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GRAMMYs

King Princess

Photo by Jacklyn Krol for The Recording Academy

News
King Princess On Remixing Meryl Streep's Scream king-princess-talks-working-master-sound-mark-ronson-remixing-meryl-streeps-big-little

King Princess Talks Working With "Master Of Sound" Mark Ronson & Remixing Meryl Streep's 'Big Little Lies' Shriek

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"'Mary-Luiz (Plz Plz),' honey, is going to be the next theme song for 'Big Little Lies,'" the rising singer/songwriter/producer tells the Recording Academy before her Thursday night Lollapalooza set
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Aug 2, 2019 - 9:55 am

If you haven't heard of King Princess, aka 20-year-old Mikaela Straus yet, it's a great time to get to know the rising pop singer/songwriter/producer. Her debut album, Cheap Queen, is due out this fall on Zelig Records, Mark Ronson's label, and she was featured on Ronson's recently released breakup album, Late Night Feelings. The child of engineer Oliver Straus (Melissa Etheridge, P!nk), King Princess practically grew up in the studio, and as a result is learning to trust her intuition when it comes to her own work. 

Working with Ronson, the seven-time GRAMMY-winning superproducer, has been a major confidence-booster, too. "[I've learned] that my instincts are probably right," she exclusively tells the Recording Academy before her Thursday night Lollapalooza set. "I think that [Ronson] is really respectful of the fact that I have the perspective of a young, queer woman and I'm a young person. That meant the world to me."

Below, King Princess sits down with the Recording Academy to chat about her forthcoming debut, recording at Rick Rubin's famous Shangri-La studio, her love of crafting dance tracks from all kinds of strange sounds (one of the most recent is Meryl Streep's now-iconic Big Little Lies shriek), her dream collaboration and more.

Let’s go miss Lolla <3 wearing a custom lil fit based on my parent 92’ Lolla shirt pic.twitter.com/qoaWARkflo

— King Princess (@KingPrincess69) August 2, 2019

You're about to perform here at Lolla. How are you feeling?

I feel really good. I've been playing shows a f**k ton this year, and it feels like these moments like Lolla, Coachella, Gov Ball, just like really make me emotional. Because these are the big ones. You dream about this, and you hear about your parents going, and my family's from up in L.A., so Coachella for them was a huge deal. Gov Ball was huge for me. It's really like, those are the moments you're like, "Oh, man."

That's awesome. Living the dream. 

No, it's truly, truly living the dream. I have amazing slots, and the stages have been great, and everything's great.

What are you most looking forward to about the festival?

I am most looking forward to my show, and then probably walking around and seeing some other people. Because I love to have those moments after your show where you're like, "I did it, bitch. Let's go walk around, take a breather. Enjoy the festival.

You also performed at a Lolla Aftershow last night, correct?

I did a venue show at Thalia Hall. The sound was amazing, and the kids were like f**king losing it. It was just so much fun. Cautious Clay opened for me, who I'm a huge fan of. I was just like, "What a great way to kick off the weekend." Pretty much a practice for what's going to go down on stage.

Do you have a different approach for a festival stage versus a more intimate venue?

Yeah. I feel like any time you play something like this, you just have to account for the fact that you're outdoors, and you're at a festival where most people are drunk, and moving around. It's a different energy you really project, in a way outside, that you don't even have to in an intimate space. Because people are paying to watch you, they're paying to stand there at your specific show. It's more like you're winning attention at a festival, which I like because it's a challenge. It's a challenge to play really good and have your band be really tight. 

What's your biggest hope or vision when you come off the stage in a few hours?

Just that, like, everyone who watches it, whether it's on the internet, or live, is just so thrilled to have seen it, and like they saw a great show that day. Because it's like the worst when you want to go see someone and then you don't feel compelled. I love my band, and I love the way we play live. People seem to be really like happy and pleased to have seen us afterward. That's all I care about it. I just care that they like it. That's all I care about it. 

I really liked your feature on Mark Ronson's album. What was it like working with him, and on that project?

Him and I have a really interesting relationship, because I think he probably thought that I was more of an artist and less of a producer. It turns out I'm probably more of a producer and less of an artist. I think my brain functions in the studio like a producer's. It's just like working with him, is like sometimes we butt heads, and sometimes we clash because I'm like an apprentice producer under him. That's kind of like our relationship.

