hiara King's TikTok profile declares, “I talk about boys”, and appropriately, as
the singer-songwriter, actress and content creator settled into a chair for hair and
C
“Allowing myself to be vulnerable online is when I grew a lot on TikTok.”
ut, conversely, she says, “The more vulnerable you are online, the more open you are to hate. There are a lot of hurt people in the world, hurt people often want to hurt others.”
e remark how her sense of fun really comes across in her TikTok videos.
W
While Chiara may have found herself delving into the realm of relationships on TikTok, her initial foray into the platform was as a means to promote her music. Interestingly, her music is also influenced by her personal relationships.
Growing up in Battersea, London, Chiara would seize any opportunity to sing and dance for her family and friends. "I've literally been singing since I could speak. And even now, a perfect evening out for me is a karaoke night with the girls. I've done that all over the world, in Warsaw, London, LA… everywhere. Whenever I have a drink, I just need to head to a karaoke bar."
Entertaining is in her blood, her mother, who is Polish, was a professional opera singer and her English father was part of a theatre group based in Wimbledon, when he was younger. Chiara started taking part in theatre plays when she was ten and pantos at 13. She also attended after-school classes at Sylvia Young Theatre School.
ith this encouragement she found the gusto to continue opening up and connecting
with her audience, this time on an even deeper level through her new weekly
“But my mum really helped push me, if it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t be doing this. She signed me up for the competition behind my back, because she thought it would boost my confidence. And she was like, ‘Just go, and if you don't like it, we can have a curry somewhere’, because the audition was in Leicester, which is known for good curries,” she laughs.
“At that time, I was like, ‘No way, I'm not going to do a beauty pageant, are you joking?’ It's so sexist. It's so misogynistic’.” However, when she finally relented, they suggested she sign up for Miss London, an opportunity she embraced and ultimately emerged victorious.
“When I won, I actually finally believed in myself for something. Even though it was a beauty pageant. It was like, wow, people actually think I have something.”
s well as carrying out a lot of charity work, during the course of the
A
She draws a parallel to comedians, noting that they often possess a dark sense of humour. “Things happen to them, but they turn that darkness into comedy and entertainment.
“Some of the funniest people I know have been through the biggest struggles, but they find comedy and a lightheartedness to get through. Life isn't easy. Life’s a struggle. And what we forget is that not every day is going to be a happy one.”
he more other people believed in me, the more I started believing in myself.
"T
"
A lightweight daily sunscreen with SPF50+ specifically formulated for sensitive skin types.
la roche-posay spf50+
Invisible fluid
A mattifying facial suncream with SPF50+ protection, designed for oily and breakout-prone skin types.
la roche-posay spf50+
Oil control fluid
A light, fluid sunscreen with high SPF and cutting-edge UV filters to safeguard your skin from sun damage.
la roche-posay spf50+
Invisible fluid tint
Soon she released her first song, Dancing With Me on TikTok, and one of her first shows was opening for Jason Derulo at a private event held at London’s One Marylebone, in 2019. “It was a great thing to do, I was so nervous, I had such onstage fright,” she recalls.
Timeless Pave Triple-row Ring, £115, Row of Hearts Eternity Ring, £80, Sparkling Overlapping Band Ring, £80, Crossover Pave Triple Band Ring £90, Sparkling Round & Square Drop Earrings, £70, all by Pandora; Rose-Applique Round Neck Cady Mini Dress in Pink, £1330.60 and Heart-Embellished Opera-Length Gloves in Pink, £383.70, both by NDS.
Rolo Chain Necklace, £80, Love Locket Dangle Charm, £70, Moments Charm Hoop Earrings, £60, Sparkling Stones Drop Earrings, £100, Moments Studded Chain Necklace, £190, Sparkling Pave Triple-row Charm, £70, Studded Clip Charm, £45, ME Small-Link Chain Necklace, £150, Moments Studded Chain Bracelet, £130, Beads & Pave Bracelet, £125, ME Pave Link Earring, £35, Aquarius Zodiac Dangle Charm, £55, ME Heart & Rays Medallion Charm, £40, Game of Thrones Lanniester Lion Ring, £70, Crossover Pave Triple Band Ring, £100, all by Pandora. Gown, £450 by Critter.
Signature I-D open Bangles, £70, Signature I-D open Bangles in gold, £125, Moments Charm Hoop Earrings, £60, all Pandora; Ripple Wavy Hem Tank, £625, Ripple Wavy Hem Skirt, £710, both Melitta Baumeister at Koibird.
“A guy has just broken my heart. I'm really heartbroken about it. But it's about seeing the funny side of a bad situation”
But, her path into becoming a professional musician was an unconventional one. “I did
Miss England when I was 19,” she smiles. “Basically, I never believed in myself, I would always say I want to be a singer, like lots of girls do when they're young, but I think at school they try to direct pupils into more academic paths.
