Tonight, we thrash in the name of the rock gods!
Brooklyn born Mikaela Straus aims her microphone towards the 2,000 fans at Vancouver’s iconic Queen Elizabeth Theatre as they repeat the phrase back to her. It’s the final line of a short invocation that Strauss, who performs under the moniker King Princess has demanded the audience cheer before starting her encore.
Her loyal subjects have been obeying on cue all evening long and this is no exception. And to be clear, these have not been requests. Nay, this gay royal prefers to command her subjects, and they love her well enough to do her bidding with enthusiasm.
It’s hard to believe that just an hour and a half and a trillion expletives earlier, this impetuous twenty-one-year old was seated at a piano baring her soul with the heartsick ballad “Isabel’s moment” to open her set. Much has happened since then, and it’s all been wildly entertaining.
With an infectious smile, boundless energy, quick wit, gobs of raw talent and the courage to be authentic, Strauss is winning audiences over worldwide. She is a vulnerable, brazen, and relatable superstar. During the performance she races from one side of the stage to the other, struts up and down a short staircase in front of two giant hands caressing the frame of a mirrorless mirror, tells stories like a seasoned stand-up comedienne, manhandles her guitar, and strokes the keys of her piano.
If it sounds like a bit of a spectacle, it is in the most endearing and unfiltered way imaginable. As a major bonus, she’s also an incredible musician. Good enough to attract the attention of mega-star Harry Styles and good enough to entice music legend Father John Misty to lend his chops to one of her tracks. Good enough to have been taking label meetings at the tender age of eleven and good enough to be almost entirely self produced.
Her music shows how love, lust, heart-break and all the rest of it evoke the same emotions regardless of sexual orientation, but at the same time she also manages to convey how being queer throughout history and even in this day and age comes with a unique set of challenges.
I find myself surprised at how rock oriented her live performance is considering her recorded works have a more tender, pop focused vibe. Given the context of her pre encore mantra and the way she ended the evening trying mightily to destroy a drum kit, I’m secretly hoping that she’ll set out to conquer the spirited realm of rock in the future. At the same time, I have no doubt she’ll end up doing exactly what she wants and whatever that may be, is likely to impress.
The moral of this story is King Princess Rules.
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