Common Kings
Common Kings | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Orange County, California, United States |
| Genres | Reggae, Reggae rock |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels | Island Empire Records Mensch House Records |
| Associated acts | J Boog The Green Justin Timberlake Shwayze |
| Website | commonkings |
| Members |
|
Common Kings are an American, Hawaiian, and Samoan reggae band from Orange County, California. The band's debut album, Lost in Paradise, was nominated for a Grammy Award.
History[]
Formation (2011)[]
Born in the South Pacific and raised in Orange County, California the members of Common Kings which consists of 'Jr. King' (Sasualei Maliga) on lead vocals, 'Mata' (Taumata Grey) on guitar, 'Uncle Lui' (Ivan Kirimaua) on bass, and 'Big Rome' (Jerome Taito) on drums, formed after forging a bond from a jam session at Ivan's house.[1]
Originally from Hawaii with Samoan roots, Sasualei Maliga, who has a three-octave range voice, met drummer Jerome Taito (from Samoa), bassist Ivan Kirimaua (from Fiji/) and guitarist Taumata Grey (from Tonga) when they were growing up in the Orange County towns of , Garden Grove, and Irvine, all through a close-knit O.C. Pacific-Islander community. The four met in 2002 during a barbecue at Kirimaua's beachfront house in Newport Beach, California.
They formed the band while studying at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California, and began recording songs in 2011.
The band name pays tribute to their proud heritage and the love for their home lands of Fiji, Hawaii, Samoa, and Tonga where their ancestry comes from royalty. So all members have ruling-class bloodlines.[2] But they remind us that they're just "everyday guys" from Orange County, California living out their humble dreams. Common Kings developed a style of reggae with hints of rock and an island sound. Their songs feature an array of "head-rocking beats, feel good vibes, and emotional fever."[3]
EPs and Touring (2013–2014)[]
After releasing two EPs in 2013; #Weontour Soundtrack on July 20 and Summer Anthems on August 13 (both of which were top ten hits on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart),[1][4][5] Singles, "Alcoholic" and "Wade in Your Water" from Summer Anthems were the first to hit Hawaiian radio.
Common Kings toured Australia and New Zealand as a support act on Justin Timberlake's 'The 20/20 Experience World Tour' in 2014.[2]
Hits & Mrs. (2015)[]
The band signed to , who issued the EP Hits & Mrs. on October 9, 2015 peaked at #2 on the Billboard Top Reggae Albums chart.[1][4]
Lost in Paradise (2017)[]
Their debut album Lost in Paradise, released on February 3, 2017, received a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Reggae Album category,[6] and topped the Billboard Top Reggae Albums chart.
One Day EP (2018)[]
The band's fourth EP, One Day, which was released on August 10, 2018 on reached #2 on the Billboard charts for Top Reggae Albums.[4]
Common Kings was featured as one of many reggae bands on Collie Buddz riddim album, Cali Roots Riddim 2020 with their single, "There I Go", which was produced by Buddz and mixed by Stick Figure's touring guitarist, producer Johnny Cosmic.
In 2021, Common Kings was one of several reggae and punk bands on The House That Bradley Built, a charity compilation honoring Sublime's lead singer Bradley Nowell, helping musicians with substance abuse. They covered Sublime's song "Garden Grove", the first track on the album.
