Long live King Princess.

Ahead of her UK festival debut at Glastonbury last week, King Princess brought a stunning set to O2 Forum wowing the London crowd in true pop royalty style. Upgraded from Heaven having sold-out in just half an hour, ‘excited’ doesn’t even cover the mood and atmosphere in the room that night.

A megastar in the making, King Princess’ name has been on everyone’s lips since the release of her 2018 breakthrough single, 1950. Dropping banger after banger, she’s continued to build buzz with her critically acclaimed Make My Bed EP, and is now ready to release her debut album for Mark Ronson’s Zelig Records and Columbia Records, expected later this year. With a wide range of musical talents, hypnotic stage presence, and undeniable charm, there is no doubt that Mikaela will dominate airwaves in the next coming months. Her London’s show surely proved that, further cementing her status as one of the most progressive and visionary acts on the scene right now.

Having the crowd in the palm of her hand from the very start, King Princess kicked things off with her latest single Cheap Queen, preceded by the interlude Useless Phrases. With a dreamy quality to it, the sleek beats mixed with a blissful synth infusion worked wonders, allowing her warm vocals to glide over the track. Leaving an impression of shyness at first, it was quickly gone as the audience burst into welcoming cheers and loud singalongs, and she started oozing with confidence and determination.

Everything King Princess does is effortless. From engaging with her audience, to floating between songs with such grace, to totally owning the stage, the show she delivered was truly heartfelt and captivating. Spinning some of fan favourites, Upper West Side had everyone swaying along to its soothing melodies, whilst Pussy Is God brought vibrant textures and her brazen attitude to the forefront. Exclaiming: “I am so fucking hungover”, her sincere and authentic side shone once more as she moved on with the set.

Giving us a taste of her forthcoming new album, King Princess treated us to couple of unreleased songs. The brutally honest slow-burner, Tough On Myself took things down a notch, and Maybe It Will Change followed in the similar vein with a delicate guitar strum and her subtle vocals taking centre stage. Explaining: “This album is full of sadness and friendship”, the melancholic tone took over for a while, but without ever losing the passion and intensity of her music.

Elsewhere in the set, the queer love bop 1950 held the crowd spellbound with its ethereal gentle harmonies, whilst Talia went down as an absolute live hit. Mesmerising with its blend of crisp production and heartbreaking, sun-kissed hooks, the post-breakup anthem had the crowd singing at the top of their lungs. Giving a shout-out to the special guest in the audience, Mark Ronson before playing Pieces Of Us, which features on his new album Late Night Feelings, made the crowd even more enthusiastic about the encore. Finishing off her triumphant set with the track Ohio, it was clear that London fell head over the heels for King Princess.

With her earnest approach, palpable authenticity, and sparkling relatable sentiment that fills her songs to the brim, it’s safe to say that the future of pop music lies in good hands. Because King Princess is set to reign over for a very long time.

Photos: Kasia Osowiecka