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Elle King

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Elle King
King at the 2015 Interstellar Rodeo
Born
Tanner Elle Schneider

(1989-07-03) July 3, 1989 (age 35)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
  • actress
Years active1998–present
Spouse
Andrew Ferguson
​
​
(m. 2016; div. 2018)​
PartnerDan Tooker (2019–present)
Children1
Parents
RelativesJohn Schneider (uncle)
Musical career
OriginNew York City, U.S.
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • bass
  • banjo
  • drums
  • lap steel
  • mandolin
LabelsRCA Records
Websiteelleking.com
Signature

Tanner Elle Schneider (born July 3, 1989), known professionally as Elle King, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and actress. Her musical style is influenced by country, rock, and blues.[1]

In 2012, King made her debut on RCA Records with the release of The Elle King EP; one track from that EP, "Playing for Keeps", became the theme song for VH1's Mob Wives Chicago series.[2]

King's debut album, Love Stuff, was issued by RCA in 2015. The album included a US top ten single "Ex's & Oh's", which earned her two Grammy Award nominations. King has also toured with acts such as Of Monsters and Men, Train, James Bay, The Chicks, Heart, Joan Jett, Michael Kiwanuka, and Miranda Lambert. Her parents are actor and comedian Rob Schneider and former model London King. She uses her mother's surname to distinguish herself and her career and identity from her father's, telling ABC News that "I think that my voice and my music speaks for itself: that I am my own person."[3]

King is a four-time Grammy Award nominee, two each in the rock and country categories, and received honors from the Country Music Association Awards and the Academy of Country Music Awards.

Early life

[edit]

King was born Tanner Elle Schneider on July 3, 1989, in Los Angeles County, California, to American comedian and actor Rob Schneider and American model London King.[4][5][6] Her parents divorced when she was an infant and she and London moved to Ohio. She was raised in Columbus and Wellston. Her mother remarried Justin Tesa in 2000. When she was nine, her stepfather, Justin Tesa,[7] gave her a record by all-female hard-rock band the Donnas; she views this as the pivotal moment when she decided she wanted to be a musician. Around this time, she also started listening to the Runaways and Blondie, and she made her acting debut alongside her father in the movie Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo.[2]

At the age of 13, King started playing guitar, immersing herself in the music of Otis Redding, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, AC/DC (she has the phrase "dirty deeds" tattooed on her biceps), and Earl Scruggs.[2] Her interest in the country and bluegrass of Hank Williams and Earl Scruggs inspired her to learn the banjo. During her teenage years, she attended Buck's Rock camp in Connecticut, where she starred successfully in a number of musicals.[6]

King spent her teenage years in New York City, but she has also lived in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Copenhagen, Denmark. Upon graduating from Elisabeth Irwin High School/Little Red School House,[8] she moved to Philadelphia to enroll at the University of the Arts, studying painting and film.[8] During these college years, she had an artistic epiphany seeing a live show where the band onstage used a banjo purely for accompaniment purposes, eschewing the bluegrass and country musical vocabulary traditionally associated with the instrument. King then began to use the banjo as a compositional tool. After college, she briefly lived in Copenhagen and Los Angeles, before moving back to New York where she currently resides in Bushwick, Brooklyn.[2]

Career

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1999–2013: Career beginnings

[edit]

In 1999, she debuted as an actress in her father's film Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo.[8] In 2005, at age 16, she started gigging around New York City, using a fake ID to gain entry to the local nightclubs.[2] King immersed herself in the local songwriting scene and honed her performance skills by busking around town. King was then signed by newly appointed RCA Chairman Peter Edge.[9] Her debut single "Good To Be A Man", was released on March 13, 2012, as a digital download and also as a 7" vinyl single.[9] On June 12, 2012, the four-song The Elle King EP was released on RCA.[9] The EP was recorded in New York and was produced by Andy Baldwin and Chris DeStefano, with King herself producing a track. The EP's lead track, "Playing for Keeps", was chosen as the theme song for VH1's Mob Wives Chicago series that premiered on June 10, 2012, on VH1.[2]

King was spotlighted as an "Artist to Watch in 2012" by Esquire Magazine[10] and made television appearances on VH1 Big Morning Buzz Live and the Late Show with David Letterman.[11] King has played Austin, Texas, at the South by Southwest Festival, as well as the Hammersmith Apollo.[2] She has also taped her own PBS Arts In Context special for KLRU Austin at the Austin City Limits recording studio.[12] She toured with Of Monsters and Men, Train and Michael Kiwanuka and has opened for Dashboard Confessional, Dropkick Murphys, Dry the River, James Bay and Ed Sheeran.[citation needed]

