We the Kings

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We the Kings is an American rock band from Bradenton, Florida. Their self-titled full-length debut album, released in 2007, included the platinum single "Check Yes Juliet", and went on to sell over 250,000 copies in the US. Their second album Smile Kid (2009) included Top 40 singles "Heaven Can Wait" and "We'll Be a Dream" (featuring Demi Lovato), as well as the single "She Takes Me High".

The band's third album Sunshine State of Mind was released in 2011 and featured the MTV Video Music Award winner for Most Innovative Music Video of the Year for their interactive music video and song "Say You Like Me". The band then completed a worldwide tour with Canadian band Simple Plan and performed across the US as a main stage headliner on the Vans Warped Tour. Their fourth album Somewhere Somehow was released in late 2013 and includes singles "Just Keep Breathing", "Find You There", "Any Other Way", and "Art of War".

History

Early years, formation, Broken Image and We the Kings (2005–08)

Friends since childhood, the four bandmates (singer/guitarist Travis Clark, guitarist Hunter Thomsen, his bassist brother Drew Thomsen, and drummer Danny Duncan) formed the group while attending high school. The band got their name from the middle school that all the members attended called Martha B. King Middle School.^[1] Before they were known as We the Kings, they went by the name Broken Image.^[2] Their first tour was with Don't Die Cindy in the summer of 2005 where they went by Broken Image, then later went under the moniker De Soto. The band A Heartwell Ending (later renamed Call the Cops) supported for the final leg of the tour. While teaming with Bret Disend in Fall of 2005, We the Kings went on their first tour under that name as a five piece, with the then-unknown Boys Like Girls as they supported the new release of the "Great Escape" music video. We the Kings played on their first headlining tour Long Hair Don't Care with Valencia, The Cab, Sing It Loud, and Charlotte Sometimes during late March and throughout April. In May and June, We the Kings supported Cute Is What We Aim For and Boys Like Girls on their UK tour.

Under the guidance of manager Bret Disend, they placed a number of tracks on the social networking site Purevolume in 2007 to build online buzz. Meanwhile, they also pursued a deal with EMI's imprint S-Curve Records, which eventually signed the group. We the Kings' self-titled debut album was produced by Sam Hollander and mixed by Lou Giordano, and was released in October 2007. The album peaked at number 151 on the Billboard 200 and spent fifteen weeks on the chart. The second single from the album, "Check Yes Juliet", became a minor hit, peaking at number seventy on the Billboard Hot 100 and number twenty-five on the Pop Songs chart.^[3][4] The single was later released in Australia in 2011 where it peaked at number twenty-six and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).^[5][6] The album was also released in 2011 and was certified platinum by the ARIA for sales of 70,000 copies.^[6]

For part of the fall of 2007, they played a tour called Tourzilla with headliner Boys Like Girls, All Time Low, and The Audition. They toured in support of Cobra Starship in early 2008 along with Metro Station and The Cab. We the Kings performed all dates of the Warped Tour 2008.^[7] On August 30, 2008 they were a part of The Rays Summer Concert Series, playing on the field after a Tampa Bay Rays game. In late 2008, after completion of the Warped Tour, they toured the US and UK with The Academy Is... (the tour was known as Bill & Trav's Bogus Journey), along with supporting bands including The Maine, Hey Monday and Carolina Liar.

The Kings Carriage are skits that We The Kings film and post on YouTube. The King's Carriage detail the band's life on the road and give the fans insight into their lives. These skits have generated over 300 million views.^[8]

Smile Kid (2009–10)

In February 2009, they headlined a tour called The Secret Valentine Tour with The Maine, The Cab, There for Tomorrow, and VersaEmerge. We the Kings played in the 2009 Bamboozle Roadshow Tour. It began on April 3 at Hoodwinked in California, touring from April through May 2, ending at The Bamboozle in East Rutherford, NJ. Bands also playing the Bamboozle Road Show tour included Forever the Sickest Kids, The Cab, Never Shout Never, and Mercy Mercedes. On July 8, 2009, they began their tour as support for All Time Low along with Cartel and Days Difference. They also performed at Warped Tour 2009. The band was on tour in Fall 2009, again supporting All Time Low on the Glamour Kills Tour, with Hey Monday and The Friday Night Boys. Their sophomore album, which was released in December 2009, reached 112 on the Billboard 200 and spent three weeks on the chart.^[9] It spawned the lead single, "Heaven Can Wait", which peaked at number thirty on the Pop Songs chart,^[4] and a second single featuring Demi Lovato titled "We'll Be a Dream", which peaked at seventy-six on the Billboard Hot 100 and number twenty-three on the Pop Songs chart.^[3][4]

Their second album, Smile Kid, was released on December 8, 2009 ^[10]

In early 2010, the band headlined the Hot Topic Presents: Take Action Tour with There for Tomorrow, A Rocket to the Moon, Mayday Parade, and Stereo Skyline. We the Kings also played with New Found Glory at Fitchburg State College's annual spring concert. In March 2010, We the Kings supported You Me at Six, an English pop rock band, on their UK headline tour along with Forever the Sickest Kids. The band has also played in Warped Tour 2010 from June 26 to August 2. After Warped Tour, the band plan on a world tour in 2011.^[11] In April 2010 the band performed a benefit concert with fellow pop punk band Voted Most Random at a local venue in New Haven, Connecticut. The event raised thousands of dollars for ClearWater Initiative and was their biggest fundraiser up to that date. In June 2010, We the Kings performed at 93Q Summer Jam, a concert in Baldwinsville, New York at the Papermill island. They performed with Cartel, Jaicko, Mayday Parade, New Boyz, Shontelle and Spose. They performed "Secret Valentine" along with a few other songs, and closed with one of their most popular songs, "Check Yes Juliet".

