King Princess has skyrocketed into popularity in the past year and on Oct. 25, she finally decided to bless us with her debut album, Cheap Queen. After the 2018 release of Make My Bed, which featured heavy pop influences, this album’s funky sound came as quite a surprise for her fans. Despite the dramatic sound change, King Princess’ lyrical inspiration from her first EP can still be seen in the songs of her new album.
- “Holy” → “Prophet”
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Honey, on your knees when you look at me
I’m dressed like a fucking queen
And you’re begging, “please”
King Princess is admittedly a lover of religious imagery in her songs. We saw it in “Holy” and in “1950”, so it’s no surprise that “Prophet” exudes the same kind of energy. She’s mentioned in interviews how as an LGBTQ+ artist, she finds it powerful to use religious imagery in her music — especially songs that talk about sex.
Can’t step off it, someone else will cop it
Like it’s gold, you’re a prophet
…
I can only think about you
And what it’s like to walk around you
The main difference between the two songs is who is depicted as the “heavenly figure” in the songs. In “Holy,” King Princess was portrayed as a powerful goddess, while in “Prophet,” the significant other in the song is who portrayed as a heavenly figure. The act of putting up her S.O. on a pedestal seems to be a staple of Cheap Queen, as most of the album follows the story of heartbreak.
- “1950” → Homegirl
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I like it when we play 1950
So bold, make them know that you’re with me
Stone cold, will you miss me?
Although “1950” was mentioned above, the connection between the EP and the album that I feel is more relevant is in her lyrics about hiding queer relationships and unrequited queer love. “1950,” as a whole, features a lot of historical context and significance and references an intense version of being forced to hide queer romance in public.
You don’t have to say it
We’re friends at the party, I’ll give you my body at home
On the other hand, in “Homegirl,” a hidden romance or unrequited love was followed throughout the song. In the song, it seems that it’s more of pressure from within the relationship than from the general public like it is depicted “1950.”
- “Talia” → “Isabel’s Moment”
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Hey, my love
I buried you a month or two ago
I keep thinking that you’re standing on my floor
That you’re waiting there for me
When researching for this article, I came across a comment that said “Isabel’s Moment is the new Talia” and I honestly have never agreed more. Both songs are about being haunted by a lost loved one — whether they’re lost from a break-up or from unfortunate circumstances, however, is unclear.
And your clothes are still in my drawers
Like you’re haunting my home
I’d be amazed if you walked through those doors
Like “Hey, how’s it going?”
But you haven’t come over.
King Princess is currently touring the U.S. in support of her debut album Cheap Queen, which is available on Spotify and Apple Music. I 100% recommend saving her album and EP into your music library and pressing play.