Their music has been described in many ways, from playful to empowering, from comforting to escapist; they have been named in lists of both feminist acts and blues-rock innovators. Yet none of these descriptors alone manages to convey the full experience of what it is to walk into a Prima Queen gig, enjoy the playful back-and-forth with the audience, and be impressed with the duo’s ability to smoothly launch into complex, interwoven melodies with an ease that belies the growing technical difficulty of their songwriting.
There is much to be excited about with Prima Queen right now, especially in the wake of the recent release of the highly anticipated debut album ‘The Prize’. We have taken advantage of their appearance at this year’s Sŵn Festival to catch up with them and discuss past, present, and future.
Introduce yourselves for our readers in just a few words.
We are Louise and Kristin, we are Prima Queen, and we have been doing this for about eight years.
So you must have seen some things.
Oh, definitely, we’ve seen some things. Thinking of some of the strangest things we’ve had happen… we showed up at the wrong venue one time. We had unpacked all our stuff, and they were like, who are you? Then they were saying what kind of music was playing at the venue that night, and we thought they were going to describe us. But then they come up with something like gypsy swing. And we were like, yeah, that’s not us. So we got into the car and ran.
How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it?
Definitely not gypsy swing! It’s kind of poppy, rocky, indie, folk. It’s certainly very listenable. It has been influenced by so many different things through time, like for instance we were just listening to Audrey Hobert in the car. But there really are so many artists we are listening to at the moment, it’s a bit of a range.
You have been described as somewhat of a Trans-Atlantic partnership, do you find that has played into your sound as well?
Yes, it brings different sensitivities to the music that then mesh together. We feel like the language is one of the biggest things. Of course we both speak English, but the way we do it is so different, the words that we use. That adds so much to the overall mood.
This is your second time at Sŵn. How was the festival experience?
We love Cardiff, everyone is so friendly. The second you walk in the door, you get greeted by so many people. And this year’s lineup is so good, we are sticking around to see some more sets. We are very excited to see Jessica Winter, she always puts on such a good show.
Festival like this are an excellent showcase for grassroots venue. What’s your favourite venue to play?
Our favourite grassroots venue would probably be Playhouse in London. We have a lot of memories there, we used to work there. It is a great spot, South-East London, in general, for performers. There is this great community that is really close together. We did our headline tour recently, after the album came out, so we have played many different places, but it’s nice to go back there.
Can you tell us something about the album?
It is all about friendship, it’s about self-empowerment, it’s about growth. It’s about believing in yourself and, really, not letting anyone bring you down.
Who or what would you say is to blame for your music?
Lots of people! But most of all, sometimes, those situations that make you feel like you are restless. The good and the bad, too. So yeah, perhaps a big one is heartbreak.
Chiara Strazulla
Images: Lucy Craig
If you enjoyed reading this article please consider buying us a coffee. The money from this pot goes towards the ever increasing yearly costs of running and hosting the site, and our "Writer Of The Month" cash prize.