In dialog with Kristian King, vulnerability isn’t a passing temper, it’s the beating coronary heart of his artistry. Throughout Delicate – a mission seven years within the making – he turns heartbreak, therapeutic, and hard-earned self-worth into one thing transformative, proving that softness may be its personal type of energy. As a Black queer voice in R&B and soul, Kristian speaks candidly in regards to the significance of visibility, the liberating act of writing via ache, and the evolving stability between uncooked honesty and on-stage confidence. From confronting poisonous like to celebrating self-acceptance, this interview peels again the layers of an artist coming into his personal whereas inviting listeners to see their very own tales mirrored within the songs.
1. You’ve referred to as Delicate your most private work up to now. What made you are feeling able to share such a susceptible aspect of your self at this stage in your profession?
Delicate is a mission I’ve been engaged on, on and off, for about seven years. Over that point, it’s taken many varieties, however what’s remained fixed is how deeply private it’s. These songs mirror my development, therapeutic, and self-discovery—and now, I lastly really feel able to share them. I’ve reached some extent the place I’m pleased with what I’ve been via and who I’m turning into. Releasing Delicate appears like closing one chapter and opening the subsequent, whereas honoring all of the feelings, locations, and classes that formed my early 20s.
2. The EP was born from moments of disappointment and self-discovery. How did these feelings form the writing course of and the sound of the mission?
I’ve realized to embrace the much less snug feelings and allow them to information my writing. Music has all the time been a type of remedy for me—writing helps me course of, launch, and see issues from a brand new perspective. There’s one thing comforting about figuring out that it doesn’t matter what I’m going via, I can all the time flip it right into a tune. That emotional honesty undoubtedly formed each the lyrics and the sound of Delicate.
3. You’ve described Delicate as an introduction to your coronary heart and soul. What components of your self did you uncover whereas creating these eight tracks?
Listening again, I hear a lot development—each emotionally and creatively. These songs got here from actual, trustworthy experiences, and I’m pleased with that. I’ve all the time recognized with the phrase “delicate,” however making this mission has helped me see that delicacy doesn’t imply weak point—it’s truly a form of energy. Releasing this EP has made me really feel extra assured and enthusiastic about what comes subsequent.
4. As a Black and queer artist, you’ve spoken about sharing tales which might be usually left unheard. How do you hope this EP contributes to wider illustration in R&B and soul music?
We want extra Black queer voices in music—particularly in R&B and soul, genres which might be all about reality and emotion. Delicate is for everybody, however particularly for individuals who haven’t all the time seen themselves mirrored on this area. I would like folks to really feel seen, beloved, and impressed after they hear. I hope this mission reveals others that their tales are simply as legitimate, stunning, and price telling.
5. The singles “You Solely Love Me When You’re Drunk” and “Prince Charming” set the tone on your development as an artist. How do they hook up with the themes and ambiance of the total EP?
These two tracks completely seize the emotional arc of Delicate. With “You Solely Love Me When You’re Drunk,” I used to be confronting a poisonous form of love—the place I felt desired, however solely on another person’s phrases. “Prince Charming” is me reclaiming my price and saying, “That is what I deserve.” The EP strikes from heartbreak and confusion towards self-love and readability. It’s actually about going from surviving like to loving myself in essentially the most delicate—and highly effective—method.
6. Writing is usually a type of therapeutic, however it may possibly additionally deliver ache to the floor. What moments in making Delicate felt the toughest, and which moments felt essentially the most releasing?
For a very long time, I believed I may solely write once I was unhappy—and I used to doubt myself loads, particularly as a vocalist. Engaged on Delicate helped me let go of that. I discovered my voice, actually and creatively, and that was so liberating. The method helped me construct confidence, not simply in my expertise however in my identification as an artist. It allowed me to see my reflection in these songs—and embrace it totally.
7. Your music leans closely into emotional honesty. How do you stability the vulnerability in your lyrics with the arrogance wanted to carry out them on stage?
Actually, that’s one thing I’m nonetheless determining. I’m trying ahead to getting again on stage and performing these songs reside. It’ll be surreal to attach with folks face-to-face and really feel their vitality as I share these components of myself. I believe that connection will assist me discover that stability between vulnerability and energy.
8. When listeners hear Delicate from begin to end, what do you hope they take away about you as an artist, and what do you hope they discover in themselves?
Whenever you take heed to Delicate, know that each tune comes straight from my coronary heart and soul. These tales are deeply private, however I hope they allow you to see components of your personal journey mirrored again. As a Black queer artist, my path hasn’t all the time been straightforward—however music is the place I really feel most like myself, the place I really feel magic. This mission is just the start of so many desires I’ve, and I’m past excited to deliver these desires to life.
Uncover Kristian King on all main platforms through this hyperlink.
Interview by Amelia Vandergast