Ross King’s song Never Knows is a summer anthem with a difference, sounding rather different to most of the stuff in the charts at the moment. It’s a folky track with an undeniable groove, making you want to dance along straight away. Find out more about Ross below!
By Jane Howkins
You recently released a new track called Never Know. What can you tell us about the song?
Probably too much to keep you interested! I wrote it in the summer of 2023 when I was really figuring some stuff out in terms of where my life was going and what I was working towards. I wrote it for myself as a bit of a mantra: If you give it up, you never know! It all happened in about 10 minutes of sitting down to write and then standing up with a full song in my hands. It was amazing.
As I worked on it and showed some people, their faces just lit up because it’s so much fun to play and the message is so positive. It went down really well whenever I played it live so I had to record it as soon as I could. I chose to work with Cathal Murphy in Edinburgh for his funky chops and subtle ear for production, and he did an amazing job helping me bring this to life.
How has the reception to Never Know been so far, and where can it be purchased?
The reception has been fantastic. In the first week or so I had over 1,000 new listeners from all over the world, the song was added to over 50 playlists, and I think it boosted my plays by about 700% too, so I was pretty stunned!
That said, I love the song so much that I really did believe in it. What’s really amazing is that all of this reach was totally organic, so I only wish I had some budget for advertising or PR to help me out! As an indie artist, I put absolutely everything into the music instead of doing advertising. I just hope it can reach people now.
To be honest, the most gratifying thing about Never Know is getting DMs from friends saying they’re listening, or playing live and hearing people sing along, or seeing them all smiling away.
That’s the best reception you could ever hope for.
I would love to release something physical soon to sell like a vinyl, because I really believe there’s value in that physical quality these days, but that’ll happen a bit later on this year, or next.
Do you have any more singles planned for release soon?
Yes, on 28th June I played a gig in Edinburgh at the Voodoo Rooms for charity as part of a broader line-up, and I have a new song called Our Apartment that came out on the same day.
Then in July and August this year, I’ve got another couple of songs coming! It’s been a huge amount of work to get everything ready, so I’m very excited to see the songs out in the wild.
Your debut EP comes out this year! What can you tell us about the record and when will it be released?
Well, that’s a really excellent question. I’m releasing a number of singles over the summer, with the aim to release the EP at some point in the autumn. It really depends on how the reception is to all these songs.
You also write fantasy novels in your spare time. What are you working on at the moment?
I do love fantasy. I think my favourite book in the genre is The Name of the Wind. I’m writing a trilogy in the same vein but I can’t say more!
Your music has really unique sound. What/who are you most influenced by? What have you been listening to recently?
That’s really kind of you. I have a huge array of interests in life and I think my music is reflective of all of these different styles. Musically, I listen to lots of hip-hop, but I’ve also appeared in musical theatre productions, been a saxophonist in a jazz trio, and written for indie folk groups, among other things. I would say I’m inspired by storytellers. People like Tim Baker from Hey Rosetta! is one example, or Theo Katzman from Vulfpeck. Others would have to be Adrienne Lenker, Bon Iver, or Margaret Glaspy. Production wise I really enjoy anything that sounds organic blended with electronic, which is why I really enjoy Bon Iver’s 33 album.
You’re based in Edinburgh. What is the local music scene like in your area at the moment?
I’d say the local Edinburgh scene is surprisingly alive and resilient. There are funk nights around town that feature some truly astonishingly good musicians hidden away in cool little dive bars, as well as open mic nights, trad nights and folk nights, and so for my quiet introverted style, it suits me just fine.
Do you have anything else exciting coming up over the next few months?
I’ll be releasing the next few singles before prepping for the EP release.
Do you have any tour dates lined up for the UK?
Not currently, unfortunately. I would love to tour.
Any last words for the fans?
If you give it up, you’ll never know …