Brooklyn, NY · pop-rock · indie pop

King Princess

1 upcoming festival

Swaggering queer pop-rock auteur — torch-song vocals, glam guitar, and arena-sized hooks about messy love, '1950' still the calling card.

King Princess is the recording name of Mikaela Straus, a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Brooklyn. She grew up around her father's recording studio and began releasing music in the late 2010s; the single "1950", which took its title and subject from queer history and Patricia Highsmith's The Price of Salt, brought her early attention.

Her music sits between pop and guitar rock, built on slow-burning melodies, layered harmony vocals and glam-inflected guitar, with lyrics that deal frankly with desire and difficult relationships. She has been openly queer throughout her career and has spoken about writing from that perspective. Live, she typically performs with a band and plays guitar herself.

pop-rockindie pop