Queen Kwong
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Queen Kwong is an American
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
band founded in Los Angeles, California. The band was founded by multi-instrumentalist Carré Kwong Callaway, the band's sole singer and songwriter who was discovered at age 17 by
Trent Reznor Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and composer. He came to prominence as the founder, lead singer, multi-instrumentalist, and primary songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. T ...
of
Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...
.


History

Carré Callaway was discovered by
Trent Reznor Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and composer. He came to prominence as the founder, lead singer, multi-instrumentalist, and primary songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. T ...
in his New Orleans studio. She first gained notoriety when she opened for
Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...
on the 2005
With Teeth ''With Teeth'' (stylized as '' ITH_TEETH') is the fourth studio album by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released by Nothing Records and Interscope Records on May 3, 2005. The album was produced by Nine Inch Nails frontman Tr ...
tour. At this time she was performing solo as a singer/songwriter and soon after moved to Los Angeles under the guidance of Trent Reznor. Callaway dropped out of the music scene for a couple of years and then reemerged in 2009 as Queen Kwong. She supported Nine Inch Nails in 2009 for the
Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...
"Wave Goodbye" tour and again in 2018. Carré released her debut LP, "Get a Witness", September 2015 to critical acclaim. She described it as a stream of consciousness record, recorded in one to two takes while improvising everything. The 1st Five said, "This album is harsh, confrontational, noisy, dreamy, calming and jarring. It’s doing exactly what great music should do: stir you down to the core and depths of your heart and leave you a shallow husk of mixed emotions begging for more." Kerrang magazine named the title track one of the top 10 songs of 2016. and listed it as one of
Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...
's Top 50 Records of 2015. The album was regularly played on
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
. In support of the record, Carré toured extensively in the UK and Europe playing festivals like
Reading and Leeds Festivals The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Fest ...
. In April 2016, Queen Kwong's version of the
Chris Isaak Christopher Joseph Isaak (born June 26, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional actor. Noted for his reverb-laden rockabilly revivalist style and wide vocal range, he is popularly known for his breakthrough hit and sig ...
song "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing" off of her EP, "Bad Lieutenant", was used in the hit BBC TV show
Peaky Blinders (TV series) ''Peaky Blinders'' is a British Historical drama, period crime drama television series created by Steven Knight. Set in Birmingham, it follows the exploits of the Peaky Blinders crime gang in the direct aftermath of the World War I, First World ...
On April 13, 2018, Queen Kwong's sophomore record, "Love Me To Death" and tour dates were announced. The record received positive reviews, noting Callaway's ability to defy genres.
Kerrang ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...
Magazine called the record "a study in dualities, at once confrontational and vulnerable, tender and brutal, with gossamer-fine melodies set against grinding synths and scarring punk guitars. It’s an immersive, eclectic, largely improvised set that repays repeated listening."
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
said this of the record, "Love Me To Death has the same dangerous energy as Callaway’s debut; squalling, distorted guitars, snatches of muttered conversation in the background, sheer screams, ghostly chimes, menacing drum beats… but it’s much more refined. There’s an explicit message in each song...It’s just as brave and bold a statement." In July 2022, Queen Kwong released her third LP, "Couples Only" followed by a music video starring
Johnny Knoxville Philip John Clapp (born March 11, 1971), known professionally as Johnny Knoxville, is an American stunt performer, actor, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known as a co-creator and star of the MTV reality stunt show ''Jackass (franchise), ...
for the track "Sad Man." In July 2024, Callaway revealed she had auditioned to be the new guitarist for
The Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also simply known as Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. The ...
. Out of 10,000 contenders, she made it to the final eight but ultimately,
Kiki Wong Kiki Wong (born April 15, 1989) is an American musician known for being the touring guitarist of alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. In the 2010s she performed with artists such as Taylor Swift and Usher, and was a member of girl band ...
was hired.


Personal life

In October 2016 Callaway married
Limp Bizkit Limp Bizkit is an American nu metal band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto (drummer), John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, turntablist DJ Lethal and bassist Sam Rivers (bassist), Sam ...
guitarist
Wes Borland Wesley Louden Borland (born February 7, 1975) is an American rock musician. He is the guitarist and backing vocalist of the nu metal band Limp Bizkit, the lead vocalist and guitarist of the alternative and industrial rock band Black Light Burn ...
. The couple resided together in
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
, where they starred in the TV series, Sight Unseen, about renovating their historic home. In April 2018, Callaway released a statement confirming that she had been diagnosed with
cystic fibrosis Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder inherited in an autosomal recessive manner that impairs the normal clearance of Sputum, mucus from the lungs, which facilitates the colonization and infection of the lungs by bacteria, notably ''Staphy ...
. Callaway filed for divorce from Borland in 2019. In January 2023, Borland filed a defamation lawsuit against Callaway for statements Callaway made during an interview. In March 2023, it was announced that Borland’s lawsuit had been dismissed by a Detroit judge.


Discography

* 2013: Bad Lieutenant (EP) * 2015: Get a Witness (LP) * 2018: Love Me to Death (LP) * 2019: Oh Well (EP) * 2022: Couples Only (LP) * 2024: STRANGERS (EP)


References


External links


Official Facebook Page

Official Queen Kwong Twitter

Official Queen Kwong YouTube Page



Artrocker.tv

Stereogum.com


{{Authority control Indie rock musical groups from California Musical groups established in 2009 2009 establishments in California