Mikaela Straus, better known by her stage name King Princess, has garnered a lot of attention since the release of her single “1950” back in February of 2018. She has also gained a large following by fans who appreciate her transparency when it comes to her sexuality. Straus is openly gay and has said time and time again that gender identity and sexual orientation plays a big part in the creation of her music.
Despite her relatively new career, Straus is not new to the world of music. Her father, Oliver Straus, is a producer and the owner of Brooklyn’s Mission Sound studio; a place where Straus spent much of her childhood. As a young girl, she met artists such as Missy Elliott, Matt & Kim, Arctic Monkeys, and Sia (among many others).
When it came time for college, Straus uprooted to Los Angeles where she studied music at the University of Southern California and began writing what would become her EP’s first single, “1950.” The song was inspired by Patricia Highsmith’s book, The Price of Salt, which is about a lesbian love story.
A year into college, Straus dropped out and began to focus on writing her EP Make My Bed. It was this EP that caught the attention of producer Mark Ronson. Straus had had offers to sign with labels in the past, but it wasn’t until she met with Ronson that she decided to sign with his new label, Zelig Records—making her the first artist on the label.
Currently, Straus is on tour. Many of her shows are sold out, which is pretty wild considering she has yet to release a full-length album. She has over 7 million monthly listeners on Spotify and her videos on Youtube have over 14 million views!
Be sure to listen to 101X this week for a chance to win tickets to her sold out show at Emo’s and for more tour information, check out her official website!
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