FROM SCOTTISH BROGUE TO SOUTHERN DRAWL: An Interview With Evan King

I used to think young Elvis Tribute Artists were a rare breed- the kind of thing you only see once in a blue moon. But after crossing paths with two incredible performers in the last week, I’ve officially been proven wrong. Young ETAs are having a major moment, and 17-year-old Evan King is leading the charge. I caught up with the Scottish native to talk about his 'old soul' aesthetic, his rapid rise to the championship stages, and what it’s really like to step into the shoes of the King of Rock and Roll.

Me: So Evan, I’ll open with the same question I always do: how’d you get into doing this?

Evan: I was four years old, and my dad was working on one of his guitars. He had “G.I. Blues” playing in the background. I sat down and watched it, and I was amazed. I’d never seen anything like it in my life; the way he looked, the way he was singing… 

So my dad put on “Aloha from Hawaii” but I didn’t like it. He played the ‘68 Comeback Special” and I didn’t care for that either. He realized I liked young Elvis, and he put on either the dance part of “Jailhouse Rock” or his performance on “The Milton Berle Show,”  I don’t recall which. But I absolutely loved it. 

Evan then mentioned that, when he was four, it was 2012, and my ancient, millennial soul died a little. 

Evan has always been a bit of an old soul. Even before becoming a tribute artist, his aesthetic has always been based around the 40’s and 50’s. He wore sports coats to school and was always impeccably dressed. Despite his affinity for Elvis inspired fashion, Evan has always stayed true to himself. He stressed the importance of retaining your individuality. 

Evan: You need to find the parallel between yourself and Elvis. When I’m on stage, I wear the clothes he wore and try to stay as true as possible, because I have to become him. But as soon as I’m off the stage and done signing autographs, I’m just myself. I know who I am, there’s not an identity crisis, you know. You need to remember who you are and take time to enjoy the things you like.

Evan grew up attending various ETA shows and competitions, and even befriended Shawn Klush. He recalled a funny story about pestering Shawn as a child for one of his jumpsuits. He’d forgotten about his request, but Shawn didn’t. Several years later, Shawn pulled him up onstage at a show and presented him with his own brand new jumpsuit. And not just any jumpsuit! An exact replica of the one Shawn was wearing, a professional jumpsuit from B&K with a hefty price tag. 

Jump ahead two years, and that’s where Evan’s career begins. Just after his 15th birthday, he was at a competition in Blackpool when he was invited to attend the karaoke after party. They encouraged him to come up and sing, so Evan chose “King Creole.” Evan thought he butchered it, but that wasn’t the case. In fact, he’d made such an impression that a man by the name of Johnny Elvis asked to speak with him the next day. And just like that, he sent Evan off to the Youth European Championship. 

Me: Wow, that was fast. How much time did you have to prepare?

Evan: One month. 

Me: So how’d it go?

Evan: I didn’t win that year, because I didn’t have much of an idea of what was going on. But I rocked the stage and I loved it. I’ve learned a lot since then about breath control, that’s been really helpful. 

By the time Evan was 16, he was headlining shows. His career took off like a shot. He won the under-18 “King of the Castle” championship, came second in his first amateur adult competition called “Return to Memphis.” He won the under-18 European Youth Championship, the under-18 Harbour Lights “Images of the King” contest, then won the “Return to Memphis” competition when he tried it again, and made the finals in his first professional adult competition. So what’s the secret to his success? Several things. 

Evan really puts in the work to master Elvis’ voice, and it’s no easy feat to go from a Scottish brogue to a southern drawl. He said he often ended up sounding like Forrest Gump.  He took inspiration from Austin Butler’s method: falling asleep while listening to Elvis. 20 minutes before a performance, he warms up by listening to Elvis’ voice, pausing, repeating, and rewinding until he gets it right. He does this right until he gets onstage so the accent is fresh. Apparently you can often find Evan talking to himself in the mirror while practicing the accent. Hey, clearly it works out for him!

