Common Kings are an American, Hawaiian, and Samoan

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

band from

Orange County, California Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, a ...

. The band's debut album, ''Lost in Paradise'', was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

History

Formation (2011)

Born in the South Pacific and raised in

the members of Common Kings which consists of 'Jr. King' (Sasualei Maliga) on lead vocals, 'Mata' (Taumata Grey) on guitar, 'Uncle Lui' (Ivan Kirimaua) on bass, and 'Big Rome' (Jerome Taito) on drums, formed after forging a bond from a jam session at Ivan's house.Kellman, Andy
Common Kings Biography
,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

. Retrieved August 24, 2018 Originally from Hawaii with Samoan roots, Sasualei Maliga, who has a three-octave range voice, met drummer Jerome Taito (from Tonga), bassist Ivan Kirimaua (from Fiji/ Kirimaua) and guitarist Taumata Grey (from Samoa) when they were growing up in the Orange County towns of

Costa Mesa Costa may refer to: Biology * Rib (Latin: ''costa''), in vertebrate anatomy * Costa (botany), the central strand of a plant leaf or thallus * Costa (coral), a stony rib, part of the skeleton of a coral * Costa (entomology), the leading edge of th ...

, Garden Grove, and Irvine, all through a close-knit O.C. Pacific-Islander community. The four met in 2002 during a barbecue at Kirimaua's beachfront house in Newport Beach, California. They formed the band while studying at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California, and began recording songs in 2011. The band name pays tribute to their proud heritage and the love for their home lands of Fiji,

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

, and

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

where their ancestry comes from royalty. So all members have ruling-class bloodlines.Garcia, David (2015)
Common Kings Became OC Reggae Royalty By Never Resting on Their Laurels
, '' OC Weekly'', October 2, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2018 But they remind us that they're just "everyday guys" from Orange County, California living out their humble dreams. Common Kings developed a style of reggae with hints of rock and an island sound. Their songs feature an array of "head-rocking beats, feel good vibes, and emotional fever."

EPs and Touring (2013–2014)

After releasing two EPs in 2013; ''#Weontour Soundtrack'' on July 20 and ''Summer Anthems'' on August 13 (both of which were top ten hits on the '' Billboard'' Reggae Albums chart),Jackson, Kevin (2018)
Common Kings debuts at two on Billboard
, '' Jamaica Observer'', August 22, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018 Singles, "Alcoholic" and "Wade in Your Water" from ''Summer Anthems'' were the first to hit Hawaiian radio. Common Kings toured Australia and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

as a support act on Justin Timberlake's 'The 20/20 Experience World Tour' in 2014.

''Hits & Mrs.'' (2015)

The band signed to Island Empire Records, who issued the EP ''Hits & Mrs.'' on October 9, 2015 peaked at #2 on the Billboard Top Reggae Albums chart.

''Lost in Paradise'' (2017)

Their debut album ''Lost in Paradise'', released on February 3, 2017, received a

nomination in the Best Reggae Album category, and topped the ''Billboard'' Top Reggae Albums chart.

''One Day EP'' (2018)

The band's fourth EP, ''One Day'', which was released on August 10, 2018 on Mensch House Records reached #2 on the Billboard charts for Top Reggae Albums. Common Kings was featured as one of many reggae bands on

Collie Buddz Colin Patrick Harper (born August 21, 1981), better known by his stage name Collie Buddz, is a Bermudian reggae artist best known for his single "Come Around". Career Although Harper was born in New Dadyal Hospital, AJK. He studied audio enginee ...

riddim album, ''Cali Roots Riddim 2020'' with their single, "There I Go", which was produced by Buddz and mixed by

Stick Figure A stick figure, also known as a stickman, is a very simple drawing of a person or an animal, composed of a few lines, curves, and dots. On a stick figure, the head is most often represented by a circle, which can be either a solid color or som ...

's touring guitarist, producer Johnny Cosmic. In 2021, Common Kings was one of several reggae and punk bands on ''The House That Bradley Built'', a charity compilation honoring Sublime's lead singer Bradley Nowell, helping musicians with substance abuse. They covered Sublime's song "Garden Grove", the first track on the album.

Musical Influences

Common Kings sound is mixing catchy beats into pop music hits that's infused with the members' love of reggae, rock, R&B and island music. Through individually different musical influences, the members came together with their own unique styles from artists and bands such as,

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

Earth Wind and Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million reco ...

, Gypsy Kings, Geourge Benson,

Jim Croce James Joseph Croce (; January 10, 1943 – September 20, 1973) was an American folk and rock singer-songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, he released five studio albums and numerous singles. During this period, Croce took a series of odd jobs to p ...

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

, Stevie Wonder,

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...

, and

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

to name a few.

Other Projects

Common Kings teamed up with SHR Productions to collaborate on a short sleeve button down shirt and package called the "Aloha-Bro". It's available in limited quantities (50 black shirts and 50 white shirts). In order to keep the "aloha spirit flowing", every order comes with free items, which include Common Kings ''One Day'' and ''Lost In Paradise'' CD's, a Common Kings die cut decal, and 2 SRH stickers.

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Singles

Lineup

Current band members

*Jr. King (Sasualei Maliga) – Vocals *Mata (Taumata Grey) – Guitar *Uncle Lui (Ivan Kirimaua) – Bass *Big Rome (Jerome Taito) – Drums

References

External links

*{{Official website, https://commonkings.com Musical groups from California American reggae musical groups