Tennyson King Finds His Voice on “Most of My Days”

Tennyson King has never been afraid to blur lines between genres, between worlds, between who he was told to be and who he’s becoming. His latest single, “Most of My Days,” is more than just folk with a twist. It’s a reckoning. A confession. A quiet roar from an artist finding his voice in a world that too often asks us to stay silent.

The track opens with delicate Chinese strings woven through acoustic guitar, setting the tone for what feels like both a homecoming and a confrontation. It’s beautiful, haunting, and intentional. You can feel King peeling back the layers of identity, expectation, and fear, one chord at a time. His voice carries the weight of that journey: calm, aching, but grounded in truth.

“Most of My Days” was born from watching the world burn, environmental collapse, social injustice, and the disconnection that comes with it all. Instead of turning away, King faced it head-on, channeling that heaviness into something human. The result is a song that doesn’t preach but pierces. It’s about the moments when speaking up feels impossible, yet staying silent feels worse.

King doesn’t just acknowledge his heritage here; he embodies it. The Zhongruan strings don’t feel like a gimmick or a nod; they feel like blood memory. Each note pulses with reclamation, blending seamlessly with modern folk production that could sit comfortably next to Bon Iver or Ben Howard on a playlist.

The production is stripped yet cinematic. The guitars hum like open space, the percussion breathes rather than pounds, and the ambient textures leave room for emotion to linger. You can tell this isn’t just music to Tennyson King, it’s medicine.

“Most of My Days” feels like what happens when an artist stops performing and starts revealing. It’s vulnerable, rooted, and quietly rebellious, a reminder that sometimes, the softest voices carry the loudest truths.

What inspired you to combine traditional Chinese instruments with Western folk elements on this track?

This fusion has been something I’ve been dreaming of for a while now. I’ve been on a journey to reconnect with my Chinese heritage over the past years, and getting in touch with traditional Chinese music has been such a meaningful way for me to connect. I started learning a traditional instrument called the Zhongruan, which is a four-string lute-type instrument, about four years ago. Learning to play traditional music and writing folk songs with this instrument led to so many beautiful songs and ideas. I connected with more traditional Chinese musicians in Canada and Asia, performing and writing with them, which really inspired me to record with them.

“Most of My Days” deals with speaking up about global injustices. Was there a specific moment that pushed you to write it?

The genocide happening in Gaza and against the Palestinian people was a global injustice that sparked the urge for me to write this song. I was feeling powerless and felt like I couldn’t speak up. Reflecting on this feeling, it made me realize that oftentimes in my life, I give in to living in fear. Like the fear of feeling afraid to speak my truths when I was growing up, especially about my culture and who I was.

How has reconnecting with your Chinese heritage shaped your new music?

The reconnection with my heritage is one of the main reasons I’ve been writing with traditional Chinese instruments. It’s sparked new writing inspirations both sonically and lyrically. It’s allowed me to be proud of who I am and my heritage, and my new music is my way of sharing my culture with everyone. It’s been truly freeing creatively and healing for my own personal growth as a human to be able to express my cultural connection through music.

The song has such a haunting, meditative quality. What was your creative process in capturing that energy?

I brought this song to my producer, Dan Hosh, and we knew lyrically it had a positive message, but it talks about being in dark places. We wanted to represent that musically with dark tones yet have a lifting, calming quality about it as well. The arrangements of the Dizi (Chinese flute) and the Erhu (Chinese violin) really set the tone of that haunting sound throughout the verses. Long drawn notes with some dissonance. Then, in the chorus, the Guzheng (zither instrument) adds a beautiful, uplifting vibe of strings to the song. I think, naturally, traditional Chinese instruments can have quite a meditative quality to them, which is why they work so well with this song.

What message do you hope listeners take away from “Most of My Days” and your upcoming album?

I hope that people feel inspired to be confident in who they are and be unafraid to speak their truths without fear of judgment. I want people to embrace their cultures and heritage and be able to share that proudly with others. I also hope that listeners enjoy the culture that I am sharing, and it piques their interest in them to learn more about Chinese music and culture.