When the KingQueen band takes the stage, the crowd knows they’re in for a great time. Today Ina joins us to discuss their new single ‘Roller Coaster’, their inspirations what we can expect from them in the future! Make sure to check out our interview below:
We are happy to have you today. Tell us about your fall season so far! What have you guys been up to?
With the lockdown and everything, I’ve just focused on finishing up mixing songs that were recorded with the band before the lockdown that started in March. And of course, editing and releasing the music video for “Roller Coaster”
Can you share more with our readers about your latest release “Roller Coaster”? What inspired the single?
I write a lot in my car while driving. Melodies and words pop up and this one I started and finished writing on my way back to LA from a gig in Vegas. It was honestly a mix of emotions not towards one person but just to people in general. It’s not like I wrote it as a breakup song to a singular person it was more of my thoughts on how some people just can’t be clear but will hit you up whenever they feel like or when they are drunk haha. I guess we all have been in that situation so it’s a tribute to us all that have felt a bit used and not given the attention we actually deserve. Or the answers we needed in the moment. So yeah it’s about heartbreak but not like a deep and sad kind of heartbreak, more like “ehhhh this sucks and you’re messing with my mind” kind of thing.
How did the band first get started?
Wow. So KQ have had so many different band members throughout the years. But the band itself started in 2011 after I left a record deal with Universal as a pop solo artist. I was craving the pop punk rock I was born to perform. So I became independent and have followed my heart ever since.
How did you all decide on the band name KingQueen?
KingQueen actually was my solo artist name and nick name. After a long night out with my drag queens I was named KingQueen and I kept it and performed under it and I love it and I love what it represents and it’s truly me and the sound of the craft we perform.
How would you describe your sound to someone who just listened to your music for the first time?
Energetic, powerful, in your face and inviting at the same time. It’s a mix of the past and the future.
How has these past few months of quarantine affected you all creatively?
Creatively it’s actually been a blessing. I’m obviously not happy about this pandemic and I miss performing live sooooo much! But it’s given me the time I’ve begged for these past years to just sit down and tune into the mixing and production part. Truly work through the songs. And I love it. Now we have tons of music coming out that I’m truly proud of since I got to work through it with no distractions.
What advice do you have for anyone interested in starting their own band?
Do it. It’s not easy! It’s a relationship, learn when to let go and when to give. Some people will stay some people with go and that’s the heartbreak of music and bands but don’t worry, those who are meant to go all the way will be there. And don’t take it all personally! Keep doing you. Keep going!
How do you get pumped up before a big event?
Ohhhh man. It’s like so exciting I get so nervous and excited at the same time it’s like a ball of energy so honestly, I do nothing all day I’m lame. I am quiet and I just prepare mentally and then as soon as my feet touch the stage it’s like lighting comes through my body and it’s showtime. It’s where I feel like life happens. Life is that stage, the people, the band, the music and the lights. I love it!
Biggest lesson learned in your career so far?
There are so many. But I think the most important one is to let go of all the noise. The times I didn’t quite enjoy the stage as much was when I knew someone from the industry that was important was watching and I regret that! I let it cloud myself and it kind of ruined my moment of fun because I was thinking to impress rather than just do what I always do. So I think that’s a big lesson because it’s important to connect and enjoy and do your thing every time. Industry people are just people and opinions. In the end of the day what matters is how you feel about yourself.
Are you currently working on any special projects?
Yesssss!! Releasing a single every 2 months, both with the band KingQueen and solo as Ina Of KingQueen. I do solo stuff for different genres or song I don’t think fit to perform with the band and then collaborate with other artists too. The next one is “Bad Kids” with She and Bandits and Blake English. Super excited for you all to hear!
Thank you for speaking with us! For our final question, is there anything else you would like to add?
Right now, gospel artist Harmoni Allen’s work reflects the transformative power of faith, with vulnerability, triumph, encouragement, and Christ-centered hope running through her music. Her warm vocals, expressive delivery, and deeply personal storytelling give that message a human center. Drawing from lived experience and testimony, she turns questions of faith, healing, freedom, resilience, and hope into songs that feel intimate without losing their uplifting spirit.
