King Princess
King Princess delivered thrills and authenticity to a sold out, all ages performance at Music Box on her rise to claim the throne of pop stardom.
I arrived curbside to the line of inspired faces of kids awaiting to be released from the shackles of a Monday and meet their new American Idol. Whether they had heard of her via the Harry Styles tweet or association with mega hit producer Mark Ronson, I felt like I was about to witness something truly special… or that could have been the humidity + 3 shots of tequila hitting the blood stream.
Coming in hot, the opening act Donna Missal, fresh off tour with Bishop Briggs, entranced the audience with her slippery, gypsy dance moves and powerful vocal chops! After a delightfully nostalgic cover of Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn”, Donna turned up the dial to 11 and blasted out an amazing finale which had everyone wondering if the female Steven Tyler had just jumped on stage!
Where on the pop spectrum will King Princess come across? Will this be more in the vein of Courtney Barnett or Amy Winehouse? After taking the stage in blue jean overalls and numerous drags of her e-cig, it kinda felt like both!
While attempting to not spill my beer from the 3rd floor balcony (or “poshy penthouse”) on the crowd of eager fans, I had to get deeper into the action! This was the curtain call of her tour and last chance to see King Princess in this intimate of a venue before she goes on to festivals and arenas.
Once the opening snaps of “Talia” drop, the crowd immediately knew every word and arm gesture. Her vocal performance from beginning to end is FLAWLESS. Identifying as a genderqueer (neither female nor male), her lyrics truly spoke to all humans.
To dissipate the celebrity worship glaze of her fans, she struck up casual convo mixed in with playful expressions of “Hey Bitches” (re-claiming the derogatory term in the name of femininity) to build bridges of connection and welcoming everyone to get out from under their screens and be a part of real community in the flesh.
This isn’t just another YouTube sensation or Insta-famous wannabe; King Princess is a legendary talent who is the voice for a pre-millennial generation of tolerance, equality and love!
BLOWN AWAY!