Elle King is Officially Going Country

Elle King isn't just visiting the country charts with "Drunk (And I Don't Wanna Go Home)." Her CMA-nominated duet with Miranda Lambert is the start of something bigger that became official this week in Nashville.

"I actually just spent the last two days in the studio in Nashville recording my first country songs," King tells Taste of Country Nights, ahead of Wednesday night's (Nov. 10) CMA Awards.

How and when those songs will be packaged is still very much TBD — King actually looked around, unsure if she should spill this news before finally dishing — but she's very, very excited about building more relationships in Music City.

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“It’s not like I’m scared. I’m excited," she says. "I feel like people will give me a shot and I’m just excited."

So far, she's gotten more than a shot. Her first taste of country success came in 2016 when she appeared on Dierks Bentley's chart-topping hit "Different for Girls." Since then she's played numerous festivals, toured with Lambert and just generally kept a presence in the genre. Even her "pop" albums have leaned toward country music — Shake the Spirit (2018) crosses many genres, including blues, alt-country and Americana. It could be a very easy transition for the "Ex's and Oh's" singer.

King is also a CMA and ACM Award winner already. "Different for Girls" won the Musical Event of the Year award in 2016, and a massive, Lambert-led collaboration of "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" won the ACM in 2020. "Drunk (And I Don't Wanna Go Home)" was up for Musical Event in 2021, but on Wednesday morning, it was announced that Kelsea Ballerini and Kenny Chesney won that award for "Half of My Hometown."