Harmoni Allen’s “Schitzo” is a sincere, soul-stirring track built around a deeply personal subject. Short for schizophrenia, the song opens an intimate conversation about mental well-being, judgment, fear, vulnerability, and the struggle to feel free in a world that can be quick to define people from the outside. Harmoni does not keep the subject at a safe distance. She brings the listener directly into the experience, shaping the song as a confession that feels immediate and exposed.
The accompanying music video establishes that vulnerability from its opening moments. Harmoni sits alone on her front porch, drinking water, visibly troubled and seemingly asking herself whether she is truly okay. Nearby, two women watch her from a distance. Their expressions communicate the judgment and assumptions that sit at the center of the song. Without speaking, they capture a painful reality: people can decide who someone is before taking the time to understand what that person may be going through.
Looking for answers, Harmoni calls a friend and heads to a hospital. The song then unfolds inside a psychiatrist’s office, where she is asked, “So, Miss Allen, what brings you to my office today?” Her answer becomes the emotional core of “Schitzo.” The music takes over, developing into a slow-burning, soulfully rich R&B confession carried by Harmoni’s heavenly, deeply vulnerable vocals.
Verse by verse, Harmoni reveals the strain of living under the gaze of people who may fear, misunderstand, or judge what they cannot see. She sings about people being scared of her, watching from afar, the medicines she takes, and the exhausting burden of being viewed through a label instead of recognized as a human being. Inside that pressure, however, comes a moment of release. She looks into the mirror, sits on the bed, takes a breath, and arrives at the realization that she is free.
That realization does not magically change the world around her. People still look at her the same way. Their assumptions remain. This is where “Schitzo” broadens into something many listeners can recognize, the understanding that other people’s perceptions do not get to define your identity, your worth, or your destiny.
Harmoni’s faith gives that idea its foundation. Beneath the emotional turbulence is a steady conviction that God has the last say. People may judge from afar, attach labels, and make assumptions based on appearance, yet those opinions do not determine the course of someone’s life. For Harmoni, faith creates a space where judgment begins to lose its hold and freedom becomes possible.
Musically, “Schitzo” carries the same emotional weight as its subject. The production settles into a slow-burning R&B groove that gives Harmoni’s voice room to breathe, ache, and communicate. Her soulful delivery has a nostalgic warmth, while smooth layers of vocal harmony wrap around the lead with an almost heavenly glow. The arrangement remains restrained, keeping the storytelling in clear focus instead of crowding it with unnecessary drama. Harmoni shifts naturally between fragility and quiet strength, making the performance feel close enough to resemble a private conversation across the room.
“Schitzo” ultimately centers on being seen, being misunderstood, finding your breath again, and recognizing that freedom can survive other people’s judgment.
When the final note fades, Harmoni Allen leaves behind the message that has guided the song from the beginning: people may have their opinions, but God has the final say!
Based in Malta, composer Serag Baddar turns a long-held guitar idea into something intimate and absorbing on “Limerence.” The post-rock track grew from a riff he wrote 15 years ago, with one section carrying a subtle nod to Buckethead’s “Padmasana,” whose rhythm guitar left a clear impression on Baddar.
Crisp, mellow, and atmospheric, “Limerence” moves through clean guitar layers and an ethereal sense of space. Silken vocals shimmer underneath, adding a restrained melancholy that suggests heartbreak without overwhelming the arrangement.
Baddar’s background in heavy metal remains important to the song, even as he strips away high-gain distortion and conventional vocal delivery. In their place, structure and melody do most of the emotional work. At the center is a clean, melodic guitar riff designed to flow ergonomically across the fretboard, giving the performance a natural physical ease.
