Biography
Carré Kwong Callaway performs under the alias Queen Kwong as a Los Angeles-based solo artist in the alternative rock vein, distinguished by an aggressive, unruly sonic approach and a confrontational punk sensibility. Her live reputation across Europe and North America grew from performances that struck listeners as unpredictable, jarring, and intensely compelling, prompting references to Nirvana, Swans, Patti Smith, and Iggy Pop. The Love Is a Bruise EP marked her introduction in 2010, followed by the first proper album Get a Witness in 2015, then Love Me to Death in 2018 and the intense Couples Only in 2022.
Callaway established Queen Kwong in 2009, although she had already composed and tracked songs under her legal name since the early 2000s; the project specialized in raw, untamed rock & roll across releases such as Get a Witness and Love Me to Death. At seventeen she was spotted in New Orleans by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, resulting in solo support slots on the 2005 With Teeth tour. After settling in Los Angeles her material began reflecting a broad spectrum of moods and textures. Following an extended hiatus she revived activity in 2009 under the Queen Kwong name with a complete band, again supporting Nine Inch Nails on the Wave Goodbye tour. The self-released Love Is a Bruise EP appeared the next year; its track “Pet” was licensed for Levi’s 2010 autumn campaign. Subsequent years involved extensive writing, recording, and international touring. In 2012 she issued the first official single “Long Gone,” co-written with ex-Icarus Line vocalist Joe Cardamone, then delivered the Bad Lieutenant EP on Instant Records in 2013. “The Strange Fruit” surfaced as a single in 2014. For the debut full-length Get a Witness, Callaway composed the material in a two-week burst of improvised, stream-of-consciousness work released on Dissention Records in 2015; this rapid method shaped later projects. Promotion included a U.S. and European tour, expanded by a Chris Isaak cover of “Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing” from Bad Lieutenant that appeared on Peaky Blinders. She re-entered the studio in 2017 for the second album Love Me to Death, issued in 2018, with the Oh Well EP arriving the following year.
Couples Only, her third LP, emerged in 2022 as a direct response to multiple personal upheavals. Cardamone produced the record, Tchad Blake handled mixing, and guests included musicians from the Cure and Swans.
Callaway established Queen Kwong in 2009, although she had already composed and tracked songs under her legal name since the early 2000s; the project specialized in raw, untamed rock & roll across releases such as Get a Witness and Love Me to Death. At seventeen she was spotted in New Orleans by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, resulting in solo support slots on the 2005 With Teeth tour. After settling in Los Angeles her material began reflecting a broad spectrum of moods and textures. Following an extended hiatus she revived activity in 2009 under the Queen Kwong name with a complete band, again supporting Nine Inch Nails on the Wave Goodbye tour. The self-released Love Is a Bruise EP appeared the next year; its track “Pet” was licensed for Levi’s 2010 autumn campaign. Subsequent years involved extensive writing, recording, and international touring. In 2012 she issued the first official single “Long Gone,” co-written with ex-Icarus Line vocalist Joe Cardamone, then delivered the Bad Lieutenant EP on Instant Records in 2013. “The Strange Fruit” surfaced as a single in 2014. For the debut full-length Get a Witness, Callaway composed the material in a two-week burst of improvised, stream-of-consciousness work released on Dissention Records in 2015; this rapid method shaped later projects. Promotion included a U.S. and European tour, expanded by a Chris Isaak cover of “Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing” from Bad Lieutenant that appeared on Peaky Blinders. She re-entered the studio in 2017 for the second album Love Me to Death, issued in 2018, with the Oh Well EP arriving the following year.
Couples Only, her third LP, emerged in 2022 as a direct response to multiple personal upheavals. Cardamone produced the record, Tchad Blake handled mixing, and guests included musicians from the Cure and Swans.
Albums
STRANGERS
2024
Couples Only
2022
Love Me to Death
2018
Get a Witness
2015
Bad Lieutenant
2013
Bitter Lips
2011
Love Is A Bruise
2009
Singles
