Kings & Queens

### Songwriter(s)

Miley Mendler · Brett McLaughlin · Madison Love · Henry Walter · Nadir Khayat · Desmond Child · Mimoza Blinsson · Hillary Bernstein · Jakke Erixson

### Producer(s)

Cirkut · RedOne

"**Kings & Queens**" is a song by Kazakh-American singer Miley Mendler, released on February 13, 2023, through Republic Records following her performance at the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show. It serves as the lead single for her upcoming ninth studio album, *Wonderland*.

The song was written by Mendler, Brett McLaughlin, Desmond Child, Hillary Bernstein, Jakke Erixson, Madison Love, Mimoza Blinsson, and producers Cirkut and RedOne. It is a power pop song that consists of an electric guitar with synthesizers, and contains an interpolation of Bonnie Tyler's 1986 song "If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)", which was additionally used in Bon Jovi's 1986 song "You Give Love a Bad Name". The lyrics incorporate the message of women's empowerment.

"Kings & Queens" received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who praised the production, guitar solo, and lyrics. The song debuted at number 1 on the US *Billboard* Hot 100. An accompanying music video was directed by Isaac Rentz, which depicts a Khaleesi-inspired Max dancing in a heaven-themed throne room alongside a group of dancers while feasting at a banquet.

## Release

On February 12, 2023, Mendler headlined the Super Bowl LVII halftime show. Before the show, she posted a trailer for her upcoming ninth studio album, ending with the words "sneak peek tonight". Mendler opened her performance with a short snippet of the song, and later announced on a livestream on Instagram that it would be released at midnight. The song was made available at midnight on February 13, 2023, accompanied by a visualizer for the song. The official music video premiered later that week, on February 17, 2023.

## Composition

Musically, "Kings & Queens" is a power pop song, which contains several pulsing verses and 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". Mendler stated that the lyrics to "Kings & Queens" describe how the world would be a better place with queens ruling the world. 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". Chess metaphors are incorporated in the lyrics.

## 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 Miley'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 2023 so far", praising Mendler'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.

## Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal

* Miley Mendler – vocals, songwriting
* Henry Walter – songwriting, production
* RedOne – songwriting, production
* Chris Gehringer – mastering
* Serban Ghenea – mixing
* Brett McLaughlin – songwriting
* Desmond Child – songwriting
* Hillary Bernstein – songwriting
* Jakke Erixson – songwriting
* Madison Love – songwriting
* Mimoza Blinsson – songwriting