KING drops her second track in as many weeks with Angel Dust which lands with a music video that celebrates the feminine sensuality of her artistic vision.
Over the last decade and more, female expression in music videos has become increasingly sexualised: a no-clothes-on strategy which focuses on how people look and act, rather than the music and expression of the artist. These are the themes explored on the music video for KING’s latest single, which lands on Riotville Records this July.
“On Angel Dust I felt like doing something very sensual – as opposed to sexual – in my artistic visual identity. So I just pushed it as one long foreplay with beautiful movements. We could be naked doing this stuff and it would still be sensual and not sexual: that was the mission with this visual.” KING
A heady blend of warped vocals and dominant synths over a chugging, mid-tempo 4/4 groove, Angel Dust is vital, urgent pop music that hits hard and leaves a lasting impression.
Over the last few years, KING has released a steady stream of left-of-centre pop music, ranging from moody, electronic-leaning cuts to exuberant Latin-inflected bangers. Born in Copenhagen in 1990 to a Cuban mother and a Chilean father, at 11 she began honing her performance skills by dancing with local street dance outfits and quickly joined a Copenhagen urban dance academy and by 15 she was earning her living as a dance teacher.
KING first announced herself on the world stage in summer 2016 with the release of debut single ‘Promise’. She released her debut album I Made It in early 2020 alongside lead single No Hablo Ingles.
Frankie Salt Interview with KING
What gigs or festivals are you hopefully heading to this summer?
I was looking forward to the Roskilde festival and Coachella, but both were cancelled this year, so I will wait till next year unfortunately – which I’m pretty sad about.
Do you have a gig coming up which particularly excites you?
Yes I have some gigs, but there’s not one in particular. I look forward to every gig I’m doing. It’s been very rough the last year without shows and I can’t wait to get back to connecting with a crowd.
Funniest memory from any gig or festival?
Well I don’t know if this counts, but I went to Drake’s release party in Los Angeles and ended up with Drake’s dad and Jake the security guy in the back eating McDonalds’. That was pretty fun.
What/who did you miss the most over the last year of lockdown?
I will miss the solitude and the ability to reflect on other projects like my upcoming album which we’re recording in Cuba with only real musicians and staying true to the Cuban musical heritage. When things are back to ‘normal’ there won’t be much time to think, only act.
Tell us about any skills you have gained over the 18 months?
I have developed more quality in my choreography. I have been working with Aqua (the band from the 90’s) for my last project, which was very fun. Loads of old school vibe orchestrated with a modern twist.
You have two new singles out, OMG and Angel Dust – please can you tell us about the story behind these…
Well, both of the songs are very controversial, both in the lyrics and in the visual parts. I learned how to not give a fuck about what people think and just go with what I feel is fun in regard to the music videos that I have been writing and directing, and everything else I work with creatively. I loved that challenge.