2014–present: Love Stuff, Shake the Spirit and Come Get Your Wife

[edit]
King performing in 2016

In September 2014, King released "Ex's & Oh's", which serves as the lead single off her debut album. She released the album, Love Stuff on February 17, 2015.[2] She performed "Ex's & Oh's" the next day on The Today Show to promote it.[13] The song reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming King's first top ten single in the United States.[14] "Ex's & Oh's" received two nominations at the 58th Grammy Awards: Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song.[15] In July 2015, King supported Modest Mouse on their UK tour. "Under the Influence" and "America's Sweetheart" were later released as singles for rock radio[16] and mainstream radio,[17] respectively. In 2016, her single "Good Girls" featured on the Ghostbusters soundtrack and played over the movie's credits.[18] In 2016, she teamed up with country singer Dierks Bentley for the song "Different for Girls". They performed this song at the 50th CMA Awards on November 2, 2016, when she and Bentley won the award for Musical Event of the Year.[19]

On March 6, 2017, she premiered a new single "Wild Love" featuring a sparse electronic production, marking a slight departure from her previous style in music.[20] King released her second studio album, Shake the Spirit, on October 19, 2018,[21] which she made with her band the Brethren.[22] On August 3, 2019, she was featured singing on a version of Lindsey Stirling's "The Upside".[23][24] Throughout 2019, King served as a guest co-host on the MTV series Catfish: The TV Show opposite lead host Nev Schulman.[25] In 2022, she featured on a remix of Canadian singer Dax's single "Dear Alcohol".[26]

King's third album, Come Get Your Wife, was released on January 27, 2023, and displays a move into country music.[27][28]

On January 19, 2024, an intoxicated King performed at the Grand Ole Opry to honor Dolly Parton's 78th birthday. The Grand Ole Opry later issued an apology.[29][30][31]

Musical style and influences

[edit]

According to The Guardian, King's musical style is "steeped in every genre of vintage Americana – sassy rock'n'roll, vampy R&B, country sadness and a little blues."[1] King's music was classified as blues rock by Nylon,[32] and as alternative country by Alternative Nation.[33] According to King, "I say that I sing a little bit of country blues, [...] it kind of changes from song to song, whatever I'm listening to or feeling. Sometimes it's really country, sometimes it's soulful, sometimes it's, like, wrist-slitting folk music; sad songs."[2] She cited Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Otis Redding, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and AC/DC as her musical influences.[2]

Personal life

[edit]

King married a Scottish man named Andrew "Fergie" Ferguson on February 14, 2016. The two met only three weeks prior to their wedding, in a hotel lobby in London, England, and announced their engagement 12 days later.[34] She spoke about their relationship on an episode of Say Yes to the Dress and had his name and their wedding date tattooed on her chest.[35] Ferguson was arrested on one count of felony domestic violence on April 23, 2017 in Los Angeles County, California and a divorce petition was filed on May 15, 2017.[36][37] Criminal charges against Ferguson were later dropped and the two briefly reconciled but ended their relationship permanently in 2018.[citation needed]

On October 9, 2020, King became engaged to tattoo artist Dan Tooker, after dating for one year.[38] She gave birth to their son Lucky Levi Tooker on September 1, 2021.[39][40] On March 25, 2024, King revealed that the two had ended their relationship.[41] On September 23, 2024, King announced she was pregnant with her second son with Tooker. She announced the pregnancy onstage during a Baby Daddy's Weekend tour stop in Tulsa, Oklahoma on September 22 and then shared the news on Instagram. She also confirmed that she and Tooker had gotten back together.[42]

King reportedly has 55 tattoos, including one of a snake on her neck and the word "brethren" in cursive on her butt cheek.[43] She told Kate Branch of Vogue in 2018 that she got her first tattoo when she was 14 years old.[44] She once worked at a tattoo company called East Side Ink.[45][46]

In August 2024, King discussed her childhood and her relationship with her father Rob Schneider on an episode of Bunnie Xo's podcast Dumb Blonde. She described her relationship with Schneider as an "ebb and flow" and that currently, the two were "not flowing." On growing up with Schneider, she said she would stay summers with him on film sets but that the two rarely spent time together as he was working and that she refused to spend any more summers with him after he decided to send her to weight loss camp. She also mentioned that Schneider would often forget her birthday and that she did not agree with his recent comments about women, transgender people, and vaccines.[47][48] Schneider later issued a public apology to her during an interview with Tucker Carlson, saying he loved her and that he hoped she could forgive him for his shortcomings as a father.[49]

Discography

[edit]
Main article: Elle King discography

Studio albums

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1999 Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo Cookie Girl
2006 The Benchwarmers Carol
2009 Wild Cherry Sabrina
2015 The Last Playlist Herself Documentary
2020 Rob Schneider: Asian Momma, Mexican Kids Herself Performing "In Dreams" by Roy Orbison
2020 Love, Weddings & Other Disasters Jordan
2023 Daddy Daughter Trip Female Farmer

