This next artist on the Top 31 first came to me as a suggestion from a friend (hi Tim!) while in the midst of creating last year’s countdown. At the time, Mikaela Mullaney Straus, otherwise known by the name King Princess, had only released a great single and an EP, which disqualified her from being featured that year. But this year, she continued down her path to greatness by releasing the wonderful album Cheap Queen.

Straus first won me over with her song “Pussy is God” which is about exactly what you think it’s about. This was my first taste of what she could do, and I loved it. It was fun and sexy, the video is irreverent, and she lays everything out for you right there. That was November 2018. Fast forward to January 2020, and Sraus’s full-length debut, Cheap Queen, has been out now for three months, and she’s already performed as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live.

She grew up in Brooklyn, and her direct yet playful style feels very “east coast” to my west coast ears. Interestingly, according to Wikipedia, her paternal great-great-grandparents died on the Titanic. She only turned 21 back in December, and is already near the top of the world. Her music is a bit slow compared to other indie pop darlings I’ve been drawn to, but it goes well with Straus’s lower-register, sultry voice. Full of catchy hooks, Cheap Queen’s main storyline seems to be all about break up and recovery. How personally true that is for her is unknown to me, but it makes for a good foundation upon which to layer some music.

I anticipate great things from Straus. So far she’s proven that she’s not a one-hit wonder. Here’s to hoping she’s not a one-album wonder, either.

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14. Anima by Thom Yorke
15. Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Parts 1 + 2 by Foals
16. Gallipoli by Beirut
17. My Finest Work Yet by Andrew Bird
18. Four of Arrows by Great Grandpa
19. Designer by Aldous Harding
20. Norman Fucking Rockwell! by Lana Del Rey
21. Our Pathetic Age by DJ Shadow
22. Juice B Crypts by Battles
23. Pony by Orville Peck
24. Hyperspace by Beck
25. Eraserland by Strand of Oaks
26. Dogrel by Fontaines DC
27. You’re the Man by Marvin Gaye
28. Big Wows by Stealing Sheep
29. 1000 gecs by 100 gecs
30. In the Morse Code of Brake Lights by The New Pornographers
31. Radiant Dawn by Operators

Subscribe to the 2019 Bacon Top 31 Apple Music playlist
2009-2018 Top 31s