King Princess w/ Donna Missal
The Crocodile, Seattle, WA
07.18.18

You know you’re doing something right when you can sell out a 500-plus-person venue with just six songs on Spotify.

My first introduction to Mikaela Strauss—aka King Princess—came from a friend who asked me to come with her to the show because she already had a ticket. I’d heard one song in the past, so I figured why not, right? When I got to The Crocodile on this random Wednesday night, I was pretty shocked to see a line around the corner and a sign at the will call window that said, “Tonight’s show is SOLD OUT.”

I didn’t realize what a following King Princess had in Seattle, but after her performance, it was pretty clear how she gained her dedicated fan base.

Her show opened with Donna Missal, another stunner who popped up seemingly out of nowhere. A huge King Princess fan herself, Missal gained the crowd’s love quickly after starting her performance. With a more melodic, R&B tone to her music, her performance style was also very similar to that of powerhouses like Bishop Briggs: soft and sweet during verses, then unleashing full volume during choruses with a passion that ripped through the crowd.

King Princess is so easy to love. Strauss and her whole band were so laid-back and carefree, they gave the impression that they don’t take themselves seriously and would probably act the same performing in front of 5,000 people as 500 people. They laughed it off when the opening song got messed up, starting over to set the tone for a great night.

Between songs, Strauss told the crowd of their first gig as an actual band—at a Chanel party with Snoop Dogg, obviously—making the whole crowd laugh with the wild story.

The performance of the songs seemed effortless too. From the radio-ready pop of “Talia” to the sassy lyrics of “Upper West Side,” each song was a little different from the last, but still carried her precious indie sound.

A perfect indie-pop icon, King Princess made the most of her nine-song set that sold out The Crocodile. Short and sweet, her performance packed in all the humor, beauty, and talent that you can fit, and the crowd ate it up, cheering along the way and happily dancing to the familiar tunes.

Review and photos by Lulu Dawson

King Princess


Donna Missal