King Princess: The New Era of Music

If you listen to pop music, you’ve probably heard of King Princess. The 19 year old pop artist, born Mikaela Straus, has skyrocketed to celebrity within the past year. Her fans adore her for her lyrical and deep songs featuring themes of love, queerness, and identity. She grew up in the studio in Brooklyn, learning music from her sound engineer dad, and now lives in LA. King Princess signed with Mark Ronson’s Zelig Records as his first artist on the Columbia imprint label.

King Princess herself is known for being transparent, which is rare among famous people–she is straightforward in terms of her gay sexuality and being genderqueer, thus calling to attention the importance of representation. Although she only has a handful of songs, they are carefully crafted, crooning melodic odes to love and loneliness in the modern era. King Princess’ musical talent is shown through instrumental elements, as well as her eccentric eye. Clare Gillen directs her music videos, each with a particular unique theme.

“1950” was the first single that boomed among top charts. In it, King Princess pays tribute to LGBTQ people throughout history who have had to hide their sexualities and self-expression. Most recently, she has released “Pussy is God,” a straightforwardly explicit anthem celebrating female anatomy. There are no hidden gimmicks or double meanings; the song co-written with her girlfriend, actress Amandla Stenberg, expresses love for their partner’s beauty in a funky tune.

King Princess represents a new generation of pop artists: those unafraid to be completely themselves and speak up for what they believe in. She has already garnered millions of fans and will continue to do so, hopefully inspiring young people everywhere to be authentic to themselves and unabashedly honest.