In a traditionally male-dominated Texas country music industry, Madison King is a guitar-picking lyricist who, as we pointed out in April 2014, "brings a unique timbre and color to the state that sets her apart from the rest, especially in soulful tunes." King picked up the guitar when she was 8, started singing as a teenager, and honed her guitar and vocal skills in church. Influenced by artists such as Ryan Adams, Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan, she later shared the stage with artists like the Old 97's, Polyphonic Spree and Foreigner. She released her first album, Darlin, Here's to You, to critical acclaim in 2011, appeared on NBC's The Voice in 2012 and gained radio airplay. She followed it with Onward & Upward.