Q&A: KiNG MALA Grapples with Divine Feminine Power in “GØD”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY KIMBERLY KAPELA ☆
WHAT WOULD YOU SACRIFICE FOR POWER? – Unapologetic alt-pop songstress KiNG MALA is kickstarting 2025 with her electrifying new single, “GØD.” Known for her provocative sound and unyielding presence, KiNG MALA delivers a hypnotic masterpiece with intricate beats, seductive melodies and a celestial edge. “GØD” is an experience, inviting listeners into a tantalizing tug-of-war where mortal ambition collides with the thrill of embryonic power.
Drawing inspiration from brutalist architecture, Catholicism, Egyptian death lore, Renaissance art, and even Robert Eggers’ The Witch, KiNG MALA’s latest offering feels like stepping into a new world order—one that’s as alluring as it is dangerous. It’s an invitation to enter a realm where desire and consequence coalesce into an intoxicating, high-stakes narrative.
“This is a song about desire and its consequences,” KiNG MALA shares. “It’s written from the perspective of the condescending deity you beg in your darkest hours. It’s about power, God, and what you’re willing to do to transcend into deification.”
“GØD” paints a vivid portrait of a protagonist at a crossroads, seeking divine intervention in her pursuit of ultimate power. The turning point comes when God remains silent—but something darker, more primal, answers. KiNG MALA explains, “For me, it’s the moment our main character asks God for what she desires and the power she’s always wanted. God doesn’t answer, but something else does. It asks her if she’s willing to accept the consequences of getting everything she desires.”
This haunting moment captures an existential question: Would getting everything you’ve ever wanted bring true satisfaction, or would it unearth a fresh nightmare? Through the lens of “GØD,” KiNG MALA explores themes of feminine power, ambition and the often destructive hunger for transcendence.
KiNG MALA taps into the idea of feeling connected to something divine—even if that connection is dangerous and destructive. The song’s lyrics and production carry a visceral energy, embodying the duality of a divine force capable of both granting desires and devouring its seeker. She builds an intricate, multi-layered mythology that challenges listeners to embrace their deepest desires—while questioning what they’d sacrifice to achieve them.
So, do you dare enter the world of KiNG MALA? With “GØD” leading the way, she’s not just breaking into 2025—she’s rewriting its rules, one fiery anthem at a time.
LUNA: Thank you for talking to Luna. Our readers would love to get to know you and your music more. For any readers who aren’t familiar with you yet, what inspires your artistic style and sound?
KING MALA: I think for me, I am super inspired by horror, women, poetry, movies, art and all of the things I like, but for this project in particular, I am super, super inspired by horror and the experiences of women.
LUNA: What kind of atmosphere or emotional space do you aim to create for your listeners?
KING MALA: I like to go between feeling a release of energy and a space to experience emotions that you may not feel like you're able to experience a day to day life, just the release of feeling all of the confidence you aren't allowed to feel, or feeling all of the anger you're never really allowed to express that. I also love creating a lot of tension in the music and trying to create a sonic atmosphere that mimics what it feels to sort of exist in some of the moments of the story that we created which was just a lot of tension, a lot of building to a huge moment. Each song sort of exists in either that space or the other.
LUNA: What inspires you to push boundaries within your sound? Are there any specific experiences, artists, or moments that have encouraged you to explore new musical territories?
KING MALA: I was really inspired by a couple different records that feel like they break all the rules of music while still maintaining such beauty and balance. Some of them were 22, A Million by Bon Iver and I'm really obsessed with QWERTY by Saya Gray. She is a huge inspiration to me. She's so experimental, and it really feels like she is just emoting musically in any way that feels correct to her, and it is most likely just breaking all the rules of music at the same time, which I think is so cool. I think we exist in a space that is very genre free and experimental. I really loved the idea of taking my alt-pop space, dark-pop space, and pushing it into a more experimental and musical and cinematic space.
LUNA: You just released your newest single “GØD” and it captures your signature blend of rawness and immersive storytelling. Can you share the inspiration behind the song and what it represents for you personally or artistically?
KING MALA: It's a part of the larger story of the album. The album is actually like a 12 step hero’s journey. I was journeying through a narrative, character-driven plot, and for this song in particular – it's the third song on the record – and it's the real introduction to the dynamic between our two main characters. For me, it's the moment that our main character asks God for what she desires and for the power that she's always wanted. God doesn't answer, but something else does, and asks her if she's willing to accept the consequences of getting everything she desires. For me personally, that's just a moment of, if you were to have everything you wanted, would you finally feel satisfied, or would it be like an entirely new nightmare? And I think too, it's just an exploration of feminine power and feeling connected to something divine, even if it is willing to destroy you in order to satiate its own hunger.
