Poway teen draws inspiration from Jewel
By Cynthia Robertson
The first time people hear Poway resident Roxy King play guitar and sing at a coffeehouse, they put down their iced lattes and concentrate on her soft voice and gentle demeanor.
When she finishes up a song, they applaud heartily. The comment, “Like Jewel,” is often heard.
King, a 17-year-old entering her senior year this fall at Poway High School, does not mind a bit that people say that. Truth is, King has learned quite a bit by listening to Jewel.
“I love her songwriting and how her voice plays with the melodies. Her music definitely has an influence on the way I write and perform songs,” King said following a recent performance in a San Diego cafe. “Jewel got her start in San Diego, so I love playing covers of her work.”
But King’s own songwriting and playing guitar came about long before she had even heard of Jewel. She began singing when she was just a toddler, and she played a hand-me-down guitar from her brother at age 12.
“I’ve moved up to a Martin guitar, which I love. And I take guitar lessons from Vance Marino in Poway,” King said.
“Roxy is one of my most talented students,” Marino said. “She is very driven and I believe that her success is inevitable.”
King already has a full repertoire of songs she has written and CDs she has recorded, including her most recent “Weight of Words.”
For as long as she can remember, King has always loved to sing. When she was 4 years old, she got up on the stage at a children’s museum she was visiting. Soon a small crowd of parents and toddlers started to gather in front of the stage.
“They started giving me requests and I loved it! I kept right on singing away, on and on, until finally my mom guided
me off the stage so that the other kids could have a chance to use the stage,” King said.
The 17-year-old said that no one else in her immediate family is very musical. “However, my dad loves to listen to music. He knows countless artists, and is constantly introducing me to artists like Alanis Morissette and the Gin Blossoms.”
The rising star has already enjoyed a wide range of experiences that most teens do not even dream of. She has performed on a myriad of different stages and has worked with music industry professionals in Los Angeles.
King’s mother, Kelley, said that her daughter became very determined early on to pursue music. Children’s music classes and local musical theater in Colorado provided a temporary outlet for her passions. “However, she had her sights set on bigger things and was very quickly asking for more,” she said.
Finally, King’s parents agreed to allow her to take the passion for performance to the next level and they all moved to San Diego.
King’s vocal coach is Lis Lewis, who, according to King’s mother, is among the top three premier vocal coaches to music greats in Los Angeles.
“Quite the talented lady and she’s taught Roxy so much, as well as helped her connect to great opportunities in the industry,” Kelley King said.
“Roxy King is a gifted young singer and songwriter with a bubbly charm and poise who is carving out a niche for herself in music,” Lewis said.
With a degree in music business in mind, King will begin in the fall applying to several colleges in the Los Angeles area, including UCLA and Pepperdine.
Find out when and where Roxy King will perform next on her website at
.