Getting to Know… King Fabbs | Interview 🎤

For the 203^rd Q&A on The Musical Hype, we get some deep insight from Canadian pop-punk solo artist, King Fabbs.

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rom the onset of the 203^rd interview on The Musical Hype, 🎙 King Fabbs keeps things real. “I think what makes me unique is that I can always represent black community in this genre.” Right on! Fabbs opens up about a topic discussed far too seldom in the black community – nonconformity – being different.  With the wrongful assumption the black community is monolithic, Fabbs proves otherwise. “I grew up feeling like I wasn’t allowed to like this music, or that it was super weird to like rock and metal music because I was black. I got picked on for it a lot.” Picked on for liking rock/metal? Shameful! As a black man who appreciates multiple styles of music (plenty ‘I’m not supposed to like,’), I connected with Fabbs’ interview instantly. I’d sum up more, but why not let the Canadian musician continue to speak for himself! So, without further ado, here is the thrilling 🎤 Getting to Know…King Fabbs: Interview No. 203!

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Starting things off, for those who may not be familiar with you, what would you say makes you distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off? 

🎤 I think what makes me unique is that I can always represent black community in this genre. I grew up feeling like I wasn’t allowed to like this music, or that it was super weird to like rock and metal music because I was black. I got picked on for it a lot. I was the black guy who was “not really black.” Well, I don’t hear skin color, I hear music and I love this music. I want to show people that anyone can like this music because music is for everyone. Some days were hard, but I never changed how I felt about rock music just because people told me I couldn’t like it. I want to represent those who were/are afraid to show their real love for something because they are scared about what people might think of them. People will always have different opinions and thoughts about what you do, and the things that you like, and there will always be people who won’t like what you do and represent. They are not worth suffering for. You should unapologetically be yourself all the time, because if you are you will end up being surrounded by the right people. Life is too short to not be doing what you love, so don’t ever let anyone take that from you.

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Okay, let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did your solo career begin and what were some of the goals or the visions you had early on?

🎤 For a long time, I have wanted to be in a band. I was in a punk band when I was in high school.  It was super fun and I loved it, but it was short lived. We had some originals, we played a few covers, we only ended up playing two shows and that was pretty much the end of it because members started quitting. Fast forward about 10 years, here I am as a solo artist now. All this time I’ve wanted to be in a band, but I quickly realized that it takes a lot for other people to commit to being in a band. I didn’t want to force anything so, going solo became a great looking option. It feels so good to have music that I created come to life now. I love being able to express myself through my music.

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Let’s talk more about goals.  Have your goals or your perspectives changed since first starting out? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?

🎤 When I started to write the EP, my first big goal was simply to get it done as soon as possible. I wasn’t in a rush to do it; I was just really excited to finally be starting something that fueled my passion. It just felt really good, like I was finally being my true self, and I really wanted to get my music out into the world. I definitely didn’t want to force anything in terms of writing though, I like when the music and lyrics come out naturally. Another goal was to play my first live show, and that goal was achieved a few weeks ago! My goals right now are to do my first music video, release my next single, release a cover of a song, and lots of practice!

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Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Who would you consider some of your biggest musical influences and how are they influential?            

🎤 I have so many musical influences from lots of different genres, but some of my top favorites are All Time Low, Slipknot, Green Day, Paramore, State Champs, Alessia Cara, The Hunter Brothers, Twenty One Pilots, Mariana’s Trench and so many more! The artists I listen to all influence me musically and on an emotional level. I feel like I can always connect with their song lyrics. Lyrics are really poetic to me, and I just find it to be a very pure art form. Seeing how my favorite artists write their lyrics and being able to find my own meaning within each song inspires me a lot, and it reminds me that there’s many ways to express yourself. My favorite artists influence me simply by being their true selves and expressing themselves the way they want too.

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Ah, the fun stuff.  What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance?  Feel free to be creative.

🎤 I’ve only played two shows so far as I’m still a pretty “new” artist, and there aren’t too many shows at the moment because of COVID restrictions. But I have to say that my first show was pretty special. It was at a local outdoor venue here in Calgary called ContainR. I played to a lot friends and family as well as a huge group of people dressed up in cow onesies! Yes, they were all dressed like cows, and they were really bringing the energy and it made for an awesome show! I’ve never gathered a herd like that before. I have picture evidence of the event!

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Up until this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?  

🎤 I think 🎵 “No Stopping Tonight” is my favorite song I’ve recorded. It’s strange, at first, I wasn’t completely sure if I wanted to do that song. I was having second thoughts about it for a while, but when I got the final mix back it just felt so good. All my worries went away. I’m not even entirely sure what I was worrying about for that song when I was going to record it but it’s arguably my best song now! Recording the song definitely was fun as were all my other songs, I just wasn’t if I should have saved “No Stopping Tonight” for a future release or if I could have done something different with the song. But I’m incredibly happy with how the song turned out, I love it a lot and it’s so much fun to play live!

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Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left of center the world should know about you? Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

🎤 I sure wish I had insane and random other talents I could just pull out of my back pocket! I guess I’m not too bad at Mario Kart, let me know if you ever want to play me! But I guess a random thing about me that’s cool is that I’ve performed with Alessia Cara before! Of course, it wasn’t just me and her on the stage together, (though that would be so incredible) I was part of the Calgary Stampede Showband Drumline in 2016, and we performed with Alessia in the 2016 Juno awards held in Calgary, Alberta! That’s an experience I will never forget for as long as I live!

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Closing things out, what are you currently working on, promoting that you can share with us or want us to know about? We love secrets, but there’s no pressure. 

🎤 I’m releasing a single in a few months, I do not have a set date yet, but I’ll have more details in a few weeks! I’m in the planning process of making my first music video as well!

 

Thank you so much for sharing taking the time to answer these questions, and best of luck moving forward. 

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Follow King Fabbs: Site • FB • IG • Spotify

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Getting to Know…King Fabbs: Interview No. 203 🎤 [📷: King Fabbs, Brent Faulkner, The Musical Hype]

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