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
2017 Say Yes to The Dress Herself Episode: "10 Years Later and Busier Than Ever!"
2019, 2023 Catfish: The TV Show Co-host Episodes: "Alice and Nique", "Sasha and Essence"
2020 Pete the Cat Garnet Gator Episode: "The Gators"

Concert tours

[edit]

Headlining

[edit]
  • Love Stuff Tour (2015)
  • Shake The Spirit Tour (2019)
  • A-FREAKIN-MEN Tour (2022)

Opening act

[edit]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Awards Category Recipient Outcome Ref.
2016 Grammy Awards Best Rock Performance "Ex's & Oh's" Nominated [51]
Best Rock Song
iHeartRadio Music Awards Alternative Rock Song of the Year Nominated [52]
Teen Choice Awards Choice Rock Song "America's Sweetheart" Nominated [53]
Country Music Association Awards Musical Event of the Year "Different for Girls"
(with Dierks Bentley) 		Won [54]
2017 Grammy Awards Best Country Duo/Group Performance Nominated [55]
Academy of Country Music Awards Music Event of the Year Nominated [56]
CMT Music Awards Video of the Year Nominated [57]
Collaborative Video of the Year Nominated
Billboard Music Awards Top Country Collaboration Nominated [58]
2020 Academy of Country Music Awards Music Event of the Year "Fooled Around and Fell in Love"
(with Caylee Hammack, Miranda Lambert, Ashley McBryde, Maren Morris, and Tenille Townes) 		Won [citation needed]
Country Music Association Awards Musical Event of the Year Nominated [59]
2021 "Drunk (And I Don't Wanna Go Home)" (with Miranda Lambert) Nominated [citation needed]
2022 Grammy Awards Best Country Duo/Group Performance Nominated [citation needed]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Empire, Kitty (October 10, 2015). "Elle King review – dirt, depth and attitude". The Guardian. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Marcus, Bennett (July 6, 2011). ""Playing for Keeps" Singer Elle King Uses Her Phone to Record Her Singing in the Shower". Vanity Fair. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
  3. ^ Dresdale, Andrea (November 2, 2015). "Why Singer Elle King, Rob Schneider's Daughter, Dropped Her Dad's Name". ABC News. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  4. ^ Tuccillo, Andrea (July 3, 2017). "Elle King posts hopeful message on her 28th birthday". ABC News. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  5. ^ Wallace, Jeff (July 10, 2016). "The top 10 best Elle King songs". AXS. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Weinberg, Jen (August 5, 2012). "Elle King, the Voice Behind the Mob Wives Theme Song "Playing For Keeps" Talks to Us About True Blood, Pickle Backs, and Showgirls: Obsessed: Entertainment". Glamour.com. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
  7. ^ "Elle King – Biography". IMDb.com. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  8. ^ a b c "'Catch of the Day' - Dierks Bentley ft Elle King". KLAW 101 - Oklahoma's Best Country. June 6, 2016. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  9. ^ a b c "EP: Elle King's "The Elle King"". Grungecake.com. March 25, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  10. ^ "2012's Artists to Watch". Esquire. January 9, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  11. ^ "'The Late Show with David Letterman' at the Ed Sullivan Theater - Arrivals". Contactmusic.com. August 23, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  12. ^ "In the Studio: Arts In Context Elle King 1/6 on KLRU". klru.org. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  13. ^ "Elle King performs 'Ex's and Oh's' on TODAY". TODAY.com. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  14. ^ "Hot 100 Chart Moves: Missy Elliott's 'WTF' Debuts, With Leap Expected Next Week". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  15. ^ "Grammy Nominations 2016: See the Full List of Nominees". Billboard. December 7, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  16. ^ "Future Releases on Alternative Radio Stations". All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on December 4, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  17. ^ "Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases". All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  18. ^ "Ghostbusters: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Available July 15th - RCA Records". RCA Records. Sony Music Entertainment. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  19. ^ "Here Are All the 2016 CMA Awards Performances Ranked Worst to Best". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  20. ^ "» Elle King Switches It Up On New Single "Wild Love"". Idolator.com. March 6, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  21. ^ Leight, Elias (September 7, 2018). "Elle King Previews New LP With Weary Ballad 'Good Thing Gone'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  22. ^ Newman, Melinda (May 4, 2018). "Elle King Signs With Red Light Management". Billboard. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  23. ^ "Lindsey Stirling Releases "The Upside" Ft. Elle King". Music Mayhem. August 2, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  24. ^ Lindsey Stirling [@LindseyStirling] (July 31, 2019). "Sometimes a song sounds great two ways... #TheUpside comes out Friday, but this time it's featuring @ElleKingMusic..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  25. ^ Raft, Caitlin (January 16, 2019). "'Catfish' Recap: Elle King Reveals Her Inner 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'". US Magazine. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  26. ^ "Dax And Elle King Confront Addiction With 'Dear Alcohol' Video [WATCH]". Everything Nash. August 16, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  27. ^ "American Song Writer". Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  28. ^ "Elle King Releases Bold New Track "Tulsa," Says It's "A Song About Uniting & Not Taking Sh*t from a Real P.O.S."". January 6, 2023.
