Sitting down with Chad King doesn’t feel like a typical interview, it feels like catching up with someone who’s willing to go there.
Before even diving into his new EP, The Road Ahead, our conversation took a personal turn. I told King how A Great Big World’s “I Don’t Want to Love Somebody Else” once became a lifeline for me during my college years, when I was still figuring out my sexuality. His response was immediate, and surprisingly relatable.
“That one was a hard one for me to write,” King admitted. “There was a straight boy playing with my emotions… and I was like, wait, what are you doing?”
It set the tone for what followed: a conversation rooted in honesty, reflection, and a lot of lived experience.
Entering the “After” Chapter
King’s new EP arrives at a turning point. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2007, he spent years managing symptoms while continuing to build a career alongside Ian Axel. Together, they reached massive success, including a GRAMMY-winning collaboration with Christina Aguilera.
But the pandemic shifted things.
“It wasn’t until COVID hit,” King told me, “that all of a sudden I was in a wheelchair and a walker, then a cane… my left side was weak, my voice was weak. It was like, okay, this instrument is just going to be different.”
That realization didn’t stop him from creating. It changed how he approached it.
“My toolbox is not the same one,” he said. “Where before it might have been a big range, now it’s like, this is all we get.”
Letting the Music Meet Him Where He Is
Instead of fighting those limitations, King leaned into them. The result is a project that feels grounded in the present moment rather than chasing what came before.
“I knew I wasn’t going to try to be anything else than this,” he explained. “What would it sound like if I didn’t try too hard? If everything was just easier?”
That mindset shaped the EP’s sound and structure. On “All In Time,” King worked within physical limits, building a song around what his body allowed that day.
“I couldn’t play guitar past noon,” he said. “So I just pushed down two notes… and wrote a song based on that.”
The Line That Says It All
One lyric in particular stood out during our conversation: “Change is hard, but being stuck is harder.”
For King, that line traces back to a moment of resistance, and eventual acceptance.
“I needed to accept a walking aid,” he shared. “I didn’t want to believe that I needed it.”
He paused, then added what happened next.
“Once I did start using it, I felt like I could breathe again. I didn’t know I was missing out on that part of life.”
It’s that kind of clarity that runs through The Road Ahead. The songs don’t offer easy answers, but they don’t shy away from the hard ones either.
Journals, Honesty, and Letting Go
A lot of the EP’s lyrics began as journal entries, something King turns to at the end of each day.
“I like to be like, here’s what happened today, and this is why it was great or why it wasn’t,” he said, laughing about his growing stack of notebooks.
That practice gave him a place to process without pressure. And when it came time to write, he didn’t hold back.
“I’m an open book,” he said. “When we started leaning into things that made us uncomfortable… that’s when things unlocked.”
What’s Next for A Great Big World?
Even with a solo project out in the world, King isn’t closing the door on A Great Big World.
“More music? For sure,” he told me. “I don’t know what that looks like… but that is the conversation being had.”
He and Axel have also been collaborating on Wonder: The Musical, which premiered at the Loeb Drama Center. It’s another example of how their creative partnership continues to evolve.
Moving Forward, Honestly
By the end of our conversation, one thing was clear: The Road Ahead isn’t about returning to who Chad King was, it’s about embracing who he is now.
“I would love for people to not feel alone,” he said. “You’re not ever, ever alone.”
It’s a simple sentiment, but coming from King, it carries weight. Not because it sounds nice, but because he means it.
The Road Ahead is available now across streaming platforms!