For the Roberts family, Queens Over Kings is a complete family affair. Consisting of bandmates/siblings Kristyn, Jerald II, Loren, Ingrid and Hallie, the Ashburn-based group has been filling venues and rocking out across NoVA since their first performance in 2010. We asked the band members about working with their siblings, quarantine and what they love about NoVA.
What is it like to create music with your siblings?
Ingrid: I’m going to be completely honest, it can be very chaotic because we all have totally different personalities and we are all our own person. Even though it can be chaotic, it’s still very fun. It’s something that we get to do as a family together, which is something important to us.
Jerald II: It’s definitely a process that we have learned and something that has evolved over time. Because, I think, as we’ve all grown and matured, not just individually, but we have brought different things to the band at different times. It’s been a process of learning how to come to a decision that everyone agrees on. Like what we do is less important than whether or not we all agree on it.
We’ve all been in quarantine for a while. What’s something new you discovered that you love about NoVA during this time?
Hallie: It’s a lot more beautiful than you think it would be. Especially with all the people staying inside, you can really focus on the view. I feel like ever since quarantine started, it’s just been clearer air, greener grass. I’ve seen a lot more animals coming out. There’s been a lot of foxes that run around the neighborhood. I just feel like everything is just becoming a much more beautiful version of itself than when quarantine started.
What do you love about living and working in Northern Virginia?
Kristyn: I love the diversity. The diversity here is unparalleled and I’ve lived in Hawaii, I’ve lived in Utah, I’ve lived in Idaho. I’ve seen a couple different places. My husband is from Washington. I’ve seen where diversity can happen and here in NoVA, it’s a totally different animal. For me personally, that is really big because we’re mixed kids. My dad is Black. My mom is half-white, half-Panamanian. To have a place that, for the majority of my life I have felt comfortable and I’ve never felt really singled out or anything, especially with the things that are going on right now, that’s really important to me.
This post originally appeared in our September 2020 Best of NoVA print issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletters.
