I am 225: Chaislyn Jane King

You could say Chaislyn Jane King is living a fairy-tale life. On selected weekends, the local 16-year-old dons a sparkly gown and becomes a princess entertaining children at birthday parties. But when she’s out of costume, King is making her own “happily ever after” by singing, songwriting and recently competing on American Idol.

King won 2017 Bayou Idol, a Denham Springs singing competition.

Not long after that local recognition, King got her first chance to step into the national spotlight. A producer with the rebooted American Idol asked her to audition for the current season. Following a successful first round, she made it into the regional final auditions in New Orleans.

She sang “Leaving on a Jet Plane” by John Denver and Roger Miller’s “King of the Road” for her audition pieces. She says folk and jazz music are her forte and that she’d most compare her style to Carole King and Joni Mitchell.

Though she was eliminated from Idol before reaching the final 24, the experience gave her the push she needed to start singing at venues around town.

“We didn’t start doing it until I realized I would be auditioning in front of the judges (for American Idol), and I needed as much experience as possible,” she says.

Her family bought a sound system, and soon she was performing around town. She’s had shows at Lava Cantina and Caliente Mexican Craving, as well as venues in Central.

At present, King doesn’t have a band, but it’s something she would like in the future. Until then, she says, it’s just a girl and her guitar.

“My mother had a beautiful voice but was never a performer. She started teaching me how to do harmonies, so she was really the first one to teach me about singing. My dad also had a CD that he would play in the car every morning on the way to school when I was younger. It had a really incredible influence on me, with songs like Jimmy Buffett’s ‘Margaritaville’ and Roger Miller’s ‘King of the Road.’ Those became all of the songs that I love.”

This article was originally published in the May 2018 issue of 225 Magazine.