Right off her breakthrough performance on Saturday Night Live last week, the world is waiting to discover the extent of King Princess’s glorious, eccentric and deeply unique sound.

Her goth, queer aesthetic coupled with the retro, electropop music makes for an icon in the making, and her debut album Cheap Queen is already making headwaves through the US Billboard charts. The album’s eponymous single ‘Cheap Queen’ is already a testament to the complexity of roles she assumes through her music; whether it is the ‘cheap queen’ who just makes the best of what she has or the ‘real queen’ who likes to be pampered, spoiled and put on a pedestal, King Princess employs a variety of instruments and effects to convey her personality.

What is notable about this single is how it is set to mundane, conversational tones in the background as King Princess’s silky, subdued voice slips through the light drum machines and synth tones. The specificity of her lyrics also sets her apart from her contemporaries; she does not take anything for granted or does not attempt to come across as agreeable or conventional. She owns up to her mannerisms and quirks, and that is what is so refreshing about her sound. Cheap Queen is original, idiosyncratically delightful and upbeat---and just the perfect impetus for King Princess to settle herself into everyone’s attention going forward. 

Much has been said about her growing status as a queer pop idol, and whether such a young woman should be bestowed with that title, having only released her album late October. Speaking on the pressures of being in the public eye, King Princess says, “So I guess my life is going to be a ­never-ending cycle of sadness and rebirth, and then marketing my sadness to the world,” she says. “I will keep reliving this pain over and over again.” She is now signed onto British producer extraordinaire Mark Ronson’s label Zelig Records. Hot off her performance at Saturday Night Live the past weekend, the twenty-year-old could next be seen as an opening act for former boybander Harry Styles’ European tour.

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