King Calaway World For Two Interview

Welcome King Calaway

Nashville's most exciting new band, King Calaway, visited Australia to promote their first single World For Two and self-titled EP.

"World For Two" was the most added song at country radio in its first week at US radio and continues to grow rapidly across streaming platforms. The band has been named one of seven country acts to watch in 2019 by Billboard, who praises the EP as "rife with thick harmonies [and] poppy energy" and named as one of "2019 Artists To Watch" by Amazon music.

"We are over the moon to finally have these new songs out for people to listen to. As a group, all we want is to make a positive influence with our music, and we hope everyone who listens to the record hears that," says Simon Dumas of the band. "After months of making this EP the best it could be, we're thrilled to finally release it."

Debut single 'World For Two' showcases the group's sonic range by mixing groove, grit and rootsy stomp in equal doses. It perfectly highlights the band's country music pedigree with a splash of pop. Described as 'a love song with an easy-to-love message' (Taste of Country), at its heart is a catchy tune and seamless vocal harmonies that are at the heart of King Calaway.

Watch the video for "World For Two" here.

Their Australian visit included a trip to Neighbours for a special TV cameo performance alongside Bonnie Anderson's character, Bea – to air later in the year.

King Calaway are co-produced by music vet Robert Deaton and Ross Copperman, Before coming together in 2018, bandmates Jordan Harvey, Chad Michael Jervis, Simon Dumas, Chris Deaton, Caleb Miller and Austin Luther all pursued their own solo careers, racking up a long list of milestones " including American Idol golden tickets, CMA Awards performances, international tours, session gigs, and BBC TV appearances " along the way. One by one, they all chased their dreams from across the globe – from the small towns of the American Midwest to the small coastal country of Gibraltar; from the Atlantic seaboard to the Central Belt of Scotland – and found their way to Nashville, drawn to the city by its rich, diverse music scene.

That diversity reaches a new peak with King Calaway. A multi-national supergroup of harmony-singing, instrument-playing musicians, the band makes anthemic country music for the modern world. Jordan, Chad and Simon all share frontman duties, backed by thick, multi-part harmonies from Chris, Caleb and Austin. The result is a layered vocal sound that nods to the band's influences, including the Eagles, Keith Urban, and Ed Sheeran. In an age when music fans listen to everything, filling their playlists with songs from every corner of the musical spectrum. King Calaway is something new and fresh: a band that both embraces country's roots and reaches far beyond them.

For more information, please visit www.kingcalaway.com.

Interview with King Calaway

Question: What are you enjoying most whilst in Australia?

Caleb Miller: I was really excited to see a kangaroo. We were able to go to Taronga Zoo on our first day and get up close and personal with some kangaroos. Ironically, the next morning at breakfast I was able to eat kangaroo sausage; we're experiencing Australia to the fullest!


Question: Can you tell us anything about your special TV cameo performance on Neighbours?

Jordan Harvey: We can't tell you too much about the Neighbours appearance just yet. It's such a great honor for me and the boys to be a part of the show. This will be a true test to see whether or not we have the ability to act... Sit tight, you will find out soon.


Question: What inspired the track, World For Two?

Chris Deaton: World for Two was a no-brainer first single. It has catchy melodies, room for harmonies and positive lyrical content. That is exactly what we set out to do with our music from the beginning.


Question: What motivates you most when writing music?

Simon Dumas: My biggest motivations or inspirations are real life things and experiences. I love the idea of capturing an emotion, putting it in a song and having it relate to a lot of people. I love when songs have that effect on me so I'm always trying to do that with my songwriting.


Question: How did the band come together?

Chris Deaton: We all found each other through mutual friends. I knew Jordan because I'm from Nashville, and even though he was brought up in Scotland, he was already living in Nashville and working in the honky tonks on Broadway. Jordan and Simon both knew Jon Shone (the Musical Director for One Direction) and the rest of the guys knew Jason Halbert (the Musical Director for Kelly Clarkson). Our manager Robert Deaton knew both Jon and Jason. So he pulled us all together.


Question: Which is your favourite song to perform live and why?

Austin Luther: No Matter What; it's the only song in the set that I play some funky bass with a pick, so that's super fun!

Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Simon Dumas: Performing live would be my choice. The energy on stage and being able to entertain an audience is just so cool. There's no doubt being in the studio is really special too though!


Question: Which music/artists are you currently listening to?

Simon Dumas: The new James Bay EP, I love the songwriting on that.

Austin Luther: Lizzo, Foy Vance and Shawn Mendes.

Chad Jervis: Jade Bird, Brandi Carlile, Kacey Musgraves, Lizzo and Phoebe Bridgers.

Caleb Miller: Keith Urban's new single "We Were" and anything from John Mayer.

Jordan Harvey: Jonas Brothers and Luke Combs.

Chris Deaton: Midland and Zander Hawley.

Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Austin Luther: The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, and Earth Wind & Fire were all huge influences on me early on. Paul McCartney is a major inspiration for me as a bass player, singer, and songwriter.


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Caleb Miller: Personally, I would love to collaborate with Keith Urban. I feel that our musical styles are very similar and he's always been a huge influence of all of ours. It would be an absolute honor!


Question: What's next for King Calaway?

Chad Jervis: We've got a busy summer lined up. When we get back to Nashville from Australia, we will play the Grand Ole Opry on June 1st, which is an honor to be invited back to play again. We'll be playing a few stages at CMA Fest in Nashville, including the Ascend Ampitheater. We'll be visiting a lot of radio stations across the US to play different shows, and in September we'll be playing in Simon's home country, Gibraltar. We're also hoping to release a full-length album later this year! King Calaway (KC) has a lot of exciting things in the works and we just can't wait for everything to come together.


Interview by Brooke Hunter