After touring Australia as support for Justin Timberlake, Californian reggae-pop band Common Kings are returning with their tropical sounds for their own headline tour.
A conversation with Common Kings is enough to bring good spirits to anyone speaking with them. Coming from diverse backgrounds: Hawaii, Samoa, Fiji and Tonga, the now Orange County-based group have translated their infectious cheerfulness into bright-and-sunny songs. Having recently released their cleverly titled ‘Hits And Mrs’ EP, the band will be escaping the North American winter to enjoy Australia's summer.
Bass player Ivan Kirimaua describes their sound as a fusion of pop, rock and roots. The most noticeable elements of the Common Kings sound are the soulful, R & B vocals of lead singer JR King, backed by a deep, reggae groove.
Kirimaua believes each member’s youth in the South Pacific is responsible for reggae being a part of their sound. “We all grew up on [reggae]. We all have different preferences when it comes to music, but I think the common thread in our music is reggae because everyone in the band grew up with it among Polynesians.
“Our fans have been calling us ‘feel-good music’ when describing our particular sound, and we’ve been running with that. So, when people ask us to describe our music, we’re ‘feel-good music’.”
Common Kings have been performing together in their current form for the last five years, but the members have a shared history of more than fifteen years, initially gathering at each other's homes and bonding during jam sessions.
Now the band have begun working with some high-profile collaborators, including co-writing the song ‘Before You Go’ with Meghan Trainor of ‘All About That Bass’ fame. “We’ve been blessed,” Kirimaua admits. “The opportunities that we have come upon, we have definitely not taken them for granted. It was only by chance that we were able to write with Meghan Trainor before she became the Meghan Trainor everybody knows. We knew she was special then, and she’s one of our good friends now.”
As to why it is they’ve developed such a good working relationship with other artists, Kirimaua is matter-of-fact. “People just enjoy hanging out with us so much. I’m not trying to brag or anything, but people do come away saying, ‘Wow, those guys are easy to get along with!’ That sort of attitude is what has allowed us to work with so many other artists and producers. Plus, we feed them.”
Now the band will be coming to Australia, but not for the first time. In 2014, the band were able to land the golden opportunity to support pop-sensation Justin Timberlake on his ‘20/20 Experience World Tour’. It was through the good word of producer and friend of Common Kings and Timberlake, Rob Knox, that they were chosen as support.
Now the band will be making the trek to Australia once again, but this time as headliners; a prospect which has band members excited. “People don’t really know what to expect when they come to a Common Kings show for the first time. It’s where we change a lot of people’s minds about the band. There are a lot of people who come to our shows because somebody brought them out, and they become die-hard fans just from the live show; they’ve never heard any of our recordings before,” Kirimaua says.
Kirimaua suggests fans are won over by their live shows which are a combination of the soulful music and their interactions with the crowd. “JR will go into the crowd, find a lucky lady to sing to and smooth talk. There’ll be a lot of back-and-forth with them. We definitely acknowledge the presence of our fans.”
Common Kings Tour Dates
Fri 12 Feb - The Factory Theatre (Sydney)Sat 13 Feb - Corner Hotel (Melbourne)
Sun 14 Feb - The Gov (Adelaide)
Thu 18 Feb - Coolangatta Hotel (Gold Coast)
Fri 19 Feb - The Back Room (Brisbane)
Sat 20 Feb - The Game Sports Bar (Perth)
