Geri King

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0><script type="text/javascript" src="http://hb.lycos.com/hb.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://ratings.lycos.com/ratings/lycosRating.js.php"></script> <script type="text/javascript"><![CDATA[//><!]]></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://scripts.lycos.com/catman/init.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-start.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-middle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-end.js"></script> <noscript> <img src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/img/common/ot_noscript.gif?rand=395897" alt="" width="1" height="1" />  <iframe frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" width="728" height="90" src="http://ad.yieldmanager.com/st?ad_type=iframe&ad_size=728x90&section=209094"></iframe>  </noscript> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=125 BGCOLOR="#AAAAAA" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="03c467d1euxmic.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Kristi Singer</b></FONT><B>     </b><B>|     </b><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Kristi Singer"><U><B>home</b></U></A></div> <div> <B>Geri King</b>   |   <A HREF="id87.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Godsmack"><U>Godsmack</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id179.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Goo Goo Dolls"><U>Goo Goo Dolls</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id228.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Govt Mule"><U>Gov't Mule</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id54.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gran Torino"><U>Gran Torino</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=190 BGCOLOR="#111111" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <A HREF="id16.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Writing Samples"><U><B>Back to Articles</b></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=355 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> Geri King</div> <div> <B>A new King takes the stage</b></div> <div> <B>By Kristi Singer</b></div> <div> <I>Singer Magazine </I></div> <div> Sept./Nov. Issue</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I>She's always had a passion to sing... After a struggle, she's living that dream and those who tried to discourage her early on are now behind her all the way.</I></div> <bR> <div> Nuendo Music Group's debut artist, native New Yorker Geri King, began getting stars in her eyes at the tender age of eleven. That's when she asked her mother's friend, a cabaret singer, to sing her a song. </div> <bR> <div> "I just remember being overwhelmed by her voice," recalls King. "It was like wow, I didn't know you could sing like that. She inspired me by showing me it was something attainable... it was the greatest thing to be able to sing. At that age, I thought there was a special group of people who had that talent. I never thought I would be able to do it myself. Form that point on I knew it was something I wanted to do."</div> <bR> <div> <B>Singing in Secret</b></div> <div> Geri's mom, however, wasn't convinced that a singing career was a good idea. "My mother thought that I was out of my mind," she remembers. But that didn't stop her. While attending a summer camp one year, Geri decided to teach herself how to sing.</div> <bR> <div> "Since the time I heard my mother's friend sing, I wanted to be a singer. My mother didn't want to have anything to do with it. So I just did it behind her back and sang at a talent show at summer camp. She begged me not to be in it because she thought I would just be terrible."</div> <bR> <div> After hearing her daughter sing in the talent show, Geri's mother quickly changed her tune. At the age of 12, she traveled with a gospel choir to churches performing in concerts throughout the boroughs of New York City. </div> <bR> <div> When Geri enrolled at Penn State University she wanted to focus on singing, but again her parented intervened. "They really tried to persuade me away from being in the industry and from singing. They wanted me to pursue something that was going to allow me to make money."</div> <bR> <div> Geri's busy curriculum did not allow time for practicing and performing so her dreams were put on hold until after graduation. "I didn't get back into singing until I came home from  school. Then I just decided it was something I had to pursue no matter what anyone said."</div> <bR> <div> <B>Geri, Billie and Bette</b></div> <div> To practice her singing, King relied on her stereo. She would listen to old albums by Billie Holiday and Bette Midler. After teaching herself, Geri decided to work with a vocal coach. That was two years ago. She's now back to self-teaching, but with  more than just the stereo and some old records. She's using a program called "Singing for the Stars" by Seth Riggs.</div> <bR> <div> "It's a program you can use at home," says Geri. "It's a book and two CD's. IT has different exercises that show you how to sing correctly. I found it to be very effective as far as teaching me how to sing, and to sing with a lot more ease than I had before. It really teaches you how to relax  your throat and sing. Then you'll start to feel what vocal coaches mean when they talk about singing from your diaphragm."