W
B
Treated Freshwater Cultured Pearls Open Hoop Earrings, £130, Treated Freshwater Cultured Pearl 7mm Stud Earrings, £80, Treated Freshwater Cultured Pearl & Beads Bracelet, £150, Rolo Chain Necklace, £80, Duo Treated Freshwater Cultured Pearls Ring, £90, all by Pandora; Carina Plunge Dress, £605 by Christopher Esber at Koibird.
Signature I-D Bangle in Gold, £125, Moments Charm Hoop Earrings, £60, Timeless Wish sparkling Heart Ring, £60, Moments Studded Chain Necklace, £190, all by Pandora; The Hood Dress, £600 by Maccapani at Koibird.
She still remembers what she wore, “A tasselled bodysuit with snakeskin boots. And I thought that was really cool at the time. I think it was,” she ponders. “The backing singers wore the same outfit in a different colour.”
After releasing music independently, she encountered a few setbacks with record labels, including Sony, whom she signed with at the age of 21. "I was 360-signed, which meant that I was constrained, even with the money I was making elsewhere. I had to give them a share, so eventually, I had to buy myself out of that contract."
Since then, she has persisted in releasing music independently, leveraging her substantial following on TikTok. "I realised that I don't necessarily need a record label. In fact, labels often approach me to promote their artists’ music. So why should I sign with one when I can do what record labels aim to do for their own artists – make their music go viral on TikTok? Everything revolves around social media now. That's essentially what record labels used to handle."
make-up before her Hello! Fashion shoot, the discussion naturally gravitated towards precisely that.
Alongside working with luxury brands, Chiara creates videos and content centred around dating, relationships and break-ups, which she shares with her four million followers on TikTok and 1.2 million on Instagram.
Her emphasis on matters of the heart ultimately began to flourish when she embarked on a relationship with her inaugural love, who she split with in 2020. Initially she documented falling in love, and subsequently, her first heartbreak.
“He literally broke my heart into a million pieces,” she tells us candidly. “It took me
a long time to heal from that, but allowing myself to be vulnerable online is when I grew
a lot on TikTok.”
The trolling was difficult and almost made her not want to post personal experiences on social media any more. “I don't think people realise, they might think, Oh, she's got millions of followers, she's not going to read the comments. But I read everything and I can receive such horrible ones.”
However, Chiara also knows that by sharing her stories she has helped others with their break-ups.“That helped me love myself more, which is something that I've struggled with before and even now to this day.”
podcast King of Hearts, which aptly launched on Valentine's Day.
Along with the help of experts she discusses love, relationships, learning through heartbreak and navigating the modern dating world. “I've been bringing on relationship experts, people that are trained life coaches and even sex experts… that one is this week,” she says winking.
“The podcast has also taught me a lot about myself and about how I am in relationships. And part of me does want a relationship to fill that hole in my heart and that void. I wish I didn't have that void.”
“I think it's self-preservation,” she sighs. “I show my weak side, but also, not everyone wants to be on social media and see someone crying. And I want my page to be somewhere where girls go for a stress release.
“Dating can be really shit, but it can also be really fun. You have to look at the bright side of things, and that's what I try to do with my content. But I try to keep it real as well, because I don't want to just show on social media that everything's light and funny because that's not what life is. A guy has just broken my heart. I'm really heartbroken about it. But it's about seeing the funny side of a bad situation.”
competition, Chiara also won the ‘Beautiful Mind’ section, which involved an IQ test.
“I was actually on the cover of The Sunday Times Magazine when I won because they were promoting the fact that beauty pageants aren't just about the way you look.”
But perhaps the most significant aspect was the talent round. For this segment, Chiara submitted a video of herself singing a cover of the Bruno Mars song When I Was Your Man, filmed by a friend.
When she posted the video on Instagram, despite only having a handful of followers at the time, it caught the eye of a music industry scout. “And she basically scouted me and she believed in me. The more other people believed in me the more I started believing in myself.”
She released Party With A Monster last year, which received over one million streams on Spotify. “And that was organic, without a label or any other help. It also did super-well on Tik Tok. We had like 30,000 GC, which is music-generated content, which is insane.”
Her music style has been described as soulful R’n’B, with a touch of pop, but it is also influenced by her mother’s love of Latin music. "My mum used to constantly play Latino artists like Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez while I was growing up, which is why some of my songs are in Spanish and I incorporate a lot of Latin influences into my sound."
In fact, one might easily mistake Chiara for being Italian; her name, of Italian origin, suggests as much. With her sparkling dark hazel eyes and long brunette hair, she exudes a Mediterranean allure. And upon arriving at the shoot, she effortlessly conversed with the hairdresser, a native of Rome, in fluent Italian.
Even at home, Chiara, who now speaks five languages fluently, spoke to her mother, who speaks seven, in Italian. “I spoke Italian and I watched Italian TV when I was one to three years old. Things like The Little Mermaid and all of the Disney films.”
It wasn't until Chiara joined primary school that she started speaking English, although her mother preferred her to speak Italian at home. Then, when her parents split when she was five, Chiara and her mother moved to Portugal for a couple of years, where she learned to speak Portuguese.
