“It’s Not Always Gonna Be Cute”: King Isis Talks All Things Growth and ‘SIRENITY’
Photo by Hunter Cates.
Since dropping their debut EP scales in 2023, King Isis has steadily built an ever-evolving discography steeped in nothing but their truth. Amassing renown and landing opening slots for artists like The Last Dinner Party and The Japanese House, the multi-faceted performer has grown in front of fans’ eyes. With her latest EP, SIRENITY, Isis released her most vulnerable and candid work to date. Though they’ve long mastered the art of blending indie rock with R&B, SIRENITY sees the self-proclaimed “queer alt fairy” leaning more into a grungier alternative sound — and they sound more self-assured and sophisticated than ever.
Fresh off her first live show since dropping SIRENITY June 13, King Isis talked the process behind the EP, what it means to heal and the threads that have weaved her musical journey together.
With your latest EP, SIRENITY, having dropped a couple weeks ago, I’m sure it’s been a busy month. How have you been feeling with these songs finally out in the world for fans to hear?
It has been a really long process. Some of these songs are probably over a year old, so it is a really good feeling to finally have people hear it. And this is the first project that I worked with different collaborators on, so definitely excited to have people hear kind of a different sound. It's been a really overall positive process.
Was it nerve wracking at all to release this music? I know you’re obviously not new to releasing music, but this EP feels extra vulnerable and honest.
Yeah, definitely nerve wracking for those reasons. I feel like, as opposed to like my other EPs where I take more metaphorical approaches to songwriting, this one is more raw or straight to the point. So yes in that aspect, and also the fact that I feel like there's a lot of different, varying sounds in this one. So just kind of hoping people would still connect with those different sounds.
Which song on the new EP came to you the quickest and which took the longest to write?
I think the one that came to me the quickest was “LATELY,” just in terms of the actual songwriting part, like the guitar and the lyrics, I think that came to me the quickest. And I think the hardest might have been, more production wise, “PERMANENTLY BROKEN.” That song is probably the oldest song on the EP, but I think it took a while to kind of hone in on the production for that one.
As the EP has an underlying theme of musing and renewal, how would you say you’ve grown as a creative since the release of your last EP, shed?
I've definitely become more comfortable in my own voice in terms of production and kind of being able to speak up more in sessions and trying stuff more production wise. So I think coming more into my voice as a producer, that's definitely some growth that I feel like was not there in the first two EPs as much.
Cover art for SIRENITY.
The EP name is a play on “serenity,” which juxtaposes the angsty sound and darker lyrics of the songs, a pleasant surprise on first listen. Can you explain the role the title “SIRENITY” plays in the EP as a body of work?
So one of the reasons I chose SIRENITY and spelled it like that was to kind of tie it into scales and shed and tie it into the snake and serpent and that type of world because it's kind of like a trilogy. But yeah, that title is a lot more peaceful than the music is. I also wanted to like — For me, healing isn't always cute and perfect and clean. So I think the difference or dichotomy between the title and the music is to show for me, or at least in my process of healing, that it's not always gonna be cute.
I love that. Kind of going off that, I want to talk about “tuesday in la.” From the acoustic instrumentation to even the title being the only one on the EP in lowercase, it stands out the most. Why was it important to you to have this raw voice memo on the EP?
So most of my music starts like that. It starts with a notebook, a pen, an acoustic guitar, and usually like 20 different versions of voice memos. And that's pretty much how literally every song starts. And I did try that one in-studio with a producer, and I kept coming back to this version. So I was like, “This is the version I like the most and resonate the most with,” but also I wanted to show the actual, real process, like the raw process of my music creation.
Shifting gears a bit, with your classical music background and being the great great granddaughter of one of Chicago’s first Black opera singers, how has the role music plays in your life changed and stayed the same since leaning into the alternative world?
I definitely abandoned piano after high school and I'm just now kind of coming back to it, but I think having that foundation has made it easier to create on guitar and learn other instruments, and so it's definitely helped. I don't use classical piano in my new music, but I think it was an important foundation for me.
Your music has always bended and blended genres, but SIRENITY sees you leaning into a more grungier sound. As SIRENITY is the culmination of a trilogy of EPs, what does this exclamation point of an ending symbolize for you?
I like that exclamation point. One of the reasons is this was the only project with different collaborators, and so kind of expanding on or finding relationships that work for each other. And also finding my own voice as a producer, too. So just exploring more sounds and the distorted part, I guess kind of going back to one of your other questions, is that healing isn't always gonna be clean and can be fucked. It's going to be kind of fucked up and it's not linear, you know? So yeah, I think leaning into that.
Photo by Hunter Cates.
Expanding on that, you worked with artists like Bartees Strange and More Booker for this album. You’ve talked a little about it, but what was that collaboration process like for you, and did that play any part in how you feel like you’ve grown as a producer?
I think all the people that I collaborated with, including Estelle Allen and Grayskiin, we all are friends, you know? So it's just like making music with people who also respect your voice and see you as an equal. So I think that made that space feel safer for me to try shit and do shit, you know, that I didn't necessarily feel before.
In what ways do you feel like you’ve grown as a producer, specifically?
I get a lot of imposter syndrome with music stuff and just feel like, ‘What am I doing?’ like it's not enough or whatever, I don’t know what I'm doing, I don’t know how to play this shit. But, I think specifically, usually I would go into rooms and just have a bunch of ideas in my head, but not actually say them out loud because of the stupid anxiety bullshit, you know? So just actually being able to say what I feel in these rooms for these songs and just trying shit. I've been learning how to do drums on the computer, on Logic and stuff, which was really scary to me for a long time. And just finding my voice on the computer shit, because that has been really daunting. But Estelle, specifically, has been really helpful in demystifying production because it's really not that scary, you know? But I felt like that for a long time.
I know you played a show in your hometown of Oakland Friday. What has been your favorite song from the new EP to play live?
This past show on Friday was honestly the first time that we played most of the new EP songs, which was also really scary. But I'm gonna say my favorite one at that show was “TEARS DON’T DRY,” just because I get to scream a little bit, which is really fun.
What’s next? Do you have any shows planned or tour dates that fans can expect?
I would love to go on tour in the fall or something, so hopefully something comes up. But right now I'm just working on my first album and working on a short film that's accompanying, so just kind of getting into that mode. But yeah, hopefully doing more shows, I would love to. Someone bring me on tour, please!
Cover photo by Hunter Cates.