Background and career
Archy Ivan Marshall (born 24 August 1994), also known by his stage name King Krule, among other names, is an English singer, songwriter, musician, rapper and record producer. He began recording music in 2010 under the moniker Zoo Kid. The following year he adopted his present stage name. He has released several EPs and his debut full-length album, 6 Feet Beneath the Moon, was released in 2013 to positive critical reception. His second album, A New Place 2 Drown was released in 2015. His third and fourth albums, The Ooz, and Man Alive!, were released in 2017 and 2020 respectively, both to further critical acclaim. He released his fifth and most recent album, Space Heavy, in 2023. His music blends elements of punk jazz with hip hop, darkwave, trip hop and post-punk.
Archy Marshall was born to Rachel Howard and Adam Marshall in Southwark, London. He has family in the Czech Republic. During an interview with The Guardian's Rob Fitzpatrick, Marshall said that from a young age, he experienced discipline issues and refused to go to school. Throughout his childhood, he spent much of his time between his father's house in Peckham and his mother's house in East Dulwich; his mother was much less strict than his father, who had many rules. Marshall recalls that his father had to physically carry him to school, otherwise he would skip and hide in his room. Once he turned 13 years old, he was given a private house tutor. He was later accepted into the Brit School to study art, where he struggled with discipline initially, but soon found his place. Marshall is a childhood friend and neighbour of South London musician Jacob Read, better known as Jerkcurb. Marshall has said that he was tested for several mental health conditions at London's Maudsley Hospital. He claims that the tests took a toll on him; that the doctors, counsellors and psychiatrists were wrong most of the time; that he hated everybody; and that he would hide in his room for hours on end. He refers to his mental health issues, such as depression and insomnia, in some of his lyrics. During an interview with NPR, Marshall recalled that he often created art in many different media, as his parents encouraged creativity throughout his childhood. He noted that visual art in particular is important to him, and he mentioned that he carefully crafts his music videos and album art such that they reflect his particular aesthetic sensibility.
During Marshall's years at Forest Hill School and then at the Brit School alongside long-time collaborator Jamie Isaac between 2008 and 2011, he released two singles and an EP under the name Zoo Kid. Marshall's most significant release under this name was a 2010 EP titled U.F.O.W.A.V.E.
In July 2011, Marshall began playing under a new moniker, King Krule, at a festival in Hyères, France. Later that year in November, he released his eponymous debut EP. Contrary to some reports, his stage name is not inspired by the character of King K. Rool from the Donkey Kong Country video game series, but rather by the Elvis Presley film King Creole. On 9 December 2012, the BBC announced that he had been nominated for the Sound of 2013 poll.
On 24 August 2013, Marshall released his debut album, 6 Feet Beneath the Moon, featuring an album cover illustrated by his brother, Jack Marshall. At the time of release, more than half of the tracks had already been released on various EPs. This brought him to prominence, especially in the US, having performed televised sets on both Conan and the Late Show with David Letterman. In January 2014, he eventually released a music video for 'A Lizard State', the third single on the album. The following month, Marshall appeared on the cover of The Fader for its 90th issue.
On 10 December 2015, Marshall released an album titled A New Place 2 Drown under his real name, Archy Marshall. He partnered again with his brother Jack to release a 208-page book of visual art and text as well as a ten-minute documentary. In an interview with NPR, Marshall said that he wanted the album to have a physical component, as well as something for the eyes and the ears. He released the album under his real name rather than King Krule to differentiate between the two different genres of music, as he claims that he thought of A New Place 2 Drown as a hip hop album rather than the dark alternative/jazz sound of 6 Feet Beneath the Moon.