Sunshine State of Mind and lineup changes (2011–12)

In February 2011, We the Kings toured the UK in 10 different cities from 4–15th with Manchester being one of the first nights to sell out. They were supported by Versaemerge, All Forgotten and I See Stars throughout the whole tour. Also in February 2011, the band toured in the Philippines with The Maine and Never Shout Never. They toured Australia in early March 2011, including at the Soundwave festival. They also headlined two soldout sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne with The Maine and Never Shout Never. The band went out on their Friday Is Forever Tour in Summer 2011 in support of their latest release. The Summer Set, The Downtown Fiction, Hot Chelle Rae and Action Item provided support. In November 2011 at an industry conference hosted by Billboard magazine, Clark joined S-Curve founder and record producer Steve Greenberg to demonstrate an interactive video game based on the band's music and images.^[12][13]

Almost two years after the release of their second album, the band released a follow-up, titled Sunshine State of Mind. Preceded by the single "Friday Is Forever", the album became their highest charting effort in the United States, debuting and peaking at number 45 on the Billboard 200. The album spawned a second single, "Say You Like Me", which peaked at number 32 on the Pop Songs chart,^[4] and number twenty-nine in Australia.^[5] The single was later certified gold in Australia for shipments exceeding 35,000.^[6]

In October 2011, Charles Trippy and Coley O'Toole joined We the Kings with Charles playing bass guitar (replacing Drew Thomsen who left earlier that year) and Coley playing keyboard and rhythm guitar. Throughout much of 2011 and 2012, they toured various countries on numerous tours including the End of the World Tour, performing with Anarbor, The Downtown Fiction and Mayday Parade. They then toured countries in Europe, including Sweden, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Germany, France, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Italy, Portugal and the United Kingdom. The band also toured the east coast of Australia as a supporting act for Simple Plan. We the Kings played tour dates at the Vans Warped Tour 2012.^[14]

The band performed at NoCAPRICHO 2012 in September alongside bands We Are the In Crowd and Before You Exit in São Paulo, Brazil.^[15] The band also made a stop in Rhode Island to perform at Roger Williams University.

Somewhere Somehow (2013–14)

In January 2013, We the Kings began recording their fourth album. Travis Clark recorded parts in California with Danny, Hunter, and Coley, while Charles recorded bass tracks in Florida using Boyce Avenue's studio. During February the band headlined another tour throughout Europe, visiting numerous countries including the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. By March 2013, the band members announced that a new song would be released in the first week of April. The song, "Just Keep Breathing", is about how frontman Travis Clark was bullied as a kid. "Just Keep Breathing", released on April 5, reached number 101 on the UK Singles Chart and number 13 in the Official Alternative chart after only three days of sales.^[16] The single climbed 63 places to number 38 on the mid-week chart for April 10.^[16] The second single, "Find You There", was released on May 3. Their third single, "Any Other Way" was released on June 14. On September 1, 2013, they finished their Summerfest 2013 tour with Breathe Carolina, T. Mills, and The Ready Set.

On November 22, We the Kings announced the title of their upcoming fourth album will be Vitam Regum.^[17] On November 26, Charles Trippy announced on Twitter that Vitam Regum would be released on December 16, 2013. On December 2, the band announced via Twitter the name of the album had changed to Somewhere Somehow.^[18] They released the fourth single for Somewhere Somehow called "Art of War" on December 9, 2013.^[19] After its first week of release as an iTunes exclusive the album debuted at 44 on the Billboard 200 and at 88 on the UK Albums Chart.

On February 18, 2014, Travis Clark announced via YouTube that the band would be travelling on Warped Tour 2014.^[20] We the Kings also performed on the SlamDunk Fest 2014 alongside bands such as The All-American Rejects.

Stripped and Strange Love (2014–present)

After Warped Tour 2014, Travis started working on new songs. The album featured stripped, acoustic songs from Somewhere Somehow, as well as some new material, "Stone Walls" and the bonus track, "Is This the End?". The album was fully released on November 24, 2014. We the Kings completed a short, Florida only tour for this album, and released a lyric video for the new song, Stonewalls.

In February 2015, Travis, Coley, and Hunter started tracking guitar and vocals for the fifth album in Coley's studio in Connecticut. On March 2, 2015 Danny Duncan entered the studio in L.A. to track drums, and finished on March 4. In an interview, Travis Clark said the album was ninety percent finished, and was being mixed. On August 25, 2015, Charles Trippy started tracking bass for the album in his home studio in Tampa Bay, Florida. He previewed a song off the album titled “From Here to Mars” on his YouTube vlog series, Internet Killed Television. Blake Healy of Metrostation, who produced Somewhere Somehow, is also producing this album. On September 20, Elena Coats entered the studio to record vocals for a track on the new album called “XO”. Elena was also featured on a track off of the previous record, Somewhere Somehow, called “Sad Song”. On October 4, Travis Clark previewed a song off of the new album titled “All The Way” in his YouTube vlog.

On October 4, We The Kings announced that the album's release date would be November 20, 2015.^[21] They also announced a headlining Australian tour for February 2016.^[22] On October 24, 2015 We The Kings announced Strange Love as the album's title and revealed its cover art. The first single off of the album, "Love Again", came out October 30, as well as the pre-order. The second single off of the album, “Runaway” was available on November 6. The album was released on November 20.^[23]

Members

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

Awards

References

External links

• We the Kings, Video Premiere "Secret Valentine" on mtvU Premiered January 26, 2009.
• Official site