Artist: Layla
Title: The King is Dead
Genre(s): Pop, R&B
Length: 2:49
Writer(s): L.Sanchez, A.Trenton
Producer(s): BLOOM
Label: Five Pesky Kids
From The Album: TBC
The King is Dead is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Layla. It serves as the second single from her upcoming, yet-to-be-titled second studio album which is due for release later this year. The song was released on January 2, 2024 with no prior warning or promotion. It follows on from her chart-topping, critically acclaimed leading single, "Room For Three", which was released in early 2023. The song was written by Layla alongside songwriter Angela Trenton. Like her previously released single, "The King is Dead" was produced by close friend Cristian Flores under his professional moniker, "BLOOM". The track was conceptualised and completed in July 2023, months after the release of the project's leading single, becoming one of the last songs to be completed for her forthcoming album. Sanchez's second album was said to be "locked down" and "complete" before wanting to extend sessions through the summer of 2023 after feeling "creatively overflowing". Lyrically, "The King is Dead" sees Layla take a swipe at the patriarchal society and powerful men within the music industry who abuse their positions. The "King" in the song is not one individual person but rather a representation of all the corrupted figureheads she has encountered. She likens finally taking a stand and fighting back to "killing" them off, becoming a "Queen" of her own merit and living by her own rules.
"The King is Dead" is an upbeat pop tracks with crossover elements of R&B and hip-hop, yielding an anthemic, female empowerment chorus at its centre. Many critics have noted that the production of the song is not too dissimilar to what was heard from global chart hits from 2006/07, being referred to as a "nostalgia trip". Sanchez stated that she wanted the track to have a "slinky" and "sassy" sound to it, looking to "sex-driven" classic hits from the mid-2000s for sonic inspiration. "The King is Dead" is Layla's first ever release in her career to carry the Parental Advisory logo, containing some profanities and a reference to oral sex. Like with many of her hits over the years, an important and darker subject matters lays underneath the initially catchy and "sugary" sounds of her pop productions. While not naming anyone specifically, the lyrical content heavily insinuates that Sanchez has received abuse at the hands of people in the industry and has been unwillingly sexualised and forced to act and present herself in ways she wasn't comfortable with.
Layla wrote:"The initial bare bones of this song were just really sassy and one big middle finger to guys who were just jerks. For a while, it was just a fun song that I was toying with myself. Just a kind of catchy melody with no real depth. When I had a session with Cristian [BLOOM], he played me this amazing beat and although it was real rough at the time, it was instantly sold me to me. I knew it had something. It was so sleek yet sassy. In-your-face but didn't overstay its welcome. It reminded me of a lot of the stuff I grew up listening to as a kid. Like it was lifted straight out of the vaults of Timbaland's heyday. Such attitude yet class. The sonics totally lined up with what I had in mind for "The King is Dead" and it sounded nothing like what anyone else is currently doing. I just had to do something with it. So, when it came time to knuckle down and expand on the song, I knew I had to go deeper. I want all of my songs to have an importance to them so it was time to lift the lid and further dive into the topic of powerful men being absolute shits. I had a lot of reference points to add."
"I got Angela Trenton on board to help co-write the rest of the track with me. She's a wonderful writer who I've known since the SYNCO days but we'd never had the pleasure of working together one-on-one post band. The input and lived experiences of another woman is always important and beneficial. We started sharing our stories and it was shocking to learn and put into perspective how much we've endured over the last decade and a bit. Rather than cut things away and focus on one particular person or incident, we made sure to touch on all the things we've endured; the sexualisation, the inappropriate age gaps, unwanted hands upon your person, being made to feel dumb, told to shut up and look pretty, not to question things...all the misogynistic tropes that are unfortunately very true. Rather than combat it with physical violence, I decided to lean into the idea of our tongues being our swords. The power of thought. The "king" truly is DEAD to me. I don't hear you, I don't see you, what you say, and do, and want...that's not registering over here."
"I want this to be an anthem for women, and anybody, who has been made to feel inferior or scared in this patriarchal system. That's why I wanted such a strong title because, even if you're not paying too much attention to the lyrics and just enjoying the beat, you're still going to know on some level what this is about. The catchy production is also a trick in itself too. If I wrote this song with the intention of putting the vocals at the forefront and stripped down the production, I know it'd be so much easier for ignorant people to write it off and reject it. They'd know what it is. When radio want to play it, when it can be played at parties, when little kids want to make cute dance routines for it on TikTok, it becomes harder to ignore. We will no longer be ignored."
Critical reception of "The King is Dead" has been positive thus far.
ThatMusicSite glowingly reviewed the song, stating that
"Layla always has something noteworthy to say" before adding;
"the fact that it's usually backed by the biggest beats in current pop music only amplifies the magnificence". Kevin Murray of
NME called it
"sultry yet full of substance". Marlene Parker of
Vulture branded the song as
"the most fun release of Sanchez's career" and claims that Layla
"sounds like a fully-blown pop star now". Robin Cragg from
The Independent awarded the song 4.5 out of 5 stars, mentioning that
"although it sounds engineered for mainstream radio and TikTok clips, scratch the surface and you'll see the concise brilliance of one of pop's brightest, most fearless minds.". Writing for
Clash, Adjoa Cossu dubbed the song a
"total whirlwind", going on to write;
"coming in at under 3 minutes, you're left in a complete head spin after quickly being thrown threw one of the catchiest melodies, killer productions, and girl power filled messages in recent times".
"THE KING IS DEAD"Didn't mind being a punchline at seventeen
I'd do anything to keep them all keen
Sat through discourse 'bout my sex appeal
Thought it was all just part of the deal
Another day, another huge front page
Another suck-ass party sipping on champagne
No, I never could stand the taste
Dumbing down my brilliant mind
As I let so much bullshit fly
What for? Fat cats and creepy guys?
Yeah, I'm jumping off this ride
Shield and sword, yeah, it's time to smite
Don't go trying to kill my vibe
Don't go trying to romanticise
If there's one thing I've learned
It's how to come out the other side
Point the finger all you like
Puff your chest, say I've crossed a line
Yet as far as I'm concerned
The King is Dead, but this Queen still thrivesCalloused hands all upon my body
Spoon fed age-old doses of patriarchy
It wasn't exactly a taste sensation
And a few things didn't fit the equation
Still, what was I to know?
Didn't have a dick to swing or blow
Just sitting here pretty in my bows
I hope you've all had the time of your lives
Now it's that time to say "nighty night"
Got a bitter pill to go down with your pride
Yeah, stick this down your pipe
Here's some KY, baby, open wide
Don't go trying to kill my vibe
Don't go trying to romanticise
If there's one thing I've learned
It's how to come out the other side
Point the finger all you like
Puff your chest, say I've crossed a line
Yet as far as I'm concerned
The King is Dead, but this Queen still thrivesHush now, little baby, don't make a sound
Heavy is the head who wears the crown
Hush now, little baby, don't make a sound
Heavy is the head who wears the crown
Hush now, little baby, don't make a sound
Heavy is the head who wears the crown
Time to hang it up, pack it all away
Step away from your sad little twisted game
Now there's a throne more want to claim
But I'll never be a pawn for anyone to take
Don't go trying to kill my vibe
Don't go trying to romanticise
If there's one thing I've learned
It's how to come out the other side
Point the finger all you like
Puff your chest, say I've crossed a line
Yet as far as I'm concerned
The King is Dead, but this Queen still thrivesHeavy is the head
Heavy is the head
Heavy is the head
Yeah, the King is dead
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