</div> <bR> <div> <B>Showtime</b></div> <div> "I'd like to think that we found each other," King says, speaking of her producer Kimo Kaulani. She met him while rehearsing <I>My Funny Valentine</I> for the <I>Showtime</I> network's <I>Amateur Night at the Apollo</I> (her show aired in January 2001). At the time his studio was in the same complex as King's vocal coach. "He heard me sing when I was rehearsing the song I was going to do for <I>Showtime at the Apollo</I>. He told me about a song that eventually became the title track of my CD, <I>Tenderly</I>. He said that he thought the song and I would fit well together. He played it for me and I was just blown away. I thought it was just a beautiful song."</div> <bR> <div> Timing was on King's side. Kaulani was in the process of developing an independent label and she became his first artist. The recording was originally going to be a demo, but then the two decided to do an EP and release it independently.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Tender Fantasy</b></div> <div> Her debut album, <I>Tenderly</I>, was released May 29, 2001, and is available in most music stores across the country. Geri co-wrote the songs with her producer at Sound Lab Studios in New York City. Her lyrical inspirations come from many sources, including conversations with friends, life experiences, and poetry that she wrote while in college. "I think there's inspiration in everything in life in some form or another," shares Geri. "I started getting into writing lyrics because I think songs should have something meaningful to say. It's important to write about things that everyone can relate to."</div> <bR> <div> <I>Are You My Fantasy?</I>, another song from <I>Tenderly</I>, came directly from her poetry. "When my producer and I started working on it, it just all came together. I was really proud of it because it was a poem I had written so long ago and always knew I wanted to put it into a song in some way," she said.</div> <bR> <div> Some of King's musical influences include Billie Holiday and Stevie Wonder. "I like them because of the emotion they make you feel. And I think that's the essence of singing. It's when you can captivate someone and kind of take them to your fantasy world, or whatever you're singing about, and make them feel what you feel."</div> <bR> <div> Gerri is currently co-writing songs for other artists such as Faith Hill and Celine Dion with her producer Kimo Kaulani.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Focus on Reality</b></div> <div> King says one of her main struggles was getting over what other people felt she should be doing with her life and with her art. "People may say you can't do something when you believe that you can. And that can be the biggest pitfall; not being patient. Not everything comes right away... you just have to work hard every day. Sometimes it gets discouraging, but you have to think about the reason you got into the industry in the first place. Remember what it is that you want to accomplish."</div> <bR> <div> Another struggle she encountered was learning how to take criticism. "Sometimes you don't want to hear directions or people telling you that what you're doing isn't working; especially if you're working with producers who might have a different view on how  you should do something. Sometimes it's hard to be open to that," admits King.</div> <bR> <div> Geri encourages would-be artists to keep up with the music business and try to educate themselves by reading about different performers and learning from their experiences. "I think that's a less painful way to learn a lesson."</div> <bR> <div> <B>Independence Day</b></div> <div> Intending to remain signed to her independent label, King says "I'm pretty happy where I am. If a major label comes in and offers us a boatload of money, then it would have to be considered."</div> <bR> <div> But  being on an indy label has its perks. The ability to maintain some say in her creativity is important to her. "There's also more money to be made on an independent label. You'd have to sell a million or more copies just to break even (on a major label). But on an independent label you can sell 10,000 copies and make money. Even if you're shopping for a major label deal, an independent deal may be the way to go. At least you'll be getting something out there, you'll be making some sort of noise so that people will notice you," she points out.</div> <bR> <div> Geri advises against the "Cinderella Theory." Waiting for someone to see you at a venue and sign you on the spot just isn't going to happen. "It makes a great story, but as far as all the artists out there trying to make it, that's just not reality," she says.</div> <bR> <div> "I really wish someone had told me five years ago to just really go for what you want to do - and not to listen to anyone who's trying to stop you, and not to give up. There is a way to do the thing that you want to do. It might not come to you right away, but if you keep pursuing it, it will happen."</div> </td> </tr></table></body>