Elle King

The grit and fire that course through Elle King’s 2014 breakout rocker, “Ex’s & Oh’s,” has only intensified over the years—through banjo-picking rebel anthems, bluesy breakup ballads, and whiskey-soaked duets with Nashville’s finest. Born in Los Angeles in 1989 and raised in Ohio, then New York City—where she cut her teeth as a teen performing at open mics and local bars (armed with a fake ID)—the singer-songwriter tackles love, fame, heartache, and family with brutal honesty and a powerhouse voice packed with smoke and sass. While King’s 2015 debut album, Love Stuff, and 2018 follow-up, Shake the Spirit, are full of grimy guitars, vintage soul rhythms, and spunky defiance, she’s always been a little bit country. It’s a genre that fits her like a glove, as she boldly asserts on 2023’s Come Get Your Wife, highlighted by hit singles with Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert.