King Princess: Tiny Desk Concert
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Published 2022-11-02
There is a sly, casual sense of humor that permeates the music of Mikaela Mullaney Straus, who writes and performs as King Princess. Her songs mix the emotions of crushing love and lust with playful asides of self-deprecation, all of which make for a unique, self-assured style. And that self-assuredness is on full display in the indie pop singer's Tiny Desk concert, featuring King Princess performing three songs from her most recent album, Hold On Baby.
Lyrics like, "You look the same. Did you stop smoking weed? Or trying to please your dad?" from the opening "Cursed" — an ode to the difficulties of encountering an old, toxic friend — burn a little brighter in the naked, largely acoustic sound of King Princess' set. Partway through the next song, the loving "Winter is Hopeful," explicitly inspired by the artist's girlfriend, she takes a beat to laugh at a set of bar chimes being rung to perfection. "I love that," she says, before returning to sing, her voice vibrating with a soulful urgency.
"If you're feeling saucy today, you can join in with the band," King Princess says before her finale, "Let Us Die," a punchy, fuzzed-out pop-rock song on the record that transforms here into a guitar-strummed jam session. "If the only way to love you is to let us die," she sings, her lyrics pulling together images of a break-up that's like a car driven off a cliff, poison-drinking and fingers stuck in sockets, "I will if I have to." Is this girl for real? If the gut-punching confidence with which King Princess sings here is any indication, yes, she is.
SET LIST
"Cursed"
"Winter is Hopeful"
"Let Us Die"
MUSICIANS
King Princess: vocals, acoustic guitar
Antoine Fadavi: drums
Kaela Sinclair: keyboards, vocals
Logan McQuade: bass
Zack Page: guitar
Asaf Rodeh: guitar, vocals
DJ Balint-Dickson: percussion
TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Bob Boilen
Director/Editor: Maia Stern
Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin
Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Michael Zamora, Elizabeth Gillis
Audio Assistant: Natasha Branch
Production Assistant: Jill Britton
Tiny Desk Team: Suraya Mohamed, Marissa Lorusso, Hazel Cills, Kara Frame, Ashley Pointer
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann
#nprmusic #tinydesk #kingprincess
All Comments (21)
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Want to play your own Tiny Desk concert? Unsigned musicians, enter the 2024 Tiny Desk Contest between Jan. 23 and Feb. 21. Learn more: npr.org/tinydeskcontest.
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For my girlfriend’s birthday a week ago we were torn between seeing KP in Austin vs Fletcher in Minneapolis. We chose Fletcher because we have seen KP three times already and we live in Texas and were wanting to travel further. On our way home we had a layover at the airport in Austin, we literally ran into KP. She was the nicest person, stopped to talk to us and let us fangirl and take pictures. Super dope human.
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This live version of “cursed” has a timeless feel to it, miles different from the studio one.
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She transforms her songs when she sings them live. It's a whole different energy and it's spectacular. Highly recommend seeing her in concert!
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And shoutout to the keyboardist with those pitch-perfect harmonies.
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I loved her tiny desk at home during the pandemic and I am so glad you brought her in for REAL. She is incredible.
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i love how at 5:55 they all just sprang to life synchronized
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Ridiculously well earned Tiny Desk. An incredible performer.
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Was here for 1950 but The performance was flawless! Absolutely new fav tracks!
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4:46 Anyone who plays in a band can tell that nothing indicates better that you're nailing the song than when a band members makes this face like the dude with the white telecaster
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We just saw her on tour. Amazing concert; one of the best I've ever seen. She's a great performer, and it's really cool seeing hard she rocks in the Tiny Desk format, too.
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The warmth of this tiny desk is just remarkable 💗
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Incredibly talented and likeable. One of my favourite artists. This performance of Winter is Hopeful blew me away. Such beautiful vocals.
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Obsessed with this, she's even better live
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This was really good. Quinn is a lucky woman. Beautiful lyrics
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Wow incredible! This made me love her so much more. Her voice!! Her chilllness! Her song about Quinn 😭😭😭😭
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I wish she would record an acoustic version of some of her songs including Cursed. This was ❤️🔥!
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need an acoustic album ASAP
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Love the 90’s altrock vibe so much 🌹💜✨ new fave for when i crochet in the dark autumn evenings by my window when it’s raining outside
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KP is an absolute rockstar. Catching a show on this tour was the best decision.