He's a master of sound. So, we get in these weird tiffs about how long he takes to get the perfect sound. I'm just like making everything so fast, and he's like, "No, b**ch. You have to wait, get everything right." Which I appreciate because it teaches me how to slow down and really take time to make something because then you get a record like his record that sounds tailored.

So, that song that we wrote ... I wrote a couple songs, and he was like, "They're not good enough, not good enough," and I'm like, "F**k you." Then I sat down, it was like 3:00 am at [Rick Rubin's] Shangri-La, and I wrote that song with my engineer, Mike, on the piano, in this big white room. I wrote it, and I was like stoned as balls. I was like, "Mark, I think I got it." I played it for him, and he was like, "Yep." That was the biggest challenge, just being like, you know, "It is your record, you produce it." 

What was the biggest thing you learned from working with Mark, so far?

That my instincts are probably right. It's like I think that he is really respectful of the fact that I have the perspective of a young, queer woman, and I'm a young person. He's just always been like, "That's the sh*t that people listen to." People listen to "1950" because you feel like you're in my shoes, and that's a hard thing to do when you're trying to appeal to a demographic of people who are completely different from you. He was just like, "I felt it." That meant the world to me, just hearing that my instincts about my production and sounds were right.

Do you have another favorite song from Mark's album? 

"Why Hide" with Diana Gordon. It's like the most beautiful song, I think, on the record.

Do you have any other dream collabs you want to speak out and manifest?

I've been saying this a lot, but I want a song with Jack White. I don't know. Somebody should make that happen one day.

How'd you come up with your artist name?

When I was young, it was like, I didn't even realize the true meaning of it. Because I feel like it was just something we kind of joked around about. Like in the studio with my friend, Doug, he'd always call me "King Princess." Later in life, I was like, I just cannot believe that my young self created a name and a concept that was so beyond where I was at with my gender, and my sexuality at that point. Then to look back, and be like, "That is me, I'm the intersection of these two things, these two extremes."

I love that. I feel like our young selves are—

More intuitive than we think, right?

Right. You've put out other music this year, some really great songs, including the title track for your upcoming album. What's your main hope for this album?

That it's just a great album start to finish. All the songs are different in different ways, but the production and my voice is the through-line. I really want people to listen through start to finish, and listen to the story when I'm singing, and the words. Because as much as I love production, it's like production is just kind of like the clothes that are worn by the lyrics. Really my goal is to have everything feel like it was meant to be. There's fast songs, there's slow songs, and all this other good sh*t on there. There are songs that are more conceptual, and songs that are pop songs, and that's kind of how I write, I just let it come out. 

Are you producing, or co-producing, on the album?

Yeah, I produced the whole thing. My co-producer is my engineer, but I produce everything. A couple people came by and helped out on songs. My friend Tim Anderson helped produce "Prophet." My friend Tao has a song on the record. He's a really talented producer, young and grew up in the studio with Mark, kind of, a little bit these last few years. He was around for that whole thing, so it was just really cool that people in my direct community worked on the record.

What's your favorite part of the collaborative process?

When you call someone you know would be good at something and just say, "Hey, can you come in and do your work, do what you do?" I think the problem with collaborations is when you end up overextending yourself, and neither party has a specific thing to give. I love bringing in people very specifically, like, my band when I need somebody to come play a ripping guitar solo, like I'll get Jonah to come out and play.

When I really want some incredible live instrumentation, Mark sets up a session with Tommy and the Dap-Kings for me. That sh*t is really special. My friend Tobias Jesso, Jr. sang on a song. That was like a real last minute, like "I need you to come sing on this thing. I need your help." He just came and f**king killed it.

Last question. I can't not ask about the Meryl Streep scream techno. What inspired that? Are you going to make more techno-leaning tracks?

I have so many [remixes], on SoundCloud. I have a whole folder full, it's called "Remixes." My music is so sad and serious, that there needs to be some sort of creative output that's funny, and gives me joy, and makes my friends laugh. This was this thing that I started to do, that I was just like, "This would be so f**king funny." It started with a "Jesus Take the Wheel" remix that I've actually never leaked. I meant to put that one out. So, the first one was a "Jesus Take the Wheel" remix. It goes very hard. I was reinventing these stories that these songs told. I love to do that such a thing. With Meryl, that one for me was just like, the minute I saw that scene, I was like, "That's my next remix." The scream is incredible, tonally. "Mary-Luiz (Plz Plz)," honey, is going to be the next theme song for Big Little Lies. 

