Born 37 Years Ago Today in Los Angeles, the Daughter of a Hollywood Actor Who Paved Her Own Path to Musical Stardom

Elle King once said, “I’m really not good at anything else, so if I don’t make it as a musician, I’ll probably just end up living in the woods with a bunch of dogs.” While the latter option certainly isn’t a bad backup plan, it’s not looking necessary at this juncture in the “Ex’s and Oh’s” singer’s career. Since releasing her debut album, Love Stuff, in 2015, King has enjoyed success across such genres as country, rock, and blues. Today we’re diving into the career of Elle King, born on this day (July 3) in 1989.

Elle King Is Beating The Nepo Baby Allegations

Born to actor-comedian Rob Schneider and ex-model London King, Tanner Elle Schneider grew up with her mother and stepfather in Ohio after her parents’ divorce.

While one may assume it was her father’s Hollywood success that drew King to a career in entertainment, that wasn’t exactly the case. During a 2024 interview, the singer revealed that she and Schneider were barely speaking when she signed her first record deal.

Instead, Elle King’s story is one of grit and determination. She decided on her musical path at age nine, when her stepfather brought home a record by the hard-rocking, all-female group the Donnas.

“When I heard the bada– riffs on the Donnas’ ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Machine,’ I was hooked,” King said. She began writing her own songs after that.

First picking up a guitar at 13, King’s early influences ranged from the luxurious soulful rhythms of artists like Otis Redding and Etta James, to the spiky dance-punk of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, to the rollicking defiance of outlaw legends such as Hank Williams Jr. and Johnny Cash.

By age 16, she was busking on the streets of New York City, often scoring gigs with her fake ID.

After high school, King moved to Philadelphia to study painting and film at the University of the Arts. She also spent time in Copenhagen and Los Angeles before settling in Brooklyn.

In 2012, the artist signed with RCA Records, releasing the four-song Elle King EP. Her full-length debut, Love Stuff, followed three years later.

Its lead single, “Ex’s and Oh’s”—an infectious pop-rock number that borrows from blues and swing music—rose to the top 10 on multiple U.S. charts, even topping both the U.S. Hot Rock & Alternative and Adult Pop Airplay listings.

Finding Her Place in Nashville

Elle King didn’t stray too far from her rock origins on her sophomore album, 2018’s confessional post-divorce Shake the Spirit. However, her 2023 album, Come Get Your Wife, revealed a whole new side of the four-time Grammy nominee.

Following successful duets with country A-listers like Dierks Bentley (2016’s “Different for Girls”) and Miranda Lambert on “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” in 2022, King decided to lean fully into her rootsy influences.

“I’ve been hearing other artists say, ‘country music changed my life,’ and like, country music changed me,” she told Country Now.

[RELATED: Exclusive: Elle King Got Sober, Is Feeling God’s Rewards With New Song “High Road”]

“What happened when I started singing in these country arenas or small clubs or singing for country radio, is I felt comfortable. And that’s something that I’ve never felt. 

Featured image by Joshua Applegate/Getty Images

The post Born 37 Years Ago Today in Los Angeles, the Daughter of a Hollywood Actor Who Paved Her Own Path to Musical Stardom appeared first on American Songwriter.