On the last of our five day hoedown at Mad Cool 2022, Princess Nokia takes to the Madrid Is Life main stage to give it all she’s got in the overwhelming Spanish heat. With screaming and vocal tricks, this Latin-infused, rap-punk star runs through all her eras and sounds – from her debut single ‘G.O.A.T’ to later viral hits.
We’re here to tell you her five most rockstar moments of bad-assery from her Mad Cool 2022 show.
She becomes a punk princess
Princess Nokia has always had a look to match the mood of each of her eras – whether it was her oversized fashion of her ‘Tomboy’ days, or the adolescent vibe for her ‘Everything Is Beautiful’ album run. For Mad Cool, complete in cut-up Led Zeppelin tee, mini shorts, and studded belts, she appears as a rockstar – a real punk princess. She’s ready for battle and channelling her inner Sex Pistol as she high-kicks, screams and get the crowd rowdy.
It was full of Latin spirit
Catering to the crowd in front of her, the Afro-Indigenous star of Puerto Rican descent speaks to the loving crowd in their own Spanish tongue. “Vamos!” she screams at one point, and of course we oblige. Right after opener ‘S.H.I.T’, she lays down words of gratitude: “Gracias por venir todo el camino a verme!”, before revealing her own excitement. Salsa-ing across the stage in her knee-high lace-up wrestling boots to ‘Brujeria’ by El Gran Combo, Princess Nokia is clearly revelling in the Latino spirit.
She brings Pride into the festival
Throughout her set, Princess Nokia refers back to her “lesbian summer” after detailing that she and her “school friend of 15 years have reconnected and we were inseparable, but we realised that it was because we loved each other, so now we’re together”. It’s Madrid Pride this week in the city, and the love for her raising the visibility of queer people is palpable.
She stands for women’s rights
Never shying away from speaking her mind and owning, Princess Nokia gives Mad Cool a punchy ‘It’s Not My Fault’ a capella and reworks the second verse: “I’m eatin’ good meals, my body too real Well not anymore, but it’s my body and my choice/So mind your business”. She then ends with her own verdict on the recent Roe Vs Wade injustice: “Abortion and health rights for everyone. Jesus Christ, the Supreme Court really has to do better, it’s not my fault that I can give birth, and if I don’t want to, it’s my fucking choice.”
We’re all testing sex-positive
With sex-positive lyrics in tracks like ‘I Like Him’ (“I’m not a hoe / I’m not a slut / I like to fuck and I sure like to suck”) Princess Nokia’s is the perfect set for those not afraid of sexuality, and for inspiring others to be a little more open. At one point, she strip-teases to ‘American Woman’ by Guess Who and messes around with a fan’s t-shirt as she gives them a front-row seat to the wildest show in town. It was already 39 degrees celsius, but Princess Nokia made it a whole lot hotter.
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