  29. ^ "Elle King opens up about drunken Opry performance, 'I couldn't continue to be existing in that high level of pain'". The Tennessean. August 6, 2024.
  30. ^ "Elle King Breaks Silence on "Hammered" Grand Ole Opry Dolly Parton Tribute Performance". Vanity Fair. May 17, 2024.
  31. ^ "Grand Ole Opry Apologizes to Audience Member After Elle King Performed 'Hammered' at Dolly Parton Tribute". People. January 22, 2024.
  32. ^ "Song Premiere: Elle King - "Under the Influence"". Nylon. December 9, 2014. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  33. ^ Mazzarone, Mike (February 1, 2016). "Elle King, Nathaniel Rateliff & Andrew McMahon Play Heated Up Winter Jam". Alternativenation.net. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  34. ^ "'Ex's & Oh's' Singer Elle King Engaged". People. February 7, 2016. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  35. ^ "Elle King Celebrates Her Anniversary as She Reveals She's Back with Her Estranged Husband". Peoplemag. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  36. ^ "Elle King's Husband Arrested for Domestic Violence Before Split". TMZ. May 17, 2017.
  37. ^ "Elle King Reveals Her Secret Marriage — and Split". Us Weekly. May 16, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  38. ^ Chung, Gabrielle (October 9, 2020). "Elle King Is Engaged After She & Boyfriend Dan Tooker Proposed to Each Other: We 'Had the Same Plan'". People. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  39. ^ Writer, Rosie Marder Contributing Entertainment (April 5, 2024). "Elle King reveals unexpected meaning behind new tattoo". Newsweek. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  40. ^ Morin, Alyssa (September 5, 2021). "Elle King Welcomes Baby Boy With Fiancé Dan Tooker: Find Out His Unique Name". E!. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  41. ^ "Elle King". Instagram. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  42. ^ "Elle King, Pregnant with Second Baby, Hopes for a 'Big Family: 'I Want So Many Kids' (Exclusive)". Peoplemag. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  43. ^ Goddard, Molly Claire (April 5, 2024). "Elle King Gets Tattoo on Her Rear-End in Honor of the 'Men Raising Her Son' After Dan Tooker Split: Photos". OK Magazine. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  44. ^ Branch, Kate (November 7, 2018). "This Chart-Topping Rocker Has 55 Tattoos and "No Beauty Standards to Live by but My Own"". Vogue. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  45. ^ Ringen, Jonathan (November 5, 2015). "Wild Child Elle King: 'Sometimes I Get Too Drunk, But I'm Myself'". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  46. ^ Brow, Jason (November 25, 2015). "Elle King". Hollywood Life. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  47. ^ "Rob Schneider offends hospital donors with anti-vax, transphobic comments". EW.com. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  48. ^ "Everything Elle King Said About Dad Rob Schneider In Full Dumb Blonde Podcast". Toofab. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  49. ^ "Rob Schneider apologizes to daughter Elle King for 'toxic' parenting - National | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  50. ^ "Cisco Live – News About the Customer Appreciation Event (CAE)". Daniel's Networking Blog. April 11, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  51. ^ "Grammy Nominations 2016: See the Full List of Nominees". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. December 7, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  52. ^ Blistein, Jon (February 9, 2016). "Taylor Swift, the Weeknd Lead iHeartRadio Music Awards Noms". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  53. ^ Eliahou, Maya (June 9, 2016). "Teen Choice Awards 2016--Captain America: Civil War Leads Second Wave of Nominations". E!. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  54. ^ "Cmaworld.com". Cmaworld.com. Archived from the original on June 30, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  55. ^ "Grammy Awards 2017: See the Full Winners List". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
  56. ^ "ACM Awards 2017 Winners: Complete List". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  57. ^ "CMT Music Awards 2017 Nominees Announced". Us Weekly. May 9, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  58. ^ "Drake, The Chainsmokers Lead Nominees for the 2017 Billboard Music Awards". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  59. ^ Leimkuehler, Matthew. "CMA Awards 2020: Here's the full list of nominees". The Tennessean.
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