The quieter acoustic and clean passages of progressive metal are an obvious reference point. Opeth and Tool, two bands that have shaped Baddar’s style, can be heard in the track’s sense of structure and restraint. Its spacious ambient textures also draw from the accessible melodic soundscapes associated with instrumental artists such as Buckethead. “Padmasana” is especially relevant, with its rhythm guitar inspiring a small section of “Limerence.”
The pacing is deliberate and unhurried, in keeping with post-rock’s slow-burn character. Its rhythmic framework stays steady, patient, and evocative, giving the central guitar melody room to breathe. Notes are allowed to ring out and decay naturally rather than being crowded by unnecessary movement.
Much of the song’s appeal comes from that simplicity. The arrangement avoids excessive time-signature gymnastics and settles into a smooth, approachable cadence that strengthens its hypnotic quality. That choice suits the meaning behind “Limerence,” the intense and involuntary psychological state of romantic obsession and infatuation that Baddar seeks to capture emotionally.
Because the released track is a “demo” mix, it retains a raw, unpolished authenticity. That texture fits Baddar’s philosophy of “writing for dopamine,” prioritizing emotional resonance and the organic “magic” of a creative spark over pristine, heavily compressed commercial engineering.
The result is intimate and thoughtful. It feels reflective and deeply personal, like a bedroom guitarist finally translating a 15-year-old teenage memory into a cohesive, immersive piece of music. The closing stretch brings the song’s crisp, clean, haunting guitar riff into sharper focus, giving the track a fitting climax and reminding us how much of its emotional weight rests on that original idea.
Baddar waited until he felt his technical ability and musical vision had matured enough to do the riff justice before recording and releasing it. He approaches music as a philosophical hobby, creating for the pleasure of the craft rather than under commercial pressure.
Taken as a whole, “Limerence” is an accomplished, carefully felt performance worth spending time with. It is streaming now.
Omer B has built a significant part of his artistic identity around collaboration, working with musicians from across the world. On “Bending Time,” he leans fully into that instinct. The track brings together guitar virtuoso Oz Noy, drummer Oded Kafri, bassist Andy Warner, and Abramo Riti on Hammond organ, giving Omer B a formidable cast for what he does best: composing exceptionally good music.
“Bending Time” is a high energy, five minute instrumental funk rock piece that establishes its character almost immediately. Omer B’s guitar locks in with Kafri’s forceful drumming from the opening stretch, creating an intro that feels urgent, muscular, and inviting. Once the Hammond and bass enter the picture, the arrangement opens up into something richer and more expansive.
That introduction builds tension quickly while setting a steady sense of anticipation. You can hear the rhythm gathering momentum as the groove takes hold. At its core is a relentless, head bobbing funk rock backbeat. The pace is fast, yet the players remain firmly in the pocket, giving the song a driving foundation that keeps it moving at full speed without sacrificing its groove.
As composer, Omer B acts as the track’s anchor. He resists overcrowding the arrangement with constant shredding, choosing instead to work through sharp, syncopated rhythm chops and clearly defined melodic motifs. His guitar helps shape the song’s architecture, from its central themes to the heavy, overdriven chord progressions that guide each transition.
Oz Noy’s entrance raises the temperature. He slips naturally into the established groove, echoing the track’s hauntingly familiar melodic cadence while bringing in a streak of “twisted blues” character. His solos are explosive without feeling detached from the arrangement, and they push the song into a higher gear.
The interplay becomes especially satisfying when Noy’s lead lines careen over Omer B’s heavy rock foundation. Kafri’s airtight drumming, Warner’s bass, and Riti’s Hammond keep the music grounded while the guitars add a fiery improvisational edge. That tension gives “Bending Time” a sense of motion that suits its title.
Unpredictable, futuristic, and haunting, “Bending Time” plays like an exhilarating experiment that draws strong performances from everyone involved. Omer B’s experience as an amateur race driver also seems to surface in the track’s polished, high octane momentum. There is a clear feeling of speed, control, and mechanical precision running through the performance.
By the end, the vintage rock swagger and modern fusion sophistication feel naturally connected. In my professional opinion, they should “frame the arrangement!”