preparation for a fall album release crowdfunding campaign. Since quitting her job to pursue music full-time just two years ago – after the release of her debut solo EP The Hour produced by Simone Felice & David Baron – she’s toured the country multiple times, received recognition as the New England Music Awards Songwriter of the Year and winner of the Great River Folk Festival Songwriter competition, recorded her new album with Grammy-award-winning producer David Baron (The Lumineers, Noah Kahan), and supported acts ranging from Blues Traveler and the Steel Woods to Leah Marlene and Anders Osborne.
King’s first solo album will be out in March 2024.
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