“Kings & Queens” is a song by American singer Ava Max, released on March 12, 2020, through Atlantic Records as the lead single from her debut studio album, Heaven & Hell (2020). The song was written by Ava Max, 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, incorporating the message of women’s empowerment.
“Kings & Queens” began development in 2018, when 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. Max decided to include the electric guitar in the track to complement the pop electronic sound in her music. “Kings & Queens” was announced in February 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 in March 2020. 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.
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.
“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 chart dated December 12, 2020. The song was certified double platinum by the RIAA in June 2022, for sales of 2,000,000 units in the US. In the United Kingdom, “Kings & Queens” bowed in at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart dated July 3, 2020, where it was certified double platinum for selling 1,200,000 equivalent units in the country.
The music video was released in March 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 mood board 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 organises 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.
