Recent months have seen King Charles back at the top of his game as he looks to add to his career tally of 100 million+ streams. His recent UK tour included two sold-out London shows at Omeara, while his single ‘12345’ more than matches the standard set by his fan favourites ‘Gamble For A Rose’, ‘The Brightest Lights’ and ‘Choke’.
King Charles today closes the yearand looks to a big 2022 ahead of him by sharing his brand new single ‘Oh Mama’. Like ‘12345’ before it, ‘Oh Mama’ will feature on his forthcoming EP ‘All I Know’. The EP is the first in a series, each of which will see him dive deep into different genres and styles.
On ‘Oh Mama’, King Charles channels his magnetic charisma into a song that echoes the best of quintessential British guitar pop. As ever, his songwriting is given a fresh edge with more diverse influences that touch upon rambunctious, rootsy folk and rousing gospel. ‘Oh Mama’ is also remarkable for the huge contrast in the way he delivers lovelorn lyrics (“Love is so filled with pain”) in the most uplifting style imaginable.
King Charles says, “‘O Mama’ fell alongside the making of ‘12345’ at Eastcote Studios earlier this year. It’s a sound that I knew would be fun to perform live and add a new element to the set list.
I recorded this a few years ago in LA and it went quite bombastic, but I still liked the song so we cooled it down a little in London. I’ve enjoyed having Tom Hobden [Gang of Youths, Noah and the Whale] on violin on this one too, and some backing vocals make it feel quite soulful. There’s an element of longing to what I’m talking about, but I don’t think it sounds anguished and I’ve felt quite particular about that on this EP.”
‘Oh Mama’ was produced by King Charles with Nick ‘Moss’ Rogers (Kárryn, SG Lewis) and mixed by Simon Hanhart (David Bowie).
The songis released alongside an official visualiser. It compiles behind-the-scenes footage of King Charles posing for the photoshoot used to complement his current run of releases.
King Charles’ recent UK tour inspired the Bittersweet Symphonies blog to state, “King Charles is one of our most thoughtful songwriters. His songs are innately universal, they’re not just catchy and energising, they carry meaning and they question (often asking the ‘big’ questions), but they importantly offer respite and escapism. And that’s what good music should do.”
Next March will see King Charles embark upon a European tour which is set to be extended with more dates soon. Tickets for the dates, listed below, are available here. He is also confirmed to play Electric Brixton as special guest to Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. on April 23rd. For a taste of what to expect from the setlist, please see his UK Tour 2021 playlist on Spotify.
MARCH 2022
1st – Amsterdam, Melkweg
6th – Munich, Milla
7th – Vienna, B72
8th – Leipzig, Moritzbastei
10th – Hamburg, Nochtspeicher
11th – Hannover, Béi Chéz Heinz
12th – Berlin, Privatclub
13th – Cologne, Artheater
King Charles’s talent was first recognised when he became the first British artist to win America’s International Songwriting Competition. It was an accolade that was all the more remarkable given that it was judged by Tom Waits, Jerry Lee Lewis, Loretta Lynn and Jeff Beck. Always evolving, his songwriting is consistently compelling regardless of the style he is exploring. As a result, he has been compared to everyone from Prince and Adam Ant to Vampire Weekend, Passenger and Jamie T.
Those songs translate to a strong live following. In his hometown of London he has headlined venues including the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, the O2 Kentish Town Forum, KOKO and the Scala, and international touring has taken him everywhere from the USA to Lithuania. He has supported some of the world’s biggest artists, such as The Rolling Stones and Mumford & Sons. Meanwhile, key festivals have included Glastonbury, Reading, Leeds and Latitude.
King Charles completed the ambitious Feel Good Jog this summer, a gruelling schedule of 40 marathons and 40 live performances in 40 days. It raised £70,000 for the youth and community charity Regenerate.
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