LUNA: What did the creative process for “GØD” look like? How did the song evolve from its initial idea to the final product?
KING MALA: It was actually the first idea we wrote for the record, but it was just a chorus and a strange little verse idea that we ended up cutting, but that chorus and the choir that builds existed on the first day. We knew that it was going to be a part of the record and we knew it was going to make it, but it just felt really special, even though it was less than a real idea at the time. It was one of the first songs, so we were like, this is what we're going for. This is what it's going to be. We took it to three different producers. We had four different writers on it, and we just took it to everyone that we thought would have the right touch for it. We knew we wanted it to be really pop, but still very cinematic and grandiose at the same time. One of my favorite writers ever, Cara Salimando, helped finish a lot of the verses, and she just brought such beautiful poetic inspiration to the song. Then we took it to six of my artist friends – they were our full choir – and my friend Julia Cooper laid down that beautiful riffing at the end of the song. We offered it to anyone we thought could bring this angelic, grandiose nature to it. It was a really long and arduous, but very beautiful process.
LUNA: The video for “GØD” is so visually stunning! What was the initial inspiration behind its concept and how was your experience filming it?
KING MALA: We're calling it a visualizer because it's one of the more simple visuals from the album, but it was one of the most exciting to film. We had to break into this dam that’s an hour outside of LA and I had to be bungee corded down a 40 foot wall with my directors. My friends who were in the video were all holding me on a rope and helping me propel down. It was a very physically intense process. We wanted to create these tableaus for the record, for each song. This is inspired by a quote from the screenplay book from my favorite movie, which was The Witch by Robert Eggers. The main character describes this story in which she told herself as a child that she wants embroidered on a beautiful velvet cape and it's called the dog and their masters, represented by dogs upright with their masters on all fours, on leashes. There's also a lot of dog analogies in the song itself. Cara [Salimando] brought this poem called “Love Dogs” by Rumi to the room for the writing of this record or for this song, and that inspired the “A dog at the door / I watch you whine at the sky so it hurts less / A dog at the door” line. That tableau from The Witch and then our “Love Dogs” poem, it felt like it was a perfect time to create our dog tableau. I just loved that this whole song is an exploration of power dynamics, and I loved the idea of creating this concept of what if the master and the dog were reversed?
LUNA: Your music often explores themes of rebellion and self-empowerment. How does “GØD” continue or expand on those themes compared to your previous work?
KING MALA: I feel like I am finally hitting what I have always wanted to explore with this record. I have loved exploring themes of confidence and grandiosity and delusion, and this whole record is an exploration of power and humanity. Before we started writing the record, my executive producer asked me what I was interrogating and what I wanted this record to interrogate for me personally, and I told him that it felt like my humanity was getting in the way of my greatness. That is the entire inspiration for the whole record is this battle between power, coldness, calculation, and greatness, and it's at odds with humanity, softness, love and comfort. I think this whole record is me finally getting to explore these themes that I've been touching on throughout my whole career, but I think it was finding these characters that embody this record that allowed me to finally dive into it. It's everything I've already touched on, but just way more in depth.
LUNA: With “GØD” being one of the first releases since Spilt Milk, it feels like you’re stepping into a new chapter. What can fans expect from this new era of KiNG MALA? Are you experimenting more or taking any new creative risks?
KING MALA: There's definitely a lot more experimentation on this record. I feel like I have come into my own creatively in a way that I could have only hoped for. There's a lot more depth to this project than anything I've ever made before, and we have created dozens and dozens of gorgeous visuals to represent this music. There's so much to this story that we can't wait to share, but it's a very in depth plot, storyline and concept. It's the most conceptual and intense project I've ever made. People can expect a lot more out of this story and out of these characters. There's a whole universe that we've made that we've really barely scratched the surface of with this first song. There's a lot more, and it's definitely a lot more experimental, a lot more cinematic, and a lot darker than anything before.
LUNA: As you continue to evolve, what aspects of your artistry do you hope to push further in future projects?
KING MALA: I feel like I cracked the code with this one, and this is exactly how I've always wanted to make music. Definitely more grandiose, conceptual undertakings for my next record and in the future.
LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like that you would like to share with Luna?
KING MALA: I'm feeling really good. I'm feeling incredibly excited for everyone to see what we've made. It's the first time I've made everything part of the rollout. It's really exciting to know that there's so much more on the way, but the rest of this year is just going to be focused on this project. It's coming out in the spring, and there are a lot of really exciting gifts that are coming along with this album that I can't wait to share with everybody. I'm just really excited for everyone to hear this record and to finally be able to tell all the secrets of this little world that we've created.
