All hail the king. King Princess appeared on The Late Show to showcase her new single, “RIP KP.” The evocative track is the first listen from the musician’s forthcoming third album, Girl Violence, out Sept. 12.
Performing with her live band, King Princess, a.k.a. Mikaela Straus, offered an impassioned rendition of the song, which included a rollicking guitar solo and borderline NSFW cherry artwork. An official music video for the track will arrive later today.
Girl Violence is a follow-up to 2022’s Hold on Baby, King Princess’ acclaimed sophomore effort. The album included bombastic single “Let Us Die,” a collaboration with late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. “Taylor wasn’t only down to play on the song, but he was also the most encouraging and wonderful presence during that session,” the musician told fans. “I started sobbing at one point and Mark couldn’t stop smiling. I have never felt so lucky. Taylor made this song what it is, and I can’t wait for you to hear it.”
Since the release of Hold on Baby, King Princess has been pursuing an acting career alongside making her new album. She is part of the cast of the second season of Nine Perfect Strangers, airing now on Hulu, and she will star in Song Sung Blue alongside Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson later this year.
“You know when you’re a little kid and you’re doing plays in the mirror?” King Princess recently explained of acting in a conversation for Interview. “All of a sudden, I felt like that again. I love music, but it’s a bit different. A lot rides on you. In acting, you’re part of a huge machine working to make this piece of art. It can be really freeing, I think.”
She added, “Music has been my North Star since I was a little kid—I always knew I was going to be a musician. With anything that becomes monetized, it goes from being something you do for passion in your bedroom to something that you’re now trying to one-up yourself in how successful or profitable it could be. I became victim to the age-old thing at some point where I was like, ‘This isn’t fun anymore.’ That’s when the acting thing came about, god bless.”
