Common Kings and Sammy Johnson

Formed in 2010, The Common Kings’ membership is comprised of guitarist Taumata Grey, lead singer JR King, bassist Lui Kirimaua, and drummer Jerome Taito. Heavily rooted in the sounds and culture of Hawaii, Fiji, Samoa, and Tongo, The Common Kings met in Costa Mesa, California, where they began collaborating and combined their mutual and diverging interests. Beginning in 2011 the band started releasing pop-leaning reggae singles, which favourably highlighted the laid-back yet upbeat nature of the band’s output.

The Common Kings’ debut single, “Fly”, was released in May 2011 with a strong R&B/soul influence. Reggae beats and rhythms were found for the subsequent single “Alcohol”, nonetheless the likeable and spirited vocals of JR King remained. A pair of singles followed in 2012, “Wade in Your Water” and “No Other Love” featuring J-Boog and Fiji. Independently released and self-produced, the singles boast high-production value, with a the releases earning radio play in pockets around the U.S.

Following a collaboration with Jay Keyz on his single “This Songs About You”, Common Kings released their debut EP “#Weontour”. Spawning the subsequent single “Idgaf”, the record introduced the band to a sizeable new audience outside of California. A second EP followed shortly afterwards entitled “Summer Anthems”, which produced the single “Sickness (Acoustic Single)”. 2014 brought a string of new singles for the refined group, including “Your Turn”, “Kingdom Come”, and “Before You Go”, following which the band became the first support act on the American vocal group Fifth Harmony’s “The Reflection Tour”.