That’s just part of the extensive prep Evan goes through for a show. In the week before a major performance, he drinks only water and tea with honey and lemon, takes 2-3 spoonfuls of honey every morning and night, allowing it to coat his throat. He only eats healthy and natural foods, and drinks at least three bottles of water before every show. Though his mother had some wise words: “The water you drink a couple days before matters more than the water you drink today.”

Another key to Evan’s success is his dedication to achieving authenticity. In his own words, he spends “ridiculous amounts of money” to track down and find all the little insignificant details in the costumes. The audience may not notice, but it means everything to him. He’s even tracked down the brands of aftershave and cologne Elvis used to use and wears them during a performance. 

Me: I already have my headline. “Evan King: So Authentic He Even Smells Like Elvis!”

Evan: Please don’t call it that. 

Even when Evan is bad, he’s good. He told me about what he considered to be one of his worst performances. For his last under-18 competition, he wanted to go out with a bang. He put so much pressure on himself that he actually lost his voice. 

Evan: I’m not kidding, I think about a hundred different people were passing me packs of Vocalzones and Strepsils. People were knocking on my door with bottles of honey. My makeup was too light, my voice wasn’t great, and neither was my dancing… I won, which I was happy about.

He told me about another performance in a pub that he learned a lot from.

Evan: It was a pub, a huge old bank building. My mum accidentally ripped my banner poster, and my equipment wasn’t loud enough to fill the venue. Two people clapped the entire time. I was so nervous, and if you look at the photos, I look like I don’t want to be there. But I realized that, even if there’s only two people, I should still always perform at the same level. You learn a lot of valuable lessons from bad performances. 

In case Evan’s story wasn’t already fascinating enough, he followed it up with this:

Evan: I was an amateur boxer-

Me: Sorry, what?

Evan: One of the things that you learn is that to become a better boxer, you’ve got to take a couple of punches. You’ve got to have a couple of losses. You get experience and you learn from it.

I asked Evan for his advice for new and aspiring tribute artists. Here’s what he had to say.

1. Stay true to yourself. Make sure you know where Elvis starts and you end. It’s important to keep those things separate. 

2. Don’t overwork and burn yourself out. You can’t do it 24/7. Take some time to relax, because if you overwork yourself, you won’t enjoy it anymore. 

3. Have fun with what you do. If you’re lucky enough to be able to do the job full time, make the most of it. 

4. Be kind to your competitors. Don’t have an ego and maintain professionalism. You’re all doing this because you love Elvis. 

5. Remember who you are and where you come from. Even if you’re coming from the bottom, you can achieve your dreams through hard work and dedication. Be a light in the dark for others. 

I had one final question for Evan.

Me: What do you think it is about Elvis that keeps his legacy alive and inspires new generations of tribute artists?

Evan: Two things: story and music. In music…you can’t replicate that. Everything’s already been done. There’s nothing new coming out of modern music, and Elvis did something that no one had ever done before. His music was revolutionary and, even if it’s not your kind of thing, you have to give him credit, because his voice is like no one else’s. His story is even greater. It’s a rags to riches tale, and, granted, he wasn’t always the greatest person off stage, but regardless of that, he was a man of the people. He always made sure to take care of his family, which is what I connect with the most. His generosity was unmatched. He once gave a homeless man a ten thousand dollar ring. His story is incredible.

It’s rare to find someone so young with such a deep respect for the craft and a firm grip on who they are outside of the jumpsuit. Evan isn’t just mimicking the past; he’s keeping a legacy alive with his own brand of authenticity. With his first solo tour on the horizon and a 4 piece band at his back, the future looks bright for Scotland’s own. Keep your eyes on Evan. He’s just getting started.

Evan King is a renowned, multi Award Winning young Elvis Tribute from Glasgow, Scotland. Evan first performed at a competition after party in november 2023, after that he knew he found his place and that was infront of a microphone. Evans career blasted off in early 2025 headlining multiple festivals and even flying to different countrys to perform, it was a dream come true for a young Elvis fan. 2026 is the biggest year yet for Evan as he is headlining all over the UK and Europe and even has his very first tour in october and november, all Evan wants to do is pay his heartfelt tribute to his hero and bring happiness to those all over the world and make sure the Kings memory lives on.