[News] Queer Artist King Princess Unveils Two Songs from Upcoming Album 'Hold On Baby'
King Princess unveils two new songs today, “Too Bad”— which premiered yesterday as a Hottest Record on Radio 1 Future Sounds—and “Cursed,” alongside a double video directed by Quinn Wilson. The new tracks are taken from her forthcoming sophomore album, Hold On Baby, out July 29 via Zelig Records/Columbia Records—pre-order/pre-save it here—and follow previously shared album offerings “For My Friends” and “Little Bother” featuring Fousheé.
This summer, King Princess will embark on The Hold On Baby Tour, a North American run of headline dates with stops at several historic venues—see full routing below and visit kingprincessmusic.com for more information.
Additionally, King Princess is the cover star of Rolling Stone’s June digital issue, which praises her as an “indie-pop visionary” who “exudes a rock-star persona as purely savage as anyone in her generation”—see here.
King Princess produced Hold On Baby alongside Mark Ronson, Ethan Gruska, Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, Dave Hamelin, Shawn Everett and Tobias Jesso Jr., with further contributions from Zach Fogarty, Amy Allen and Fousheé.
King Princess says:
“I’ve only ever written about heartbreak. It felt easier to talk about myself through other people. To write about situations that caused me pain, and to use them to justify my own anxieties and depression. It finally reached a point where I had to turn the barrel on myself. I’m silly, I’m anxious, I’m sad, I’m sexy. I didn’t want to be scared to talk about those things anymore. The infinite dichotomy of things that make me up. I’m not a girl, not quite a boy, a lesbian, but also gay as the day is long.”
“I’m not one thing. I’m not sure I like myself, but I’m figuring it out. Hold On Baby is a search for a new heartbreak. It’s a love letter to my girlfriend. It’s a firm read of myself. And it’s a reminder of the totems in my life that give me hope; my dog who is my fiercest companion and the owl that represents my grandparents.”
“I want this album to give you all some strength in accepting ourselves; as chaotic as we can be. It’s not easy being alive and I feel indebted to you all for providing me air to breathe in this insane world. That’s what King Princess has always been about at its core. Making a home for us to feel safe and weird and messy and imperfect. You are not alone in your feelings. I bet you I feel and have felt the same. This album is for anyone who needs a sanctuary to be vulnerable. I’m here with you, and I love you.”
Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, King Princess is a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer whose debut single, an ode to untold queer histories titled “1950,” became an overnight smash hit with over 560 million streams to date and eventually achieving Platinum status in the United States and Australia. Her debut album Cheap Queen was released in 2019 via Mark Ronson’s Zelig Records/Columbia Records to widespread critical acclaim from The New York Times, Pitchfork, NPR, Rolling Stone and others, and she has performed on “Saturday Night Live” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Her sold-out tours have taken her across the world with festival sets at Coachella, Glastonbury, Governors Ball and Bonnaroo and landed her on the cover of V Magazine, GQ Style UK, Highsnobiety and more.
KING PRINCESS LIVE
July 5 Vancouver, BC Queen Elizabeth Theatre*
July 6 Seattle, WA Paramount*
July 8 Forest Grove, OR Grand Lodge*
July 9 Boise, ID Revolution*
July 12 Denver, CO Mission Ballroom*
July 13 Salt Lake City, UT Union Event Center*
July 15 Berkeley, CA Greek Theatre*
July 16 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre*
July 18 San Diego, CA SOMA*
July 19 Phoenix, AZ Van Buren*
July 21 Austin, TX Stubb’s Amphitheater*
July 22 Houston, TX House of Blues*
July 23 Dallas, TX House of Blues*
July 25 Kansas City, MO Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland*
July 26 St. Louis, MO The Factory at The District*
September 28 Charlotte, NC The Fillmore†
September 30 Philadelphia, PA The Fillmore†
October 3 New York, NY Radio City Music Hall†
October 5 Boston, MA Roadrunner†
October 6 Portland, ME State Theatre†
October 8 Toronto, ON HISTORY†
October 9 Detroit, MI The Fillmore†
October 11 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE†
October 12 Cleveland, OH Agora Theatre†
October 14 Madison, WI The Sylvee†
October 15 St. Paul, MN Palace Theatre†
* with Dora Jar
† with St. Panther