My friends, my Twitter followers and most people who have talked to me know who King Krule is.
That’s not because he’s the next Justin Bieber or Miley Cyrus, but because he’s all I talk about when it comes to music.
Born in Southeast London, Krule is a spitting image of Ron Weasley; his vibrant red hair, fair skin, and lankiness hardly fit his memorable, sonorous voice.
At just 19, he’s already released an EP and a full-length album.
But whenever I introduce Krule to someone, I begin with an obligatory “You’re probably not going to like this.”
I’m not trying to be pretentious, and I’m definitely not trying to be a “hipster.”
The reason is simple: most people just hate him. But if you hate Krule, I’m here to change your mind.
I understand that coming away from Lady Gaga and moving to Krule might be a shock. In fact, most people will detest the first few words he utters because of his “dumb” voice.
I agree that he sounds mentally unstable, but I still can appreciate his work.
Yes, his voice resembles a cockney-accented Sylvester Stallone, and it does go out of pitch (a lot), but why dismiss him for that? Tons of well-known singers don’t have good voices.
For example, both Bob Dylan and Kurt Cobain managed without being great singers. So instead of immediately hating on Krule’s voice, keep listening.
Beyond his voice, one can enjoy his beautiful, minimally produced jazz guitar instrumentation. And beyond that, there are his meaningful lyrics on songs like “Cementality.”
“My hot head cools to the stone cold touch/I look to settle my seat with the dust/Brain, leave me be, can’t you see that these eyes are shut.”
Krule’s lyrics hit hard. His picture of suicide is beyond melancholy; it’s plain depressing.
Moreover, I just don’t understand how someone can so easily dismiss Krule when half the country is listening to Rihanna.
Granted, Rihanna isn’t a horrible singer, but if “Birthday Cake” is enjoyable with lyrics like “I’mma make you my b****/ cake, cake, cake, cake, cake, ” then people can appreciate Krule.
And if you still can’t get over his voice, don’t give up.
Regardless of whether he’s a good singer, there’s so much emotion in every verse. It’s easy to tell that he’s giving it his all: the pain, the agony and the hate all cling to his voice.
I can almost guarantee that everyone I’ve met who hates him would see the appeal if they’d just spend more time listening and less time complaining
So next time, instead of just sampling 10 seconds of any artist, try to get through at least a song before making any judgment.