 

Adia Victoria On Making 'Silences' & The Pain & Love Behind "Different Kind Of Love"

GRAMMYs

FKJ at Lolla 2019

Photo by Daniel Mendoza / The Recording Academy

News
FKJ On Improvising "Tadow" With Masego looping-guru-fkj-talks-improvising-tadow-masego-being-melting-pot

Looping Guru FKJ Talks Improvising "Tadow" With Masego & Being "A Melting Pot"

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"Many people just have their own culture, and they stay in their environment. But I don't really have my own culture. I just move everywhere," the French multi-instrumentalist tells the Recording Academy on-site at Lollapalooza 2019
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Aug 2, 2019 - 11:28 am

If you've heard "Tadow," the chill-house 2018 track that served as a breakthrough for both of its collaborators, Masego and FKJ, you already have a sense of the latter artist's love of electronic sounds with a healthy dose of experimental jazz. FKJ, which stands for "French Kiwi Juice," has an appreciation for a lot of music—an exploration that began at a young age digging through his parents' music collection.

"[My] first interaction to music was my parents' libraries. my mom is French, my dad is from New Zealand; there was a lot of English rock, Queen, Pink Floyd, The Police. There was a lot of '70s rock, Led Zeppelin. And then some jazz or Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis. And then a little bit of French music, but not too much, like Serge Gainsbourg," he tells the Recording Academy at Lollapalooza 2019.

Right before the French multi-instrumentalist, singer and producer took the stage—along with his four guitars, two saxophones, two keyboards and more—to offer big vibes at his debut Lollapalooza set, we sat down to discuss the magic that led to "Tadow," all the music that most inspires him and his love of going with the creative flow.



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 festival season goin smooth @loveboxfestival @andre_c

A post shared by Fkj (@frenchkiwijuice) on Jul 17, 2019 at 4:09am PDT

You're about to go on stage soon. How are you feeling?

I'm feeling great. I'm feeling just like any beautiful festival I'm going 'cause I don't know a lot, at all. I've never been there before. I don't live in the States, so for me, it's just another festival that I'm discovering. I'm about to maybe understand later why people love it so much, you know? But I don't know yet. I'm just here discovering.

Do you have any rituals that you do before a show?

I just breathe a lot and I'm trying to ready to be as playful as possible. And as not serious. I want to seen not as a big deal at all. So, that's why I'm trying. My space is that this is nothing. This is just getting music to the people and there's nothing to be scared about. Nothing to be scared about what people will think or people will judge. And if I'm happy, a lot of people are gonna feel it. If I'm doing a very perfect set, but I'm very serious and I'm very concentrated, but maybe not going translate as much as if I'm just being playful. 

One of your really big songs recently was "Tadow" featuring Masego. How did that collaboration come about?

Masego was opening for me in Denver. It was back in 2016. On my way to Denver, I checked his stuff out on the plane. I had no idea who he was. I loved it. 

I arrived to the venue and tell him like, "Man, literally just checked your stuff and it's great." And so he told me, "I literally just checked your stuff too, and I love it too." And boom, that's the beginning of the story. And then I saw him perform and I was like, "F**k, this guy is like a real performer." He just smashed it. And then I told him, "I got a session booked in Paris." It was December 2016. [I said,] "Come by." And he was down, so he just came back, just for one day, he just flew from L.A. Landed in Paris, we did the session, and he flew back straight away the morning after.

We recorded 12 tracks. The first part of the day, we didn't really know each other. So, it was more like, "What are we doing?" We were just trying to make songs and figure out ideas. 

The second half of the day, was just like, "Okay, we're stopping doing this. If we want to finish it, we'll finish it, but now let's just have fun." We had a camera guy with us. We just did "one takes" every time. We didn't know what we were doing, we just like, "Okay, "one take boom." I would start with the piano, and then we loop things. We knew how to loop everything, so it was easy to build something on the spot.

So it was you guys flowing off of each other.

Yeah. ["Tadow"] was really truly just an improvised song. It was probably the eight luckiest minutes of our lives so far, you know? 'Cause it really changed everything for us. 

Is that the same approach when you're working alone as well?

[Yeah], no thought process. Just playing and recording everything, of course. And then I will listen back to it, and like okay, this part of this playfulness is gonna become a song. But the song is almost already there, it's just like or it's just coming to me. Not when I'm in the studio, it can come just for example; I'm hanging out here and there's a melody coming to my head and that's gonna become the song. 

I like conceptual songs where there's no hooks and stuff like this. But what makes a song successful is because there is a catchy part of it.

