King Princess has shared a reimagined cover of Soundgarden‘s classic ‘Black Hole Sun’. Check it out below.
Mikaela Straus, AKA King Princess, performed the 1994 grunge classic for the Australian radio show Triple J’s Like A Version series.
“It’s a song I’ve listened to since I was a little kid,” shared Straus on their decision to cover the song. “My parents saw them play Lollapalooza in ’92, and I think I like to revisit songs that meant a lot to me when I was a kid and inspired me to do music. I thought I could leave my mark on it”.
The cover transformed the classic grunge hit into a brighter and faster pop version. “We double-timed the drums. I was thinking like a 90s Blade fast beat,” explained Straus – noting that the only real similarity is a “butchered version” of the guitar line which they play on keys.
Straus also shared their love for the song and Soundgarden’s frontman. “I’m a huge Chris Cornell fan,” they added. “He’s always just had such an amazing compelling voice. Really interesting chords. Really interesting instrumentation in the original. Such a universal chorus that anybody could sing. I feel like it was just a lot to play off of.”
Recently, King Princess was featured as part of the NME‘s C23, the beloved mixtape series, that showcased 15 incredible emerging artists from across the globe. Their song ‘The Bend’ was featured in the mixtape.
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Their second LP ‘Hold On Baby‘ was released last year. In a three-star review, NME shared: “‘Hold On Baby’’s brightest moments may be more than enough to keep the die-hard KP fans hooked, but this feels like a missed chance to offer up something truly surprising.”
In other news, Straus announced a five-date run of headline shows last month for the UK and Europe, tying in with their upcoming run of festival dates and opening slots for Sigur Rós and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Meanwhile, the surviving members of Soundgarden recently settled a long-standing legal dispute with late frontman Chris Cornell‘s widow Vicky to release the band’s final recordings.