Brooklyn-born singer and songwriter King Princess repurposes various modes of teen pop and neo-soul on her 2018 EP Make My Bed. After spending her childhood learning studio craft at her father’s Brooklyn recording studio, Mission Sound Recording, King Princess — aka Mikaela Straus — made her name with the 2018 release of her song “1950,” which established her as a pop musician who explores the intricacies of queer identity. Now 20 years old and the first artist signed to producer Mark Ronson’s newly established Zelig Records, King Princess has also cut an interesting cover version of Lou Reed’s song “Femme Fatale,” which bears comparison to Big Star’s 1978 rendering of the tune. She has a good eye for how class issues affect relationships, and she seems poised to take post-teen pop and neo-soul into new areas. “You’re so rich that you bought yourself a diamond chain / To look real cool while you’re telling all your friends it’s fake,” she sings in the Make My Bed track “Upper West Side.” Thursday’s show at Exit/In is sold out, but you should ask around to see if you can find a ticket or two. EDD HURT
