Los Angeles–based singer-songwriter Julia Kate returns with her latest single, “be nice princess,” a bright, emotionally textured pop anthem that blends glittering production with grounded self-reflection. On the surface, it’s playful and pastel-toned, but beneath that charm lies a quiet rebellion — a declaration of boundaries, self-acceptance, and the messy process of growing out of the roles others wrote for you. Written with collaborator Nick Rosen, the song emerged from an offhand joke on social media, but what began as a meme-inspired writing session turned into one of Julia’s most resonant and layered releases yet. It’s an ode to all the people who’ve ever been told to stay polite, quiet, or small — and decided instead to take up space.
From the opening moments, “be nice princess” shimmers with the kind of confidence that doesn’t need to shout. The melody is light, almost teasing, while the lyrics cut deeper with every line. Julia’s voice moves between airy sweetness and pointed precision, delivering a performance that feels conversational and cathartic. The production — lush yet understated — mirrors that balance: clean guitar lines, subtle percussion, and a breezy rhythm that hides the emotional weight just beneath the surface. There’s a tension in that contrast, the sense that the song is smiling through something difficult, turning disappointment into empowerment. It’s that duality — warmth mixed with bite — that makes “be nice princess” so memorable.
Lyrically, Julia paints a portrait of friendship and betrayal with wit and grace. “It’s about a friendship gone wrong,” she explains, but it’s also about the larger pattern of people expecting you to be the version of yourself that’s easiest for them. In that sense, “be nice princess” is a reclaiming. Each verse peels back another layer of self-discovery, moving from passive acceptance to assertive honesty. The phrase “be nice” becomes almost ironic, a reminder of how politeness can sometimes be a disguise for silence. But Julia never slips into bitterness; instead, she finds humour in the contradictions, using sharp lyrics and clever turns of phrase to turn the hurt into art. There’s something deeply relatable about the way she captures that bittersweet moment when you realise you’ve outgrown people — and how that growth can be freeing and lonely.
The music video expands that idea into a whimsical visual world. A modern reimagining of Alice in Wonderland, it features Julia as a pastel-dream Alice navigating a universe of charm and absurdity. Filmed with her sister Ella and close friends, the video is a perfect companion to the song — playful, cinematic, and subtly subversive. The “wonderland” aesthetic is symbolic of that confusing space between innocence and self-assertion, where you’re learning to define your own story. Every scene feels intentional — the tea parties, the mirrors, the tiny acts of rebellion — transforming a fairy tale into a metaphor for personal boundaries. The humour and self-awareness make it clear that Julia’s not mocking her past self, but celebrating her evolution.
Together with her previous single, “angel”, released in August 2025, “be nice princess” marks a striking evolution in Julia Kate’s artistry. Where “angel” dealt with loss, grief, and the search for meaning, this new track turns inward, confronting the living contradictions of identity and expectation. Both songs share an emotional honesty that feels rare in pop — Julia doesn’t hide behind metaphor, yet she delivers her truth with poetic precision. What ties them together is her ability to hold opposites in harmony: grief and grace, humour and heartbreak, vulnerability and strength. “be nice princess” feels like the sunrise after “angel’s” long night — a moment of clarity that doesn’t erase the pain but transforms it into something empowering.
In a landscape where pop often prizes gloss over grit, Julia Kate stands out by writing songs that feel lived in. “be nice princess” is catchy, conversational, deeply human, and quietly defiant. It captures what it means to grow up in real time, to laugh through the ache, to find peace in imperfection. You can hear that in every breath of her performance — she’s not trying to be anyone’s princess anymore; she’s just trying to be herself. And that’s where the real magic lies.
At only a few years into her artistic journey, Julia Kate already shows the instincts of a seasoned storyteller — unafraid to be funny, flawed, and fiercely authentic. “be nice princess” proves that pop doesn’t have to be polished to be powerful, but can sparkle because it’s real. With its mix of wit, heart, and self-awareness, the song feels like a manifesto for a new generation of artists learning to define kindness on their own terms. Julia may have started this track with a meme, but she ends it with a message: you can be kind and still have boundaries. You can be nice and still be powerful. You can be a princess — but only on your own throne.
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