King Princess

With influences spanning Perfume Genius, Nick Cave, Beyoncé, and Dolly Parton, King Princess crafts warm, atmospheric synth backdrops that showcase her soulful vocals as an American singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Her breakthrough arrived via the 2018 single “1950,” which paved the way for the 2019 debut LP Cheap Queen to reach the Billboard 200’s Top 20. Additional releases include a guest spot on Mark Ronson’s “Pieces of Us,” the 2020 single “Only Time Makes It Human,” and the 2021 track “House Burn Down,” all preceding her sophomore album Hold On Baby, which entered the Top Ten of the Alternative Albums chart in 2022.

Born Mikaela Straus, the Brooklyn-based artist demonstrated prodigious talent early on, reportedly receiving a record deal at age eleven. After attending USC she departed to focus on music full time. Initial tracks such as “Send Pix” and “Sunburn” carried a bluesy rock edge that she refined for the 2018 breakthrough “1950,” a queer love anthem endorsed by Harry Styles and Halsey and issued as her first release on Mark Ronson’s Zelig Records imprint. She quickly followed with the single “Talia”; both songs appeared on the 2018 EP Make My Bed, which topped the New Zealand Heatseekers chart. Further offerings encompassed the single “Pussy Is God,” a cover of the Velvet Underground and Nico’s “Femme Fatale,” and the Fiona Apple collaboration “I Know.”

In 2019 King Princess unveiled her debut full-length Cheap Queen, which reached the Top 20 of Billboard’s Top Alternative Albums chart, and contributed to Mark Ronson’s Late Night Feelings project that same year. Subsequent stand-alone singles arrived with 2020’s “Only Time Makes It Human” and “Pain,” followed by 2021’s “House Burn Down.” After supporting tours with Kacey Musgraves and Shawn Mendes, she issued her sophomore album Hold On Baby in 2022; the set climbed to number seven on Billboard’s Top Alternative Albums chart and reunited her with Ronson alongside producers Ethan Gruska, Aaron Dessner, Tobias Jesso, Jr., and Bryce Dessner. The record featured the singles “Little Bother” with Fousheé, “For My Friends,” and “Let Us Die,” the last of which included one of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins’s final performances. In 2024 she placed “Fantastic” at number 35 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart as part of the Arcane League of Legends: Season 2 soundtrack.