蜜柚直播

Like her nearly 10-year journey that brought the 鈥淓x鈥檚 & Oh鈥檚鈥� singer from pop to country with the release four months ago of her debut Nashville album 鈥淐ome Get Your Wife.鈥�

Funny thing about long journeys; sometimes you realize you were already there.

鈥淣ow that I look back and I see all the different markers of my life, country was always kind of there just waving at me. I just didn鈥檛 realize it,鈥� she said last week during an interview to talk about her 鈥淩ock the Fox鈥� benefit concert for Angel Charity for Children on Wednesday, April 26.

In between the driving rock of “Last Damn Night” and the pop exuberance of “Ex’s & Oh’s” on her 2015 debut album “Love Stuff,” King proclaimed she was not “America’s Sweetheart” in a banjo-picking song that said, “is like a hall pass to lose control and get emotionally wild.”

Her sophomore album 鈥淪hake the Spirit鈥� in 2018 was more alternative rock with a slight Southern edge to songs about divorce (she had just gone through one), PTSD and drinking.

鈥淓very release I have ever put out has had at least one country song on it because at the heart of country music, I think, is great beautiful storytelling and songwriting,鈥� she said.

Her distinctive vocals also lean more country and blues than pop, soft at times, rough-hewn, and smoky.

It was the kind of voice country superstar Dierks Bentley was seeking when he was looking for someone to back him on his 2016 single 鈥淚t鈥檚 Different For Girls.鈥�

鈥淚 had no idea who he was,鈥� said King, who recorded the song with Bentley in Texas, where she lived at the time. 鈥淚t was a really wonderful day that kind of completely altered the direction of my life and changed it forever in a great way.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 Different For Girls鈥� became Bentley鈥檚 15th No. 1 hit and earned the pair a Country Music Association award for vocal event of the year in 2016 and a Grammy nomination in 2017.

It also opened the door to other collaborations, including with violin great Lindsey Stirling (鈥淭he Upside鈥�) and pop singer Andy Graham (鈥淏est of You鈥�).

King tapped country superstar Miranda Lambert to duet on her rockabilly-country rocker 鈥淒runk (And I Don鈥檛 Wanna Go Home),鈥� which is on 鈥淐ome Get Your Wife鈥� alongside a second duet with Bentley, 鈥淲orth A Shot.鈥�

Country music has given King, 33, license to be vulnerable and tell her story, from growing up in rural Ohio to her relationship with her comedian father Rob Schneider and her two younger sisters and becoming a mom to now 21-month-old son Lucky, who changed her life in ways she never imagined.

The baby can be heard cooing at the end of 鈥淟ucky,鈥� a song on 鈥淐ome Get Your Wife鈥� that counts its blessings for finding happiness after navigating through life鈥檚 pitfalls. King wrote it, and most of the songs on the album, and the two songs she didn鈥檛 write sound like she did. When she was considering songs by other Nashville writers, King had two criteria: The songs had to make her wish she had written them or make her feel that they were written about her.

鈥淐ome Get Your Wife鈥� might be the most country thing King has done, but when you peel back the layers, it is very much an Elle King record, from the wink-wink of 鈥淭ry Jesus鈥� since all the men in your life are losers to the twangy toe-tapper of 鈥淐rawlin鈥� Mood鈥� (鈥淐rawling is the only way to make my way back to you/Baby, I ain鈥檛 in no crawlin鈥� mood鈥�) and the rollicking 鈥淏efore You Met Me鈥� (鈥淚 was a weeknight drinker/Karaoke singer/Top of every preacher鈥檚 prayer list鈥�).

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think this is too far off from what an Elle King record is,鈥� she said. 鈥淎ctually, this is the most me thing that I鈥檝e ever made because I felt comfortable in the creative process of it. ... I鈥檓 very proud of this album and every aspect of making this was an absolute labor of joy and love. I鈥檓 just proud of it.鈥�

The Angel Charity for Children鈥檚 鈥淩ock the Fox鈥� with Elle King, featuring Madeline Edwards, is at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, at Fox 蜜柚直播 Theatre, 17 W. Congress St.

Tickets are $35-$80 through ; proceeds benefit .