King Princess

Words: Tess Gionet / Photos: Kenneth Coles

King Princess performed for the first time in Portland, and we were ready for her. The crowd was young, queer, and eager, pushing their way to fill the standing section long before King Princess went onstage. When she does appear, crooning out a pitch-perfect opener (Little Bother) the crowd punctuates the pauses between beat drops with wild screams. They’ve clearly been listening to her new album, Hold On Baby, on repeat, and they don’t hold back from letting her know.

King Princess eats it up. Though she admits before performing Dotted Line that she hates the music industry, “I got a lot to regret. Like dotted lines that I signed at seventeen”. But it’s clear she genuinely loves performing. 

She checks on the crowd often, peering at the back seats, “You guys ok? You look…stoic.” then flirts with a sexy wave to the middle section, and jumps off stage more than once to show appreciation for her die-hard fans up front. Eventually, security nearly body-checks a girl and King Princess sticks to the stage after that but promises to sign a fan’s boobs after the show.

It would be easy for King Princess to get away with a mediocre performance using her charm and a strong band behind her, but it turns out her voice in real life is every bit as good as on her records. She hits sweet highs and dips down to her signature rasp like it’s nothing. It’s hard to believe she’s only 23. 

Her band compliments her talent. It’s their thirteenth week on tour, and their sound is tight with clean drops and relaxed coordination throughout the night. The effect is an effortlessly cool vibe; just rehearsed enough. While transitions between songs weren’t always the smoothest, KP didn’t seem bothered by it, taking the time to tell stories to the crowd, “I used to come to Portland to get good weed and visit a Dyke bar.”

By the end of the night, the crowd is clamoring for her hits, and she finally gives in with Talia. Everyone’s ecstatic –the girl in front of me pours beer in my eye while jumping up and down– but it’s the only song of the night that feels tired. It’s clear the band would rather be showing off KP’s new material, when it’s as good as it is, I can see why. Hopefully, Portland will see King Princess again soon, and not just for our good weed. 

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