There is no need to worry about Elle King. Her toddler son Lucky has helped her reorganize her crazy tour life, get things under control, and keep out of the tabloids.
“I’m very happy and content,” King says in a telephone interview. “I’m also really loving the pace of life right now.” It’s a pace that will soon return the Grammy-nominated singer to Cincinnati October 5 as part of her much-anticipated Baby Daddy’s Weekend tour.
“It’s been weird not drinking before shows,” King says with a stark honesty that’s commendable in these days of filters and fibs. “It definitely took me quite a few shows to begin to get used to that, and now I don’t know if I could really operate any other way, which is good.”
Granted, it wasn’t that long ago that King found herself dealing with ugly headlines when the “Ex’s & Oh’s” singer notably took the stage at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in a drunken state. But now, with just some ginger ale by her side, she says she finds herself looking inward for courage.
“I go through phases of feeling mortified and too nervous to speak, but then I get my confidence back and I’m back into a phase of talking and sharing onstage,” says King, who made major country music waves in 2023 with the release of her feisty album Come Get Your Wife. “I’m talking more and more. I am a storyteller. It’s nice to have these moments of being very, very present in these shows. I definitely feel the love more than ever.”
Love is a big part of King’s life these days, especially from Lucky, 3, who can often be found standing on the side of the stage and taking in the first few songs of his mama’s set before it’s time for bed. “His normal routine and structure that he knows the most is being on the road,” King says of her son with on-again/off-again partner Dan Tooker. “Lucky loves soundcheck. And then sometimes my 10-year-old niece comes on the road with us. It’s a very family type atmosphere. My road life has really taken a turn.”
King says she’s eager to share her new life with her loyal fans in Ohio, and she’ll be welcoming a slew of family to her show at the Andrew J Brady Music Center. “My family lives three hours away from Cincinnati in Jackson, Ohio,” she says, admitting to snagging some cans of Skyline Chili whenever she’s in town so she can make it at home. “When I was young, we didn’t go to Cincinnati all too often. My mom [international model London King] lived in Columbus. But anytime I play anywhere in Ohio, it’s a hometown show.”
The show’s setlist will most certainly include King’s new single, “High Road,” which she says popped out “after I smoked a joint that day and just took a shower and wrote it.” She finished it up later with the help of friend and bassist Paul DeVincenzo. “It’s just so simple, but it’s beautiful,” she says. “It just reminded me of all the Willie Nelson songs that are slow and beautiful but kind of funny. They can either go into heartbreaking or joyous directions, but they both evoke the same emotional release.”
King says she’s performing the song on this tour with the help of “a new family member.” “We added a pedal guitar player just because of ‘High Road,’ ” she says. “My whole upcoming album is sort of being built around this kind of classic country feel, because it’s pretty undeniable. I’m sure someone will have something to say about it, but so far it’s been really fun to play. I don’t know, it’s music that makes me happy.”
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