Biography
An artist whose work draws together alt-rock, blues, jazz, and indie pop, King Isis produces songs defined by emotional openness paired with technical mastery. The California native issued a first release on a label when the EP scales appeared in 2023.
Isis Brown grew up in Oakland and first encountered the piano through an instrument inherited from great-great-grandmother Omega King, one of Chicago’s earliest Black opera singers and the figure whose name inspired the stage moniker King Isis. Structured lessons and private-school years overlapped with the emergence of a queer identity and an accompanying sense of otherness, steering the musician toward alternative styles that emphasized improvisation and risk-taking. The initial recording, “Strange Luvv,” was posted online on Valentine’s Day 2020; it was followed in mid-2021 by the three-song EP #1, which carried an alternative R&B orientation and was co-produced by Jaden Wiggins (Otis Kane). In the same stretch, King Isis performed at Bandcamp Oakland’s debut showcase and at Noise Pop Festival.
On the subsequent project the intricate sound moved away from R&B and toward indie rock, an evolution that resulted in a record deal. The scales EP was issued in March 2023 by Dirty Hit in partnership with No Matter.
Isis Brown grew up in Oakland and first encountered the piano through an instrument inherited from great-great-grandmother Omega King, one of Chicago’s earliest Black opera singers and the figure whose name inspired the stage moniker King Isis. Structured lessons and private-school years overlapped with the emergence of a queer identity and an accompanying sense of otherness, steering the musician toward alternative styles that emphasized improvisation and risk-taking. The initial recording, “Strange Luvv,” was posted online on Valentine’s Day 2020; it was followed in mid-2021 by the three-song EP #1, which carried an alternative R&B orientation and was co-produced by Jaden Wiggins (Otis Kane). In the same stretch, King Isis performed at Bandcamp Oakland’s debut showcase and at Noise Pop Festival.
On the subsequent project the intricate sound moved away from R&B and toward indie rock, an evolution that resulted in a record deal. The scales EP was issued in March 2023 by Dirty Hit in partnership with No Matter.
Albums
Singles
