Interview: King Cole Discusses His Latest Single "Your Story Is Mine", Featuring Xavier Keyz
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“I originally wrote this song for my wife. I always write from the heart and I hold nothing back. As a songwriter I have to come up with something that’s universal to everyone.”
How did you get started as a songwriter? Who were some artists and/or songwriters that influenced you early on?
I started writing songs when I was 18 or 19 years old and my influences are anything Motown, all the great funk and soul of The Black Counterculture Movement in the late 60s and 70s, as well as the British invasion, specifically the Beatles.
So the songwriters that influenced me would obviously be Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Holland Dozier Holland, Ashford and Simpson, Lennon and McCartney, Jagger and Richards, Jimmy Web, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Walter Becker and Donald Fagan, and so many more.
Congratulations on the release of your new single "Your Story Is Mine", featuring Xavier Keyz; what inspired you to write the song and how did you decide that Xavier was the right artist to bring your lyrics to life? Also, who produced the song?
I originally wrote this song for my wife. I always write from the heart and I hold nothing back. As a songwriter I have to come up with something that’s universal to everyone.
The first time I became aware of Xavier Keyz was I believe in January of this year at the Springboard Festival. It was during Covid and so it was the first one that they did by Zoom. I was streaming it to my television and when Xavier came on it felt like he jumped out of the screen into my living room.
My wife and I were mesmerized by his performance and presence. I knew right away that he was the one for the song. I went to YouTube and listened to his music and found out that he’s also a very good songwriter. I flew Xavier down to Houston and he spent three days in the studio with Barry as I watched the session on Zoom from Miami. Once again I knew that we had made the right decision because Xavier‘s work ethic is second to none. He didn’t want to stop until he was perfect. He delivered big time. He was able to capture exactly what we wanted. He’s a singer who can make someone else’s song his own.
Veteran producer Barry Coffing produced the song.
Can we expect a music video for "Your Story Is Mine" to follow next? If not, do you have another song release on the way?
Yes you can most definitely expect an official music video. In the meantime we have a lyric video that is doing quite well with over 12,000 views in about 2 weeks since it’s release.
What can you tell us about the compilation album that "Your Story Is Mine" is featured on? Do you have a release date confirmed yet?
“Your Story Is Mine” will be part of an album do in 2022 (no release date yet) called “Troll the Troll.” This project was created along with master painter and visual artist Barry Gross (collected by Elton John, the Forbes Foundation, Coca-Cola, etc.)
Barry is providing a unique oil painting as a cover for each single and of course the final album.
With "Your Story Is Mine" now released, what are some of your goals musically for the rest of the year?
For the next many months our team along with Xavier‘s manager Durell Peart we will be concentrating on this single and promoting Xavier in a big way. When I feature an artist I go all in.
My brand, believe it or not, is not about me. It’s about helping young independent creatives break out. We’ll also be in the studio for the entire remainder of the year.
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