A former Ohio resident and national pop star will make a stop in Athens on Tuesday.
Musician Elle King will perform in the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $45 for the first 10 rows and $25 for the remaining seats.
King is the daughter of Saturday Night Live comedian and actor Rob Schneider, and she grew up near Wellston, approximately 40 minutes away from Athens.
“She has some family connections … so we have a lot of ticket buyers coming from that (region),” Andrew Holzaepfel, the senior associate director of student activities, said.
Since the release of her debut album Love Stuff, which was released in February 2015, her first single “Ex’s and Oh’s” peaked at No. 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Even though her debut single was played primarily on pop stations, King appeared on country radio with Dierks Bentley. The two dueted on the track “Different for Girls,” which hit No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
Because of King’s musical backgrounds in pop, country and soul, Holzaepfel said the artist has been drawing the attention of different ticket buyers.
“This is all over the place as far as ticket buyers,” he said. “We have a ton of student ticket buyers and we have a ton of community (buyers) … She’s got an eclectic music background and I think as a result she is drawing a very eclectic crowd which could make for a fun night.”
Holzaepfel said most of the floor seating has been sold, but he does not expect to sell out completely. He anticipates MemAud will be about three quarters full because King typically performs in venues smaller than MemAud.
“The best part about her, in my opinion, is her live performance is very strong,” Holzaepfel said. “She’s out there rocking out on that banjo … She gives it her all.”
Holly McCoy, a freshman studying graphic design, said she is interested in going to the concert because she has heard a couple of her songs.
“I like her raspy voice,” she said. “It’s different.”
Micaela Schmoll, a sophomore studying nursing, has listened to most of King’s album and said, if she had time, she would go to the concert.
“I think the way she presents herself is really cool because she has an edgy factor that I like,” Schmoll said. “I think she has a wow factor that I would really like to see. She has a really good voice for her age.”
Holzaepfel said he thinks students will enjoy the show because there is something about the artist that college students find likeable.
“I think she has a pop appeal, but I think she kind of has an indie appeal because of her approach to the music industry, her non-traditional approach to it,” he said. “I think she resonates with students for that reason.”
