King Princess in 'Listen Up' for Porter Edit June 29, 2020 by Quinn Whitney Wilson

Porter Edit’s June 29, 2020 issue taps King Princess, whose first album ‘Cheap Queen’ made her an “unapologetic queer hero”. The singer, songwriter and producer is interviewed by Amelia Abraham on the timely topic of being a “passionate advocate for the transgender and Black Lives Matter movements.”

Girlfriend Quinn Whitney Wilson, filmmaker and creative director for Lizzo, captures King Princess, aka Mikaela Strauss, at her mom’s house in Hawaii. Porter Edit chooses Agolde, Andersson Bell, Christopher Esber, Gucci, Orseund Iris Soon and more for the fashion shoot.

After the Zoom interview, the duo returned to LA to join the post-George Floyd murder. Wilson is from Minneapolis and Strauss New York.

King Princess on using her queer identity for activism

“Ideally, I would like to not be viewed as a queer artist, and rather just a bomb musician. It just shouldn’t preface my art in the same way that it shouldn’t for anyone who is living and existing with an identity that’s other than cis white male. But right now, with everything that is going on in the world, it is important I use that queer identity as a positive, to be like: ‘I’m queer, I’m also in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and I’m not going to be complacent about racism.’ Because I have the ability to speak directly to the queer people who follow me and say: ‘We need to unify. Yes, we are an oppressed group, but it doesn’t justify us being complacent in somebody else’s oppression.’”

Strauss argues that the most important focus for Pride in 2020 should be celebrating and supporting people of color. As a reminder, she reminds us that trans women of color led 1969 The Stonewall Riots in New York.

In case both individuals and business executives need reminding, Strauss adds:

“All fashion houses and all clothing lines are influenced by trans culture and Black culture,” she adds. “There would be none of this eleganza without the ball scene.”

King Princess and Gucci

King Princess has a developing synergy with Gucci, working with Lil Nas X and Jane Fonda on its new sustainable collection Off the Grid. The interview has lots more meat on the bone, but we leave Strauss on this love note. Read on at Porter Edit.