KiNG MALA serves as the stage identity for Areli Castro, an artist rooted in Los Angeles whose jagged, rhythm-heavy style—evident in tracks such as "She Calls Me Daddy," "Cult Leader," and "Sunny Side Up"—echoes the shadowy alt-pop leanings of peers like Billie Eilish and Banks, with the final song appearing on her 2023 EP Spilt Milk.
Early on, Castro honed her craft through appearances at coffee shops and wine bars near her hometown of El Paso, Texas. Feeling like an outsider amid the area's restrictive social and cultural norms, she eventually moved to Los Angeles. There she adopted the persona KiNG MALA, a twist on the Spanish phrase for "bad bitch," and began toying with masculine archetypes by favoring King over Queen. Following the arrival of her 2020 EP Gemini, she located her artistic footing amid the surrounding tension. Anchored by that sense of alignment, she turned to material exploring honesty, personal strength, and challenges to patriarchal structures, which led to 2022's Honey Catching Season featuring the brooding "Cult Leader" alongside "Sloppy," a joint effort with fellow agitator UPSAHL. She sustained that drive into 2023 via her third EP, Spilt Milk, where darkness and brightness intertwined on highlights including "Dirty Dishes" and "Sunny Side Up."
