Football and music are powerful tools. There is a reason why they are so widely loved and touch many lives around the world. About 30 miles from central London, in Billericay, the footballer and spoken word rapper Jess King uses both arts to deal with painful experiences and fight for change in the women’s game.

Born in Liverpool, King has written spoken word, music and poetry from an early age. But when she suffered concussion last year and had to stop playing, she dedicated more time on it and was able to share her talent with the world. Earlier this month, she released a new single called Look Into My Eyes, where she shares some of her experiences dealing with racism and micro-aggressions throughout her life. “I think music is a way to let it out,” she tells Moving the Goalposts.

“Some of it comes from where I grew up and the experiences I had as a kid, but a lot of the times you get on with it, and then when you reflect on it, you look back and see it’s quite serious. You carry these things with you and I guess I want to help myself heal.”

The 31-year-old played for Liverpool in her youth before getting a scholarship to play football and attend Trinity Western University in Canada. Back in Europe after her studies, King played for Everton, the Swiss side FC Basel, USV Jena in Germany and Kolbotn IL in Norway before returning to the UK for spells with Lewes and Charlton. Since August 2022 the forward has been with Billericay Town.

In Look Into My Eyes, King reveals how dealing with racism has affected her mental health. She admits it is frightening to put some of her most painful experiences out into the world, but it was part of her way of dealing with it. “I guess I had to go through my own process to improve my mental health, and writing this song was part of it.”

King has put out three new songs in 2023, and has dedicated more time to her music career, but her football experiences have played a part too. In 2020, while playing for Lewes, she released Raise Us Up, a call for action on equal pay in football – and a portion of the profits were donated to the club.