Photos by Hana Tobias

Em Beihold and King Princess put on a lively show at SOMA on October 30.

Em Beihold opened the concert; the 23-year-old UCSD alumnus kicked off her set with “Groundhog Day,” a catchy song that spurred her rise to popularity when she posted a snippet of it on social media. Other highlights included “Egg in the Backseat,” the titular song on her 2022 EP, and “Numb Little Bug,” with which she closed out her set. Her songs translated excellently to live performance, and she danced around the stage confidently without missing a note.

Before the headlining set, San Diego drag queen Strawberry Corncakes performed an energetic dance number (you can find her instagram here).

Next, Mikaela Straus, known by her stage name King Princess, commanded the stage. The hall admittedly wasn’t packed, but they knew how to engage the crowd. Early on, they played “Hit the Back,” which was clearly a crowd favorite and showcased King Princess’ stage presence. In their words, their set contained several “true, true lesbian ballads” like the yearning-filled “Crowbar.” They rounded out their set with a plethora of songs from their newest album Hold on Baby and some older tunes like the popular “1950.” 

King Princess and Em Beihold continue the Hold On Baby Tour through November 5. More from both artists here:

Em Beihold Spotify | Em Beihold Website | King Princess Spotify | King Princess Website