18 Things to Know About Jewish Singer King Princess

The queer pop star is descended from Isidor and Ida Straus, who famously died on the Titanic.

It’s been three years since King Princess debuted her first album “Cheap Queen.”

Sorry, let’s actually start again: It’s been three long, terrible years without a new album from our queer Jewish pop icon King Princess.

Thankfully, the wait is soon to be over.

In July 2022, King Princess’s second album, “Hold On Baby,” is set to debut. To put it simply, we couldn’t be more excited.

So, while we not-so-patiently refresh Spotify until the release date, let’s learn some more about this Jewish royal.

Here are 18 things to know about King Princess.

1. Mikaela Mulaney Straus AKA King Princess was born in Brooklyn in 1998 to a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother.

2. On her father’s side, she is descended from German Jewish immigrants Isidor and Ida Straus. Isidor was a co-owner of Macy’s, and the couple famously died during the sinking of the Titanic.

In a 2019 interview with Rolling Stone, King Princess said of their deaths, “They were like, ‘We’re going to die together now,'” adding, “That’s a crazy thing to say — a crunch time decision, and very my vibe.”

3. Despite misconceptions, King Princess is not an heiress to any Macy’s fortune.

“They were very rich and Jewish, [but] I didn’t inherit any of this money,” King Princess said of her great-great grandparents. “It was a little frustrating, but whatever.”

On TikTok, she added:

@kingprincess

Reply to @camdynxd 🙂

♬ Major Bag Alert (feat. Migos) – DJ Khaled

4. This is what King Princess looked like as a kid!

We love this baby Jewish gay!

5. Speaking of gay… King Princess identifies as queer and genderqueer!

Per their Instagram page, they use the pronouns “she/they/it/its.”

6. King Princess’s dad owns Mission Sound in Brooklyn!

They grew up going to visit the studio a lot and have said about music, “Since I was so young, it’s just always felt like this was it. I don’t think there was any other option or me. This is my thing.”

7. Growing up, their music inspirations were Led Zeppelin, T. Rex and Jack White.

8. Virgin Records offered to sign King Princess at age 11. However, they declined because they wanted to have creative control of their own music.

You can listen to them discuss their beginnings in the music industry here:

9. They attended high school at, and graduated from, Avenues: The World School in Manhattan.

10. King Princess moved to LA in 2016 to attend USC Thornton School of Music; however they dropped out after a year to pursue a music career.

11. Want to know how Mikaela chose the stage name King Princess? We got you:

“A friend of mine used to call me that, and it just felt right,” King Princess told Vanity Fair. “I wasn’t fully formed into my genderqueer self at the time and couldn’t comprehend all the levels — but I am a King Princess. It’s very in-between and fluid.”

12. Mark Ronson, who signed them to his label Zelig in 2018, is King Princess’s “work father.

13. King Princess’s first album “Cheap Queen” was cut at Mission Sound. Additionally, Mark Ronson stopped by to help!

“I was just like, ‘This is trippy,’” Straus told Rolling Stone. “My biological father and my work father are together and we’re all working on music? It’s very weird.”

You can listen to the full album here:

14. Though King Princess is non-practicing, a good deal of their music is influenced by religion.

For example, the songs “Pussy Is God,” “Holy” and “1950” all have references to God and religion. Just listen to “Pussy Is God” and hear for yourself:

15. King Princess has been dating Quinn Wilson, the creative director for Lizzo, since 2019.

They met after King Princess DM’ed Quinn on Instagram, “I love your work.”

Adorable!!

16. King Princess has “a kind Jewish doctor.

17. King Princess’s second studio album “Hold On Baby” will drop in July 2022!

18. The first music video “Too Bad / Cursed” has already dropped, however, and you have to see it:

Evelyn Frick

Evelyn Frick (she/they) is a writer and associate editor at Hey Alma. She graduated from Vassar College in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. In her spare time, she's a comedian and contributor for Reductress and The Onion.

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