King Princess

Historically, Mikaela Straus wasn’t a dancer. It always seemed too intimidating, too feminine—especially for a gender-fluid person who once joked that she only liked her breasts 49 percent of the time. But eventually she realised dancing didn’t just have to be sexy. It could be funny; it could be humble. After that, things opened up. “I feel like in becoming King Princess and, like, touring and doing all this new shit that is out of my comfort zone, I’ve really learned to become the woman I always wanted to be,” she told Apple Music. A strong songwriter with a classic pop sensibility, yes. But also an ambassador for queerness in a culture still adjusting to what queerness means. Born in Brooklyn in December 1998, Straus used to follow her recording-engineer father to work, learning the full spectrum of band instruments (bass, guitar, drums, keyboards) alongside the rudiments of production. Her first singles, “1950” and “Talia”, were viral sensations, but also belied a sense of musicality that ran from modern pop and R&B back through the sensuality of classic rock and soul—a blend explored further on 2019’s Cheap Queen. She’s said that she’s proud to give the kids good queer art. But now when she dances, the affirmation she gets hits twofold: She’s a performer, but she’s also a person. Or, in her words, “loved and admired for being this thing that isn’t really definable”.