

She was later quoted saying about this period: “People would talk to my manager instead of me, until I would insert the kind of dry sentence that would make most adults splutter and blush and reach for their water. More meetings with UMG reps followed, and Ella was getting a feel for what the music business was like. Despite liking Maclachlan, she wasn’t about to take his not-subtle hint of studying up on the CD of classic 1960s hits he gave her as a parting gift: that was thrown in the bin. What to do with a promising singer just entering her teens? Ella wasn’t waiting for suggestions.

The 12 year-old’s “intelligence, charisma, vocals, ability, confidence, humility” made a big impression.

This idea didn’t last, Maclachlan told 3rd Degree. Prior to the meeting Maclachlan was thinking of pairing her with a established writer of pop songs, to get some airplay on commercial radio. Despite reservations, Ella’s parents agreed to bring Ella to a meeting to discuss possibilities. Maclachlan had received Louis’s dad’s tape and was impressed with the 12-year-old singer. What to do with a promising singer just entering her teens? Pictures of the 12-year-old Ella sitting on a stool next to her first bandmate are remarkable because … well there she is, it’s Lorde, exuding exactly the same poise as she has now. Ella and Louis kept performing, playing gigs at cafes and the local theatre.
#Kings of leon use somebody cd cover plus
Louis’s proud dad sent a recording of the session, plus a few other tracks, to Scott Maclachlan, an A&R at Universal Music Group. This radio appearance was a big deal for two precocious, pre-teen kids. They covered Kings of Leon’s ‘Use Somebody’ and Pixie Lott’s ‘Mama Do (Uh oh, Uh oh)’. In August the same year the duo were invited to Radio New Zealand studios in downtown Auckland to chat and play some songs for Jim Mora’s Afternoon show on RNZ National. The first recognition Ella received as a performer was winning the 2009 Belmont Intermediate School annual talent show, singing in a duo with musician friend, Louis McDonald. Why did Ella go Pop? What has made her, arguably, New Zealand’s biggest pop export, ever? First there were words, then there was song, and her words would have stayed on a page if her performance instinct hadn’t kicked in. She started writing short fiction, calling it a “hobby”. Her childhood had all the ingredients for a star arts pupil: books, music, encouragement, gallery visits, more books. I did read a lot of fiction” and – in her words – “a lot of shit”.Įlla was raised in Devonport, an established, middle-class neighbourhood. Since then, the band has topped Billboard's Alternative charts with evocative singles rooted in soulful pop ("Radioactive") and harmony-heavy rock (the U2-esque "Waste a Moment")-proving once again that forward motion is in Kings of Leon's DNA.She was a bright kid, exceptionally so, and exhibited natural creative drive from the get-go. They didn’t lose their rough-and-tumble vibe-for proof, check out the brisk, brawny riffs of "Sex On Fire"-but a turn toward delicacy on the yearning ballad "Use Somebody," highlighted by Caleb's world-weary vocals, led them to mainstream success, plus a Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 2010. "We're very competitive and we push each other." Deemed the Southern Strokes upon the release of their 2003 debut, Youth and Young Manhood, the quartet evolved from swaggering rock 'n' roll to a keyboard-dappled sound on 2008's Only by the Night. "There's something that keeps you going and keeps pushing you, especially when you're in a band with your family," Caleb told Apple Music in 2016. But after linking with guitarist cousin Matthew to form Kings of Leon in 1999, the Followills found yet another advantage to their upbringing: Their natural familial rivalries galvanized their creativity. To some extent, Kings of Leon have been preparing for the rigors of being a touring rock band from birth: Three-fourths of the Nashville group-brothers Caleb, Nathan, and Jared Followill-had a nomadic childhood, traveling the South with their Pentecostal preacher father.
