Features : Paris King taps into Caribbean roots for new single ‘Jealousy’

Growing up in London with a Jamaican father and a Celtic mother, pop artist Paris King was raised on an eclectic mix of music. 

“We had all sorts of music in the house but reggae and dancehall and Caribbean-inspired music was almost always at the forefront – and like 20 percent country and western,” King says. “We had a real mix of it growing up in my household and it’s the music I’ve always loved.”

Now King, with a growing fanbase of her own, is melding genres and building an eclectic music career while paying homage to the Caribbean sounds that always gave her goosebumps. 

And King’s eye-opening career might not have happened if not for a friend’s drag audition at London’s Heaven Nightclub. 

“The story goes a friend of mine was responding to an audition where they were looking for go-go dancers and drag queens,” King says. “I went along in support and I ended up getting the job.”

That was the start of King’s drag journey, centered in London’s inclusive and expressive drag scene. And that journey encouraged King to take a bold leap into the world of mainstream pop music. She released her first single in 2011 and built a career based on pop and dance music. 

King’s latest single, “Jealousy,” goes in a new direction, though, and incorporates Caribbean sounds like pounding drums and lively horns while straddling the line between pop and dancehall music. 

“It was time to start thinking about a new EP and recording some new music,” King says. “It’s a passion, writing and recording, and with a passion like that it doesn’t ever really leave you. I was toying around with a few ideas and thought this direction is not an avenue I had thought about going down. The minute it came into my mind I got really excited because it meant I could marry together the glitz and glam and pop style of the LGBTQ community but also the depth and gravitas and grit of Caribbean dancehall music.”

The official music video surpassed 10,000 views in barely a week, and King says the feedback has been “insane” with everyone loving the track regardless of their heritage. 

“Everyone is loving it and they’re getting the kind of power that’s behind it and the get up and go that the beat gives you,” she says. 

King started work on the EP in 2020. When she heard the beat and music for “Jealousy,” the lyrics started pouring out and became what King refers to as a “no-holds-barred anthem for owning all of who you are, haters be damned.”

“The idea behind ‘Jealousy’ is that growing up as more of a flamboyant character, it hasn’t always been greatly accepted by some of my peers or colleagues and we’ve all had that scenario where we’ve been heckled or had naysayers or someone with an opinion on how you’re presenting yourself. The idea behind the song is because I have the confidence to get up and do that like many others, when you do get those naysayers it’s from a place of jealousy because they wish they had the confidence to do what they really wanted to do.”

The full EP, which King describes as a celebration of “vibrancy, of color, of independence,” will include more of the dancehall and Caribbean-flavored styles as well as pop music. It’s set for release late this year or early in 2024 and will feature as many as 15 tracks. 

Make sure to stay connected to Paris King on all platforms for new music, videos and social posts. 

Instagram
Facebook
TikTok
YouTube