King of Queens

This Pride month, Paris King hopes her new song “Movie Star” encourages listeners to live life authentically and unapologetically, the way that she does. With its wicked beat, synth vocals, and high energy pop sound, the feel-good track is about how everyone can be the star of their own movie.

“Fame was once achieved by only a select few on the silver screen,” King explains. “Then came the age of sex tapes on camcorders when hot babes could become instant celebs. Now with everyone filming 24/7 and releasing content on social platforms, we can all be famous! It’s simply about finding your own way to shine.”

“Movie Star” was written by Paris King along with Damon Elliot (Beyonce, Pink, Nicole Scherzinger, Whitney Houston, Destiny’s Child, and Dionne Warwick) and Heather Bright (Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, and Far East Movement). It is produced by Damon Elliot and is being distributed globally through Dauman Music.

“I am obsessed with old school Hollywood glamour,” King continues from her London home. “Silver screen icons like Marlon Brando and James Dean were sex on film. They had power and authority over their own bodies; something I always strove for as a kid.”

Paris King is a songwriter from North London and recalls a childhood surrounded by music. Her grandmother was a singer and her dad, a Jamaican, used to run a reggae label in London. Sadly, her father – who is now deceased - was reluctant to accept his son’s pursuit of drag, and for a long time, Paris didn’t think it was possible to mix black and LGBTQ cultures.

Paris found strength in stars she saw on stage and screen. “If only I could have seen more people like me on TV and in film and magazines when I was a kid,” she laments. “People that made me say ‘That’s what I want to do’.”

She began experimenting with drag as a curious teenager. “I’m not the sort of person who’s going to make sure everyone agrees with what I do before I do it,” she acknowledges.

One day, she came across a sign at Heaven, London’s revolutionary gay nightclub, that read, ‘WANTED: Drag Queens and Club Kids’. She auditioned and got the job. “I was always an entertainer but Paris allowed me to more theatrical and rambunctious."

She now believes things might have been different had his parents stayed together. “My dad was a real disciplinarian. Maybe I wouldn’t have been able to get away with as much, I definitely wouldn’t have been going to Heaven dressed as I was!”

While performing nightly to thousands of local Londoners and tourists, she discovered she was braver in a wig and high heels and could express herself much more boldly than if she were on stage in a baseball cap and blue jeans. It made her feel empowered; something she now hopes to impart on others. “I want people to know that whatever good I make them feel, they’ve got the power within themselves to feel that in any given moment, and that it doesn’t take a special person to make people feel good. It’s about being honest, empowering, and entertaining.”

Today, Paris King exemplifies the chameleonic spirit of David Bowie, the flamboyance of Sylvester and the camp theatre of Boy George. With the release of ‘Movie Star’ and her upcoming EP, she is realizing her latest ambition: music. “I’m excited to prove to all how big life can be with a little imagination.”

To appeal to different tastes and tempos, the remix package of “Movie Star” contains remixes of the song by Cahill, DTAG, Ogazumu and Liam Keegan.

Paris King’s “Movie Star” is being distributed globally through Dauman Music and is available now on Apple Music, Spotify and all major platforms.

Follow Paris King on IG @parisking