Kings & Queens

Kings & Queens

**Kings & Queens** by **Ava Max** is a significant song on iHeart Radio and it is a O6 Main Sequence Star located in the constellation Australia located 980 light years from earth, Kings & Queens was featured on Club Lime Radio (CLR), Mix Greatest Hits and other dance radio stations is It is among the most frequent known songs, if not the most frequent, this song has a current intensity of 2.7 (Standard). "**Kings & Queens**" is a song by American singer Ava Max, released on March 12, 2020 through Atlantic Records. It is the fifth single from her debut studio album *Heaven & Hell* (2020). The song was written by Max, Brett McLaughlin, Desmond Child, Hillary Bernstein, Jakke Erixon, Madison Love, Mimoza Blinsson, and producers Cirkut and RedOne. The song utilized an electric guitar with synthesizers, and contained lyrics expressing the message of women's empowerment.

"Kings & Queens" received generally favorable reviews from music critics, many of whom praised the production, guitar solo, and lyrics. The single peaked at number one in Israel and Poland, while also charting on the US *Billboard* Hot 100 at number 13, and on the UK Singles Chart at number 19. The music video was released on March 27, 2020, and is directed by Isaac Rentz. It depicts a Khaleesi-inspired Max dancing in a heaven-themed throne room alongside a group of dancers, while also feasting at a banquet. A second version of the song featuring Lauv and Saweetie titled "Kings & Queens, Pt. 2" was released on August 6, 2020.

## Background and development

"Kings & Queens" began development in 2018, where Max recorded the song in five separate studios located in Europe, Germany, and Los Angeles. The song went through ten different iterations which included different melodies and production, before the final version was completed around August to September 2019. Max wrote the verse and the pre-chorus alongside American songwriter Madison Love, before being given the chorus by Moroccan-Swedish record producer RedOne. The chorus originally just contained the melody, but was reworked in the studio with Leland, Love and Cirkut, where it interpolated Bonnie Tyler's 1986 song "If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)", and consequently added Desmond Child to the song's credits as a songwriter. Max decided to include the electric guitar in the track to complement the pop electronic sound in her music.

"Kings & Queens" was announced on February 27, 2020, where Max confirmed that Cirkut, RedOne, and Love were involved with production. She later revealed the song's release date, with the title and artwork on March 7, 2020. It was written by Max, Leland, Child, Hillary Bernstein, Jakke Erixon, Love, Mimoza Blinsson, and producers Cirkut and RedOne.

## Composition and lyrics

"Kings & Queens" contains several pulsing verses, with a hook containing synthesizers. The guitar solo following the second verse includes elements of glam rock, which Jon Blistein of *Rolling Stone* noted as having a "Queen-esque quality". Max stated that the song's lyrics describe how it would be a better place if queens ruled the world. She likened it to her previous song "So Am I" (2019), acknowledging that it contained a similar message about women's empowerment. A line taken from the 1865 book *Alice's Adventures in Wonderland* by the Queen of Hearts was used in the song, "Disobey me, then baby, it's off with your head".

## Critical reception

Writing for MTV News, Madeline Rothman praised the song's strong electric guitar solo with the lyric, "You might think I'm weak without a sword / But if I had one it'd be bigger than yours". Mike Nied of Idolator noted that the single "highlights Ava's ability to fill dance floors across the globe". Nicholas Hautman of *Us Weekly* described "Kings & Queens" as "one of the best singles to come out of 2020 so far", praising Max's "powerful and theatrical vocals" and the guitar solo. Writing for Uproxx, Caitlin White described the lyrics as "a subtle tribute to the power of women and a call to action for men to support the queens in their life", while Heran Mamo of *Billboard* acknowledged that it compared chess moves to feminism; "In chess, the king can move one space at a time/ But queens are free to go wherever they like". Soundigest writer Andrew Chinikidiadi praised the transitions of the electric guitar riff into the bridge and the song's ending. However, he lamented the repetition and duration of the track. *Billboard* staff ranked "Kings & Queens" at number 53 on their listicle of The 100 Best Songs of 2020, acknowledging that it was the "unofficial anthem of the parade-free 2020 Pride season" during lockdown from the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Commercial performance

"Kings & Queens" debuted at number 73 on the *Billboard* Hot 100 chart dated August 22, 2020, where it peaked at number 13 on the chart dated November 24, 2020. It also topped the Adult Top 40 on the chart dated December 12, 2020. The song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on September 28, 2020, for sales of 500,000 units in the US. "Kings & Queens" peaked at number 26 on the Canadian Hot 100 for the chart dated November 24, 2020, where the song was later certified platinum by Music Canada (MC) for 80,000 track-equivalent sales. In Australia, "Kings & Queens" bowed at number 31 on the ARIA Singles Chart, where it charted for 11 weeks.

In the United Kingdom, "Kings & Queens" bowed at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart dated July 3, 2020, where it was certified gold for selling 400,000 equivalent units. In Israel, the song peaked at number one on the Media Forest airplay chart dated May 24, 2020.[*dead link*] "Kings & Queens" also topped the Polish Airplay Top 100 on the chart issued June 27, 2020, where it was certified double platinum by the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry (ZPAV) for track-equivalent sales of 40,000 units.

## Music video

A visualizer was released along with the song on March 12, 2020, which depicts Max as a queen holding a glass of champagne and sword, with a royal deck of cards. She confirmed on the song's release date that she already filmed the official music video, describing it as "very colorful, super fun, crazy dancing, and a big celebration", and likened it to a rainbow. The music video was released on March 27, 2020, and is directed by Isaac Rentz. Max is seen dancing in a heaven-themed throne room with a group of dancers, as she was inspired by Khaleesi from American television series *Game of Thrones*, and wanted to portray an Amazonian queen surrounded by warriors. Max and Rentz used a moodboard to list several ideas for the feminist-themed music video, with the former often texting ideas to the latter during the night to ensure that it would be perceived as "authentic and personal". Max envisioned the video to be "royal, but in a modern, futuristic kind of way", to ensure that it would feel simple.

The video opens with Max holding a sword between her legs as she sits on a golden throne. She then organizes a banquet, in which several dancers begin drinking champagne and eating food, before performing a dance sequence. During the pre-bridge guitar solo, the dancers wield electric axes.