On December 11, King Wylde released “Hurricane 2.0,” the first single from his upcoming debut E.P., Faultless, out February 2021. The track features pop-punk reminiscent vocals on lost love, backed by a guitar-heavy, post-hardcore sound.
Rudy Miller, the 27-year old singer-songwriter and guitarist who performs as King Wylde, cites Pierce the Veil, The Weeknd and Jimi Hendrix as major influences on the music he creates. Miller, whose sound varies from R&B to rock, said that his musical choices are largely a means of self-expression.
He said that while many expect contemporary Black musicians to be making hip-hop music, he enjoys creating unique alternative rock and wants to inspire others to defy societal norms.
“This past summer with the coronavirus and having a lot of free time to myself, I realized that if I’m gonna inspire people, I have to be the best version of myself. That includes being a great musician and expressing myself the way I want to express myself,” Miller said. “Maybe someone down the block is like, ‘Oh, I’m kinda afraid to be who I am.’ But if I am who I am wholeheartedly, I really hope that would make them want to be who they are, not afraid to express themselves.”
Miller’s songwriting is very personal and emotional, “Hurricane 2.0” being the product of a breakup he experienced. A general theme of the upcoming Faultless E.P. is the many different sides of relationships.
“I kinda wrote it from a dark spot, but I also wrote it to be relatable to people who have gone through similar things, to pull some heartstrings,” he said.
This past summer with the coronavirus and having a lot of free time to myself, I realized that if I’m gonna inspire people, I have to be the best version of myself.King Wylde
King Wylde is a newer passion project of Miller’s, but the talented guitarist has been playing since he was thirteen years old. While he has posted videos of him playing on his Facebook page, the pandemic has impeded his ability to perform and market his music to local audiences. Fellow Iowa artist MarKaushas signed Miller to his label Media Fresh Records and is aiding him in promoting his upcoming releases.
“It’s been incredible working with King Wylde; it’s so easy for us to work together,” MarKaus said. “He is so self-sufficient as an artist, and he understands the business aspect of things. In the early stages, we sat down and came up with the album title and some of the ideas, discussed different ways to market it and how to release it. It was incredible because he produced, mixed, and mastered this product along with engineers [...] The role that I’m playing is like - he handed me a damn near-finished product and told me to go crazy with it on the market.”
King Wylde and Media Fresh Records intend to drop merch and more music in the weeks to come before Faultless releases in mid-February. “Hurricane 2.0” is now available for digital purchase and streaming.
