Brittany and Robert said their son never had any formal training with music. But he looks to artists such as Bruno Mars and Pharrell Williams for inspiration. Kingsley proved his admiration for Pharrell in particular when he dressed up as the singer for a school project. 

While Pharrell hasn’t yet responded to the young phenom, other celebrities have taken notice. That list includes Diplo, TrapNation, the Detroit Lions, Billie Elish’s brother Finneas and Steve Aoki, Because Of Them We Can reported. 

Although the family has heard their son making music multiple times, they were completely blown away when they heard the beats in February while riding in the car. 

“My husband turned it on and it started playing,” Brittany told The Virginian-Pilot. “We’ve heard him make things before, but it was just something about it. He really understands sounds, change.”

The parents add that their son has an ear for the beats even if he doesn’t yet understand the technical terms and concepts of music production. 

“He hears it to the point where he knows how to change certain things at certain times,” Brittany said.

For the young artist, music is a matter of “feeling.”

“He knows when to change certain sounds and it’s always right,” Robert said. “He knows it automatically.”

Kingsley, who started playing music when he was around 18 months old, comes from a long line of musicians. That includes his mother, who is a singer, as well as his father, who is a songwriter and producer from Virginia Beach. 

He has been watching his mother as she sings in church. He also found inspiration from a drummer named Sherrod Toliver, who plays at First Baptist Church South Hill in Chesapeake, Virginia.

“He would let him play after church,” Brittany said. “Once we saw that, that piqued his interest, [his grandparents] got him his first drum set and he started playing. Of course, it was just beating at first, but then we noticed that he would pick up rhythms and things from songs that he would hear.”

The kindergarten student is just as talented in the classroom, where he has perfect grades.

“The sky’s the limit,” his father said. “We’re just following the path that was put in front of us through God. The kid is so smart, he can really be anything he wants to be. I’m thinking he’s doing this at 5, this guy could be the president by the time he reaches a certain age.”