A brand new country music duo, Morrison King recently released their debut single on December 1st, 2023 entitled, Don’t Come Knockin’! The duo includes members, Neil Morrison and Gentry King!

The California natives, Morrison King recently got to chat exclusively with The CMBeat to talk about how they came together as a duo, their debut single and how the song came to life! Along with that, Morrison King also exclusively talked about their debut EP which will be released in February!

Left to Right, Gentry King & Neil Morrison

Emily Ann Wells: You were previously a trio, what made y’all want to stay together as a duo and start this journey together?
Morrison King: First and foremost is our dire need to create, and our endless love for the art of music as that outlet- and it’s something that we both connect with and share. The bond we’ve developed in writing, recording and performing together has been so magnetizing, fulfilling and purposeful- we just don’t want it to ever end. 

EAW: You just released your first single, Don’t Come Knockin’ and you both co-wrote the song. What has it been like releasing your first single? Where did the inspiration for the song come from?
MK: Releasing our first single has been so fulfilling, we spent the last year writing and recording, and it’s really hard to hold on to something so powerful when you immediately want to share it with the world. We want our music to impact others the way the music impacts us, so there’s this beautiful sense of letting go when you get to release your art. The inspiration for this song is pulled from personal experiences. The song is about self-empowerment, choosing and trusting yourself, and standing up for yourself and leaving a toxic situation – in fact some lyrics are pulled directly from personal journal entries. We wanted to deliver that in something that felt powerful, sassy, with a quick escape.

EAW: Don’t Come Knockin’ is a very catchy song! When writing this song, which part come to you first, the lyrics or the sound/melody of the song?
MK: The music for this song had been sitting with us for several years, in fact, the intro lick has been on Neil’s iPhone recordings since 2011. The lick was originally created on a mandolin, and then acoustic guitars came next, but lyrics were never written for the song until over a decade later. Sometimes music and lyrics come to you immediately and other times you’ll get a melodic idea, but the story needs more time to be written.

EAW: You have your debut EP coming in February. How many songs will be included on the EP? What are you most excited about releasing the EP?
MK: Yeah, February 2nd is the big day! Our debut EP titled, “Yours All Along”  will finally be out for the world to hear. It feels like we’ve been pregnant for two years waiting to give birth to these songs lol. There will be a total of 7 tracks. We’re really excited about the collaborations we’ve done on this EP. The title track, “Yours All Along” will include two versions, a full band version and then an orchestral version. Our dear friend and fiddle player; Jonathan Warren created some amazing string parts and we had to have a version of the song that showcased his incredible playing and composing skills. Another collaboration we have on the EP is with our great friend and incredible vocalist, Katie Rae. We met Katie during our stay on season 21 of NBC’s The Voice, and we instantly became great friends with her. We wrote a song called “Bad Tattoo” and we knew it needed Katie’s raw, powerful and raspy vocals; it’s such a fun song and her performance on that track is phenomenal!

EAW: What can fans expect more of from Morrison King?
MK: Since we’ve been locked up in our studio writing and recording over the past year, we’re really excited to get out and start performing again! We really want to personally connect with people in 2024, and can’t wait to get out there, play these songs, and keep releasing new music as we’ve always got more coming.

It’s absolutely for certain, there’s some great things in store for Morrison King! They have an amazing and intriguing country sound together. Don’t Come Knockin’ is a fantastic and upbeat debut single. All country music fans should definitely take a listen to Morrison King! Stay tuned to their debut EP coming in February! 

Be sure to follow Morrison King on their social media including on their Instagram.

What do you think of my Exclusive Interview with Morrison King? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave me a comment below or on social media!