“Funnily enough, I went to an Italian nursery in Vauxhall, so I learnt Italian as my first language. My mum really wanted me to speak Italian for some reason,” she laughs. “She's Polish but wanted me to learn something else, so I learnt Italian,” she says, continuing to laugh.
Signature I-D open Bangle, £70, Pandora Signature !-D bangle in gold, £125, Moments Charm Hoop Earrings, £60, Sparkling Row Eternity Hoop Earrings, £100, all by Pandora; Ripple Wavy Hem Tank, £625 by Melitta Baumeister at Koibird.
Moments Charm Hoop Earrings, £60, Sparkling Stones Drop Earrings, £100, both by Pandora; Gown, £450 by Critter.
ack in London, she learnt Spanish at school and then attended King’s College London to study business management and Portuguese. “I mean, I just really love languages. For me
it kind of goes with everything… even on social media I sometimes do videos in different languages. And people are always like, ‘Oh my gosh, she actually speaks it’,” she laughs.
As if there is no end to her talents (she also is a trained yoga teacher and salsa dancer), Chiara has recently completed her first film, that will hopefully be released this year, it is yet to be named.
“Right now, the director and producers are in the process of talking to distributors, and all the platforms like Netflix. “It's like a mix between a documentary and a film, so it's about me, but it's also not – you don't know if it's real or if it's a movie.
You shouldn’t post your Instagram Stories in real time. There are some weird people out there who can be obsessed with you, especially if you're a pretty girl.”
B
Sparkling Huggie Hoop Earrings, £45, Crossover Pave Hoop Earrings, £70, Moments Studded Chain Necklace, £115, ME Double Link Chain Necklace, £80, Radiant Heart Pave Signet Ring, £60, Sparkling Intertwined Wave Ring, £55, Crossover Pave Triple Band Ring, £90, Row of Hearts Eternity Ring, £80, Rectangular Bars Sparkling Pave Ring, £80, Sparkling Row Eternity Ring, £80, Timeless Pave Triple-Row Ring, £115, Sparkling Bang Ring, £35, Signature I-D Open Bangle, £70, all by Pandora; Long dress in Neon Green, £3,088 by Azzi & Osta.
“It's basically a documentary about me going to Copenhagen through the tourism board Visit Copenhagen. It's an interesting concept, but dark at the same time. Behind everything and behind the happiness of being an influencer visiting a city I have a stalker, basically trying to kill me.”
After her transformation in hair and make-up, Chiara, who turned up to the
studio looking chic wearing an oversized camel coat and her dad’s Converse Chuck Taylor All Star trainers is ready to try on some dresses and jewellery, provided by Pandora.
A
“I remember the friendship charm bracelet, which I had from the age of 13. My parents and friends would buy me a different charm for different occasions. I really like how personal they are to you. I would wear all my memories around my wrist. Working with them is like a dream come true, I'm so grateful, I feel like I have impostor syndrome.”
Before she heads off to wardrobe, we ask her as the digital cover star of our spring issue, whether she is looking forward to the longer and warmer days.
“I’m such a summer girl, it's my favourite time of year, it gives me peace of mind. You can go out with friends and the sun itself just gives you those endorphins that you need. I have more energy in the summer. You know, physiologically speaking, we're supposed to be in hibernation in winter.
“I believe another issue in today's society is that we're conditioned to constantly be on the go. But we're not human doings; we're human beings. And sometimes it's crucial to remember that it's okay to rest and feel tired sometimes. However, now I'm grateful that we’re moving into spring.”
ME Extended Pave Link Single Earring, £25 by Pandora.
“I started working with Pandora in February, but I’ve worn their jewellery for years. I’m wearing the ME Extended Pavé earrings today,” she says, moving her hair behind her ear. “And this is a Pandora Sparkling Overlapping Ring,” she adds, holding out her hand.
ve literally been singing since I could speak. And even now, a perfect evening out for me is a karaoke night with
the girls.
"I'
"
Sparkling Overlapping Ring, £55 by Pandora.
Because Chiara likes to take the method acting approach, although she loved the process, she found the filming emotionally challenging. “There was a scene where I had to meet the stalker in a car park, which did affect me, it felt like blurred lines because I had to believe I had a stalker. I actually became paranoid at one point.”
The film itself also raises awareness about the dangers of posting online.
“I have a girlfriend who only has around 2,000 followers and she’s had stalkers. He would wait outside restaurants she had posted a picture from. You shouldn’t post your Instagram Stories in real time. There are some weird people out there who can be obsessed with you, especially if you're a pretty girl.”
Treated Freshwater Cultured Pearls Open Hoop Earrings, £130, Treated Freshwater Cultured Pearl 7mm Stud Earrings, £80, Rolo Chain Necklace, £80, all by Pandora. Carina Plunge Dress, £605 by Christopher Esber at Koibird.
“A guy has just broken my heart. I'm really heartbroken about it. But it's about seeing the funny side of a bad situation”
“The more other people believed in me, the more I started believing in myself.”