That's cool. Do you have any other collaborations coming up, or people you'd like to work with in the future?

I mean, there's a lot of people. I have a lot of idols. A lot of artists I really love. But for me there's no need for collaborating. I enjoy their music, I love what they do, and that's it, you know? And if we become friends and if there's a connection between us, maybe then we can collaborate. But it's always weird to me to have a pre-made collaboration. Like, my team is going to tell me, "Oh, do you like that artist, we going to put you together a see." That's for me weird.

I never do pre-made collaboration, even if I really love the music. I want it to be a relation between the artists firsts. So, if they tell me, "Oh, Daniel Caesar wants to collaborate with me," well, then I want to talk to Daniel. Because I love Daniel Caesar's music, I'm a fan. But, I don't want it to be a pre-made thing. I want us to meet and then if we get on well together, musically and mentally, then we make it happen. But, usually my idols, I just let them be. And I just listen to their stuff over and over. And that's it, you know?

What's some of the music that you're really enjoying right now?

The album I listen to most this week was Angel's Pulse by Blood Orange. [Before], I was listening to Four Tet [and] The Lion King soundtrack. I loved it. [I've also been listening to] the latest Solange album. I love it so much. [Also], the latest Steve Lacy album, the latest Ari Lennox album...The latest Duckwrth album...

What music did you grow up listening to?

My first interaction to music was my parents' libraries. My mom is French, my dad is [from] New Zealand. So their music library was a lot of English rock, like Queen, Pink Floyd, The Police... Then there was a lot of 70's rock, Led Zepplin. And then some jazz or so like Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, and then a little bit of French music, but not too much. Like Serge Gainsbourg.

Then, it was my friends' music, which changed over the years because you have different group of friends, so. The group of friends I had when I was 10, we were, they were all into rock. So, I got interested to rock because your environments change. It was a lot of rap and hip-hop when I was 10, 11. That's when I got in to Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Pharrell... Then when I was 12, 13, it'd be a lot of rock—Radiohead, what else? 

What about electronic music?

That [came] later. That's why my music is kind of a blend, a weird blend, of all this together. You can't really put one thing on it. It's a bit of blues, a bit of jazz, a bit of electronic, a bit of hip-hop from when I was 10. I have a big big Jamaican musical influence when I was 15. So you can hear Dancehall in my music, which is weird. It's like a fusion.

Many people just have their own culture, and they stay in their environment. But I don't really have my own culture. I just move everywhere. I don't even live in France anymore. I change cities all the time. I have many groups of friends. They wouldn't get on together. But I love them. I'm just melting pot.

Meet King Princess, The New Queen Of Your Heart & Master Of Vibey, Emotive Pop Music

6LACK at Lolla 2019

6LACK at Lolla 2019

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

News
6LACK On Reuniting With Khalid For "Seasons" Video 6lack-his-new-seasons-video-featuring-khalid-getting-back-studio-more

6LACK On His New "Seasons" Video Featuring Khalid, Getting Back In The Studio & More

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The Atlanta alt-R&B singer told us that pairing with his fellow GRAMMY nominee is like "two brothers working, it's super easy, super natural"
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Aug 9, 2019 - 6:12 pm

While On The Road at Lollapalooza 2019, the Recording Academy caught up with Atlanta alt-R&B artist 6LACK to talk about playing Lolla, recent collabs and when we can expect new music. We also learned more about his latest video for "Seasons" and how it felt to reunite with his fellow GRAMMY nominee Khalid.

6LACK On Reuniting With Khalid For "Seasons"

Having originally linked up on 2018's "OTW," 6LACK revealed that reuniting with Khalid was like "two brothers working, it's super easy, super natural." He also said that the new, heartfelt video is a visual representation of seasons changing and focuses on capturing joyful moments.

"It's a video that isn't really focused too much on me and what I'm doing or what I'm wearing, or anything like that," he said. "It's more so about capturing moments that make me happy, that make me feel like seasons are changing, with other people involved."

He also talked about what he learned from working with J. Cole, another collaborator on his second studio album, East Atlanta Love Letter, as well as being ready to record new music again:

"I just got back in the mood to start recording, so I don't even know what to expect at all. I just know it's been a full year since I've made a full song of my own, and that's the longest I've ever gone without making music. But I had to spend time with my daughter and actually live for a second, and now I'm ready."

