Taken from this week’s Future Pop mailer. Click here to subscribe.
When Mark Ronson decides to champion an artist, he doesn’t do it half-heartedly. King Princess, the first signing to his new Columbia imprint Zelig Records, has a complete takeover of his Twitter profile right now – even the photo and bio. It might seem a bit OTT, but I’d do the same if I’d signed someone this special. King Princess is the stage name of New York singer, songwriter and producer Mikaela Strauss. Her androgynous look and lyrics about queer love might seem “on trend” but her sound is simple and timeless. Debut single 1950 is a charming, tender ballad that showcases her beautiful voice. Its message will resonate with a new generation with progressive views on gender, who still aren’t used to hearing them reflected in music marketed to their age group, and that should be a winning combination. 1950 is her only official release, but there are a couple more equally lovely songs on Soundcloud, and I love this old one on YouTube. I had to take a screengrab when I saw she only had one monthly listener on Spotify – I’m certain it won’t stay like that for long.