Editor’s note: This article is presented in a question and answer format. It was conducted through email between News Editor Micah Green and performer Kaki King.
 
She has played venues from Yoshi’s in San Francisco to the Moma in New York City. Tomorrow, Kaki King will be at State Theatre, gracing Starkville with her incredible talents. Get to know her a bit. Walk with us.
 
Q: Tell us who Kaki King is, in your own eyes.
A:A short person who plays guitar.
Q: When did you start playing guitar, and when did you realize it was something you wanted to keep doing?
A:I started when I was about four. It honestly took two decades for me to decide it was something I wanted to do for a living.
Q: Do you play any other instruments, and if not, are there any that you wish you could play?
A:I play the drums. I wish I could play piano better.
Q: What have you been up to lately, as far as touring and recording are concerned?
A:I’ve been doing a lot of solo guitar work this year, going around the United States and overseas a lot. Trying to relearn how to play and what being a guitarist means to me after all this time.
Q: Where are you headed after Starkville? What is your schedule like?
A:Finishing up the southeastern part of this tour, then headed to Europe.
Q: Tell us about life on the road.
A:It’s kind of like being underwater.
Q: Since you are on the road so much, I would assume you listen to a lot of music … What is on your playlist these days?
A: I go running a lot, so I listen to motivational dance music like Britney Spears and Ru Paul and Ke$ha. I’m not joking.
Q: How important is touring in today’s music industry?
A: It’s important. It’s hard to make money just selling albums.
Q: What has it done for the relationship between you and your fans? Can you maybe give an example of this?
A: Well, it makes me a better performer for sure, and I do like feeling that what I’m doing is drawing someone else in, so it becomes a shared experience.
Q: Do you prefer performing solo or with an accompaniment?
A: Solo is better for skills and introspective playing. Playing with a band is better for mind-blowing emotional moments.
Q: Rolling Stonehas named you one of its Guitar Gods. What does this mean to you, and what do you think this has done for your career thus far?
A:I’m grateful for the compliment, but I try not to pay much attention to stuff like that. It’s hyperbolic at any rate and, in the end, unimportant.
Q: RSalso said you were “a genre unto herself…” What do you think this means, and do you agree with the magazine?
A:Well, I think that’s a great compliment, and it’s so much better than being compared to artists who do something similar.
Q: (You’ll probably hate me for this question’s vagueness, and I’m sorry in advance.) Do you think you have changed at all as a person or even as a musician since becoming a nationally recognized artist? If so, how?
A: I’m more gregarious and less afraid of people.
Q: Rumor is,  if enough people show Wednesday,  you would consider playing the following night as well. Is this true?
A:Sorry, no.