J.I.D. Talks Lollapalooza Debut, Working With J. Cole & Dreamville, New Music & More

J.I.D. at Lolla 2019

J.I.D. at Lolla 2019

Photo: Josh Brasted/FilmMagic/Getty Images

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J.I.D. On Lolla Debut, J. Cole & Dreamville jid-talks-lollapalooza-debut-working-j-cole-dreamville-new-music-more

J.I.D. Talks Lollapalooza Debut, Working With J. Cole & Dreamville, New Music & More

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"I've been doing a lot of shows this year, but this has been one of the best festivals," the Atlanta rapper told the Recording Academy while On The Road at Lollapalooza 2019
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Aug 7, 2019 - 5:09 pm

Rising hip-hop artist J.I.D., part of J. Cole's Dreamville Records powerhouse squad, has been on fire lately. Late last year, just in time for his Halloween birthday, the Atlanta rapper released his sophomore album, DiCaprio 2, which is filled with big collabs and even bigger energy throughout its 14 tracks.

Just minutes after making his Lollapalooza debut, he explained the mood behind the album, saying: "I wanted it to be a festival-like project… So I made these songs specifically for energy, for working out, for cardio."

J.I.D. On Lolla Debut, J. Cole & Dreamville

He also talked about loving the crowd at his epic Lolla show, as well as working with his Dreamville labelmates and Cole on their recent masterpiece album, Revenge Of The Dreamers III. The Atlanta native also discussed the rich music scene in his hometown, his biggest influences and his eclectic list of dream collaborators—Beyoncé, James Blake and Little Dragon all make the list.

Finally, he teased some new music, telling the Recording Academy, "The first one was the introduction to me, second one was all about performances, energy and all that stuff. The next one, you guys will see." Check out J.I.D.'s interview in full above.



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Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza lolla Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza (that was a someone in the crowds hat) Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza lollapalooza

A post shared by J.I.D (@jidsv) on Aug 7, 2019 at 11:40am PDT

Looping Guru FKJ Talks Improvising "Tadow" With Masego & Being "A Melting Pot"

Shaq at Lolla 2019

Shaq/DJ Diesel at Lolla 2019

Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images

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Shaq/DJ Diesel On Lolla Debut & DJing Since '88 shaquille-oneil-aka-dj-diesel-lollapalooza-debut-loving-bass-music-djing-88

Shaquille O'Neil, A.K.A. DJ Diesel, On Lollapalooza Debut, Loving Bass Music & DJing Since '88

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"I like bass music. I'm seven foot, 350, I consider myself hard, when I played on the basketball court I was hard. I like the hard drops," the NBA Hall Of Famer told us before his lit Lolla set
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Aug 7, 2019 - 12:56 pm

NBA Hall Of Famer Shaquille O'Neil may be best known for his awe-inspiring moves on the basketball court, but now he's perfecting the art of making crowds go crazy from behind the DJ booth as DJ Diesel. With his Summer League 2019 tour, Shaq has brought his favorite bass drops to clubs and festivals around the world, most recently at Lollapalooza 2019.

The Recording Academy caught up with him before he got the kids dancing at his packed—and apparently very lit—Sunday DJ set. We discussed his musical evolution, love of bass music, how he crafts his sets on the fly, scratching his father's Commodores record after getting his first turntables in the '80s and more.

Shaq AKA DJ Diesel On Lolla Debut & DJing Since 88

"I was taught a long time ago that when you find something difficult, break it down to where it becomes easy. For an artist, being a DJ, it's hard work. Everything has to be done right, so I always break it down. The only common factor that I'm familiar with is large crowds. So, then I say to myself, 'What did I do to make the large crowds go crazy in L.A.?' You make a great play," Shaq said.

He continued, emphasizing that he's not a celebrity DJ, as he's been doing it since before he was famous. At the end of the day, he just loves making people jump and have fun.

"I've been doing this since 1988, so a lot of people, especially on social media, they think I'm doing it for the fad. One, I'm not getting paid anything. I enjoy watching people jump up and down. I take pride in looking at people and saying, 'Okay. You paid money to watch me perform? I'm going to give you your money's worth.' So, it's about the sport. I could have chosen any style music, I like bass music. I'm seven foot, 350, I consider myself hard, when I played on the basketball court I was hard. I like the hard drops."



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JUMP @lollapalooza JUMP

A post shared by DR. SHAQUILLE O'NEAL Ed.D. (@shaq) on Aug 4, 2019 at 5:21pm PDT

CRAY Talks Singing Live For The First Time At Lollapalooza & Touring Japan With Skrillex

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