Photos / Rachel Thalia Fisher
Styling / Lizzy Rosenberg @ See Management
Makeup + Polaroids / Emma Elizabeth@ Honey Artists
Hair / Wesley O’Meara @ Honey Artists
Story / Bri Ng Schwartz
KiNG MALA is basking in the gothic pop glory of her debut album release. And You Who Drowned in the Grief of a Golden Thing is everything you want from a concept album: cinematic throughout, accompanied by strong cohesive visuals including “ODE TO A BLACK HOLE”, “DEVOTION”, “GØD”, “FUN!” and POSSESSION”.
“The human” and “The entity” are the stars of this show, exploring the desire to be God, and those among us who disguise themselves as God-like figures in hopes of gaining power and influence. Fresh off of her cross country tour with Lights, we caught up with KiNG MALA about all things tour and album. We can’t wait to hear how the story continues with the deluxe version of And You Who Drowned in the Grief of a Golden Thing. 
jacket. EVERYTHINGS FINE VINTAGE skirt. CUCCULELLI SHAHEEN hat & shoes. AKNVAS necklace. THE RABIES DOG rings. KEANE ring. MING YU WANG.
top, shorts, & tights. SANDY CHEN shoes. FERRAGAMO rings. KEANE ring. MING YU WANG
Now that you have finished up tour, how are you practicing self-care?
It’s a non-busy period until we start sessions for the deluxe records again at the end of the month, so I’ve been leaning super hardcore to into skin care. I’ve been getting really into my magic practice. Last night I did a full full moon ritual. Charged my crystals, released some stuff, manifested some stuff. I go on a lot of runs with my dog. I try to be outside and moving as much as possible. Cooking healthy meals. Now that I can actually eat at home, it’s really nice.
I imagine those rituals are a lot harder to practice on the road. How do you practice self care on the road?
Having similar priorities as my touring team is really helpful. They’re all women and AFAB people and we all practice witchcraft. So every right when we get home from the shows, we would all decompress together. Light a candle, some incense, kiki about the day, maybe smoke a little joint. It was so ritualistic and calming. On off days, we were going to oddity shops and witchcraft stores and let the spirit guide us It’s so funny because I usually tour with boys and this was my first no boys tour. It was so precious.
The tour aligned with the release of your new album And You Who Drowned in the Grief of a Golden Thing. Did you learn anything about the music performing it live that you maybe didn’t know when you were in the studio?
We wrote this record trying to keep the live show in mind, so there’s really big outros instrumental sections. We want this to feel good, in Airpods and in a stadium. When I can get people to jump, it’s really cool seeing.
dress. EVERYTHINGS FINE VINTGE rings. KEANE ring. MING YU WANG
Do you think there are any throughlines between And You Who Drowned in the Grief of a Golden Thing and the rest of your body of work, or is this a departure?
I’m finally arriving at a place that I was trying to grasp at in the last projects. Especially, Honey Catching Season that was touching on this spiritualistic thing. I really like the idea of writing music as a way to conjure power and confidence within yourself, and that was something that I was touching on with songs like “Cult Leader” and “Martyr”. This whole album was an exploration of power, how unattainable it felt to me, and how far away from my humanity it felt.
The album explores two characters: the human and the entity. How you think this concept shows up for yourself versus the persona of KiNG MALA?
It’s split down the middle. I, Areli, am soft and squishy. Very human and dorky, in love and heartbroken. KiNG MALA is this cold, pristine, precise symbol of power. She’s what I use to access my divine, powerful self.
The entity in this album also represents toxicity in relationships. My relationship between myself, my body and the expectations and performances of womanhood. Also relationship to God, the universe and my relationship to men.
The draining of your magic and soul.
You’ve talked about The Substance being like an inspiration for you and this album.
I wept when I saw that movie.
I saw it with a handful male friends and they were horrified and disgusted. I was like “Okay, but also…”
That’s exactly what they meant.
I saw it with my partner at the time. I remember him taking a picture of his face while I was laughing. The album was already done when I saw that movie. I wept and just said “We tapped into something. The world agrees. We’re here together. Nosferatu and Strange Darling felt the exact same.
You nailed it.
We’re all on the same wavelength. I love it. The Substance specifically nails the grotesqueness of beauty and womanhood in such an incredible way.
How has your relationship or feelings towards God or God-like figures changed at all through the process of creating this project?
I have my own ideas about spirituality and the universe. I feel like we’re all connected by this river of energy that we call God. We are all God experiencing itself through the fingertips of humanity. I think for me, this entire project was not necessarily about God, but the desire to be a God and the consequence of a desire so grand, and the things that pretend to be God that aren’t.
What do you think makes a great concept album?
A good concept record doesn’t need to explain itself, but has a through line of visuals that tell its story. My favorite concept records are not so obvious in what they are about, but I love when an album feels like we’re following a storyline.
Can we expect anything else from you and this album cycle?
We have a deluxe version and a director’s cut with a bunch of extra songs. They’re honestly probably some of my favorite songs in this album cycle. They feel like sort of an evolution from what we did in the original 12, and I’m so excited for people to hear them.
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