In touring his new album, Good Company, Canadian singer-songwriter Tennyson King is set to play Kingston’s Musiiki Café & Whiskey Bar on Mar. 17.
He discussed his songs, musical journey, and how exciting it is to play live shows again in an interview with The Journal.
“It’s been a while [since I was in Kingston], I would say almost five or six years,” King said.
“I think the last time I played [here] was at The Mansion, but with a previous band that I was in. This will be the first time in a long time, which I’m excited for.”
King is both a singer and a guitar player whose brand of chill folk-rock is comparable to artists like John Mayer and Jack Johnson. The Good Company tour is King’s first since doing some British Columbia shows during a brief pandemic lull back in August 2021.
“I’m excited. I’m usually touring all the time,” he said. “I’m excited to get back into the groove of going from town to town and playing to new people. Everything has been so online for the past two years—I feel like I have so much energy I need to get out on stage.”
Playing new songs is part of the excitement for King. Good Company features eight tracks, many of which he intends to play along with returning favourites from his past projects.
“I’m going to get to test the songs out in real life, which I haven’t really done yet.”
He’s especially eager to perform the album’s opener, “Share This Moment,” for his fans.
“It feels great to play, and it gives me a nostalgic feeling because it’s about my past travels and living in the moment. [The song is about] sharing experiences with people you meet while travelling or in your life, whether it be for a day, a year, or a couple of hours.”
Travel is an integral part of King’s personal story and musical inspiration.
He immigrated from Hong Kong to Canada at the age of five, then begrudgingly played classical piano while growing up in Mississauga, Ont. He fell in love with music upon discovering the guitar as a teenager, which led him to Toronto to pursue a musical career.
“I was playing guitar and keyboards and producing a ton of different bands around Toronto,” King said. “It really helped me find my place in the music world.”
However, King eventually decided that branching off as a solo artist was the best way for him to create the music he’s always wanted—and needed—to make.
“[Five or six years ago], I was at a point in my life where I was trying to figure out who I was beyond music while dealing with past experiences with trauma,” he said.
“I started expressing myself lyrically and melodically, it felt so great. It really helped me out and [going solo] felt like the right thing to do. I needed to make that switch to focus on what was making me happy and what was good for me.”
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