Nicolas King’s Lifelong Songbook Journey

Sometimes you meet people whose real age doesn’t seem to match the one listed on their driver’s license. Singer-actor Nicolas King is one of those people. The 30-year-old could be called an “old soul.” While it doesn’t mean he’s set-in his ways or fearful of change, it is that his musical tastes and talents seem like that of a person twice or thrice his chronological age. The Rhode Island native made his mark on Broadway at the ripe old age of eight and a half playing “Chip” in the musical Beauty & the Beast, based on the Disney movie. By 12, he had been in two other shows, A Thousand Clowns with Tom Selleck and Carol Burnett’s Hollywood Arms, directed by the legendary Hal Prince. Then, as with many child actors, parts became scarcer as he aged up and out of the desired demographic. The only thing that didn’t dry up was King’s love of performing. That’s when the songs of his parents and grandparent’s generation gave him an outlet for his passion. King didn’t have to look far for inspiration and guidance as he embarked on a new career as a jazz singer of standards, classic jazz and pop, and Broadway show tunes. He just turned to a beloved family member. “My grandmother was—and is—a singer for many years,” King said. “She also became a vocal coach. When growing up, ‘going over to grandma’s house’ really wasn’t spent baking cookies and