Artist Elle King is feeling existential.

Sept. 23 will be the 10-year anniversary of her single “Ex’s & Oh’s,” which launched King to the top of the Billboard charts and garnered the artist two Grammy nominations.

A lot has changed since then, including the birth of her son, Lucky, a pivot from pop and rock to country and a commitment to not drink before shows.

What started as a way for the singer to calm her nerves before performances became a public problem following a drunken Dolly Parton tribute at the Grand Ole Opry in January this year.

Instead of heading to Fort Worth for her debut at Billy Bob’s Texas the following week, King rescheduled a string of shows and took a few months off as she stepped out of the public spotlight.

“I just want to say I apologize for the rescheduling, but I also want to say thank you so much to the people who understood that I was going through so much,” King said. 

King returned to the road for her “Baby Daddy’s Weekend Tour” in late August and has approached things differently this time around. 

“I never want to feel some of the same experiences that I felt before, whether it was blasted around the world or just in the back of my mind,” King said. “So I don’t drink before shows anymore, and they’ve been some of the best live shows I’ve ever put on.”

Throughout her career, King said she’s never quite felt like she fit in the pop or rock genres. Her experience in country has been different.

“Country was never on my radar — ever,” she said. “Like most great things in my life …  I kind of tripped and fell into it and was like, ‘Hey, this is kind of a comfy landing,’ and just kind of stayed.” 

When country singer Dierks Bentley heard “Ex’s & Oh’s,” he reached out to King.

“He’s a cheerleader for good music, good songwriters,” she said. “He really knows cool talent and he loves to bring that in front of his fans, especially from other genres.”

The two collaborated on a song titled “Worth a Shot,” and Bentley introduced King to fellow country star Miranda Lambert.

Lambert invited King on tour, they became friends and now the duo have a song together called “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home).”  

“I would have never, ever, ever in a million years had my career in country music if it weren’t for Bentley and Miranda Lambert — wholeheartedly,” King said, “and the fans, too.” 

King is excited to have the opportunity to be out performing her country songs. While she’s never played at Billy Bob’s, she knows the venue from celebrating Lambert’s 40th birthday there in late 2023. 

“I’ve been trying to plan my outfits for like weeks and … it’s like, first date excitement” King said. “It’s such an old school vibe. I wish that this was my neighborhood bar.”

She promises fans that it will be a night full of singing, dancing and surprises. 

Marcheta Fornoff covers arts and culture for the Fort Worth Report. Reach her at marcheta.fornoff@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.