Musical Influences[]
Common Kings sound is mixing catchy beats into pop music hits that's infused with the members' love of reggae, rock, R&B and island music.[7] Through individually different musical influences, the members came together with their own unique styles from artists and bands such as, Bob Marley, Earth Wind and Fire, Gypsy Kings, , Jim Croce, Led Zeppelin, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Van Morrison, and The Who to name a few.[8]
Other Projects[]
Common Kings teamed up with to collaborate on a short sleeve button down shirt and package called the "Aloha-Bro". It's available in limited quantities (50 black shirts and 50 white shirts). In order to keep the "aloha spirit flowing", every order comes with free items, which include Common Kings One Day and Lost In Paradise CD's, a Common Kings die cut decal, and 2 SRH stickers.[9]
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
| Year | Album | Label | Billboard peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Lost In Paradise | #1 |
EPs[]
| Year | Album | Label | Billboard peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | #Weontour Soundtrack (EP) | Self-produced | #7 |
| 2013 | Summer Anthems (EP) | #4 | |
| 2015 | Hits & Mrs. (EP) | Island Empire Records | #2 |
| 2018 | One Day (EP) | #2 |
Singles[]
| Title | Release Date | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "She's a Professional" | 2013 | #Weontour Soundtrack EP |
| "IDGAF" | 2013 | #Weontour Soundtrack EP |
| "Wade in the Water" | 2013 | Summer Anthems EP |
| "No Other Love" (feat. & Fiji) | 2013 | Summer Anthems EP |
| "Alcoholic" | 2013 | Summer Anthems EP |
| "24/7" | 2013 | Sumner Anthems EP |
| "Just Another Lover" | 2013 | Summer Anthems EP |
| "Sickness" | 2013 | Summer Anthems EP |
| "Your Turn" | 2013 | Summer Anthems EP |
| "Fly" | 2013 | Summer Anthems EP |
| "Fall in Love" | 2013 | Summer Anthems EP |
| "Kingdom Come" | 2014 | (Single) |
| "On the Low" | 2015 | Hits & Mrs. EP |
| "Since I Woke Up" | 2015 | Hits & Mrs. EP |
| "Ain't No Stopping" | 2015 | Hits & Mrs. EP |
| "Before You Go" (feat. Meghan Trainor) | 2015 | Hits & Mrs. EP |
| "Take Her" | 2017 | Lost In Paradise |
| "Mary Wanna" | 2017 | Lost In Paradise |
| "License to Smoke" | 2017 | Lost In Paradise |
| "Always Beside You" | 2017 | Lost In Paradise |
| "Speaking My Language" | 2017 | Lost In Paradise |
| "I Want Your Body" | 2017 | Lost In Paradise |
| "Everybody Wants to Fool the World" | 2017 | Lost In Paradise |
| "Cali Girl" (feat. ) | 2017 | (Single) |
| "One Day" | 2018 | One Day EP |
| "Today's A New Day" (feat. ) | 2018 | One Day EP |
| "Champion" (feat. Kat Dahlia) | 2018 | One Day EP |
| "Broken Crowns" (feat. Matisyahu) | 2018 | One Day EP |
| "Queen Majesty" (feat. Sammy Johnson & The Green) | 2019 | (Single) |
| "Neil Armstrong" (feat. ) | 2019 | (Single) |
| "Happy Pill" | 2020 | (Single) |
| "Fish in the Sea" (feat. Marc E. Bassy) | 2020 | (Single) |
| "Let Me Down Slow" | 2020 | (Single) |
| "There I Go" (feat. Collie Buddz) | May 22, 2020 | Cali Roots Riddim |
| "California Day" (feat. Shwayze) | August 28, 2020 | (Single) |
| "Garden Grove" (Sublime cover) | September 4, 2020 | The House That Bradley Built |
Lineup[]
Current band members[]
- Jr. King (Sasualei Maliga) – Vocals
- Mata (Taumata Grey) – Guitar
- Uncle Lui (Ivan Kirimaua) – Bass
- Big Rome (Jerome Taito) – Drums
References[]
- ^ a b c Kellman, Andy "Common Kings Biography", Allmusic. Retrieved August 24, 2018
- ^ a b Garcia, David (2015) "Common Kings Became OC Reggae Royalty By Never Resting on Their Laurels", OC Weekly, October 2, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2018
- ^ "About".
- ^ a b c Jackson, Kevin (2018) "Common Kings debuts at two on Billboard", Jamaica Observer, August 22, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018
- ^ "Common Kings", billboard.com. Retrieved August 24, 2018
- ^ "Meet the Nominees: Common Kings", grammy.com. Retrieved August 24, 2018
- ^ "Common Kings". 16 March 2016.
- ^ "Common Kings | Island Empire Records / Mensch House Records".
- ^ https://shop.srh.com/collections/fall-collection/products/common-kings-x-srh-button-up
External links[]
- Musical groups from California
- American reggae musical groups