King Princess, the stage name for Brooklyn-native Mikaela Mullaney Straus, released her new album “Cheap Queen” on Oct. 25. It includes 13 songs about her relationship in life with the notorious L word, “love.” Some of the songs include “Ain’t Together,” “Hit the Back” and “If you Think It’s Love.” 

I am not a die-hard fan of King Princess, but I can definitely appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of her music. Even though I categorize myself as more of an alternative music follower, I have been listening to her two famous  singles “1950” and “Talia” for the entirety of this year. 

Before finding King Princess, many of the alternative songs I had been listening to were mostly appealing to me because of the instrumentals and the distinctive beats. The reason Straus’ song “1950” struck me because of how beautiful her voice was. The song focuses completely on the charm of her voice. The instruments and background music are a second-hand factor in the song. 

One of the reasons she is so successful with her music is because of her iconic indie voice combined with her alternative lyrics and instrumentals. 

Of course, her new album includes her amazing vocals, but there is more of an emphasis on the instruments and beat. A majority of the songs on this album have a sad undertone.The tune is chill, and a beat drop is not even in the equation. This tone, although not very upbeat, is needed for the listener to get a sense of her pain. 

You can tell that she created songs to emphasize the depressing aspects of her struggle with love. However, a slightly higher-pitched tone and catchy recurring beats make the listener feel her empowerment through the struggle at the same time. For example, the title song of the album “Cheap Queen” includes several lyrics that provide a sense of feminism and the importance of self confidence in lyrics like, “I am a real Queen / I can make grown men cry.” 

Overall, I think King Princess released a successful new album. I think within the 13 songs, there is a wide variety. This diversity is key to drawing in listeners because it provides different emotions song to song. Some are empowering, but others are clearly meant to just be depressing.