Shock My System: An Inter-Review with Caroline Kingsbury
a conversation with Caroline Kingsbury @ The Atlantis, Washington, D.C. on April 26, 2026
Shock My System: An Inter-Review with Caroline Kingsbury
Walking into the perpetually fog-filled Atlantis music venue, I could not have been more excited for the night awaiting me. I’d spent the last hour getting my outfit and makeup together thrilled to be sporting an ensemble that would merit me “what on earth is that girl wearing on a sunday afternoon” looks on the metro. The fans I’d gotten to chat with in line had further stoked the fire of my anticipation. All of us were thrilled to be the first in the doors to see the pop rocks princess herself, Caroline Kingsbury.
A rising voice in the queer pop music. Kingsbury released her debut album “Heavens Just a Flight” in 2021, and has since become well-known for her hit song “Kissing Someone Else,” which went viral in 2024. While having toured before with the fellow pop singer MARIS, on their joint project “Give Me a Tour”, her current tour for the “Shock Treatment” EP is Kingsbury’s first headlining experience. Kingsbury, originally from Florida now based out of Los Angeles, explores complicated themes and emotion through her music with a beautiful emphasis on the experiences of a queer identity and all the love and pain that comes with it. I got the opportunity to attend Kingsbury’s DC show on her latest Shock Treatment tour, and speak to the artist herself about her music, tour, and amazing journey.
Joining me for the interview and the night was fellow Kingsbury fan, and an avid adventurer of the DC music scene Faith Dihn. As we are all introducing ourselves Dihn pulls out custom-made temporary tattoos for Kingsbury, myself and the backstage gang. Immediately the moment flips into a frenzy as everyone figures out where they are doing their tattoos, and inevitably someone forgets to peel the plastic off before putting one on and has to start over.
Faith and I get down to the main room just as the doors open up and claim some spots by the barricades. The room immediately starts filling up with eager fans and every giggle and gasp I overhear is filled with anticipation for the performances ahead. I turn to check out the stage set up, with the mics and equipment all decked out in roses and red tones for the opener, Bershy. Bershy’s music provides a beautiful complement to Kingsbury’s with soft and strong tones and themes of reflection, growing up, and young heartbreak. Where Kingsbury’s songs are often more in the funky rocking pop avenue, Bershy’s music is a glowing dreamy sort of pop. At times it was cathartic and ravenous with songs like “Provider,” and “Perma,” and at other times conflicted and profound with songs like “Sixty Seconds,” and “4U”. She wraps the set with her hit song “Radio,” that got everyone around me up in the air.
As Bershy comes off stage the crew quickly cycle through to change the stage set up for Kingsbury. While most of the scenery from Bershy’s set shifts quickly in the corner there is a podium housing an old radio and TV in constant static with a blonde bombshell mannequin head sitting atop it. Faith sees me staring down the head with its permanent pout and whispers
“Doesn’t it remind you of little poundcake from Rupaul’s drag race?”
I can’t unsee it for the rest of the night.
In a flash the lights go out and the music fills the room. The strobes flash in all directions and an melodious almost mechanical voice comes on over the speakers making the pivotal statement of the night.
“Heard you were in the mood for a little shock treatment!”
Kingsbury surges onto stage in her extravagant colorful couture. Everytime I see her I think her outfits are exactly what a 80’s gay space pirate would wear and I can’t get enough of it. The intro fades and she launches into her first song Chocolate.
“Chocolate has been a fucking moment every night,” Kingsbury had said earlier, “I always knew that one was special. I’m just ready for people to feel the power of it with me. Because for me, it feels so powerful when I perform it.” The song’s killer mix of driving beats and funky synth music raises the heartbeats of the crowd transporting them into the song. Wherever they came from to arrive here no longer matters, and it’s time to embrace the night. Kingsbury’s songs all charge ahead through life, daring the listeners to charge with them. This take on pop and rock music feels like a liberated departure from mainstream pop of the past.
“I just think there’s so many great new up-coming 80s pop-rock type people. And I’m excited of being older to be like, I was there. I saw it. I was a part of it.” Kingsbury had said in the interview. “It feels like there’s gonna be some really, really fun new pop music over the next few years. Because I feel like Haute & Freddy, hemlocke (springs), Chappell (Roan), Conan (Gray), me making weird pop music for the weirdos, in a way, it’s resonating.”
Faith Dihn further talked during our conversation about the fresh and untethered feeling in Kingsbury’s and many other rising stars particular avenue of music saying “I’m trying to think, is this new? Or have there been other iterations of this in the past? Because I feel like, oh my God, I’m so old listening to these things, and there’s like, 16 year olds next to me, and then I’m like is it me, or is it that I’ve been waiting and looking for them? I’ve been waiting for this music to come.”
Kingsbury reflected on this as well talking about seeing younger fans at shows:
“That was interesting about the Give Me A Tour (with MARIS). There were some young kids there who were like, I love queer pop. And my brain exploded cause I wasn’t even out in high school. And I think that’s just the difference of the generations, being able to express themselves. It honestly makes me tear up sometimes, if I see someone super young in the crowd, I’m like, Oh my God. You’re getting to experience this, something I never got to at that age!”
As Kingsbury’s set continued the high energy dancy vibes, morphed to a more reflective, bittersweet tone and Kingsbury played “Strawberry Sheets,” followed by my personal favorite “Pain and Pleasure”. In this song as well as songs like “Heaven’s Just a Flight” and “Hero” the lyrics reflect on the lines between love and grief. Kingsbury has said that the tone of these songs were heavily affected by the loss of her brother while she was working on her debut album. While the lyrics are often dark and difficult the overall energy is still upbeat and driving, contrasting the typical slow, low vibe associated with sad songs.
“Anger is a big part of it. It’s like righteous anger; I’m righteously angry that this happened.” Kingsbury responds when asked about these choices. “This is actually something I talk about in the show. Like the ability to hold two things at once I think what you kind of learn in grief. Like, how to move forward with your life without somebody. That’s kind of what I’d like the contrasting things in my music to represent, the reality of life, which is that it is always bittersweet.”
Kingsbury also talked during the show about how Washington D.C. is a particularly special city for her to play as she used to visit her brother while he lived here.
“This has been a dream bucket list headlining venue. I opened here. So I’d definitely say the Atlantis,” Kingsbury has said when asked about her favorite venue.
The night continued to progress into what I felt was the nostalgia coming-of-age era as Kingsbury played “16” and “Alabama” the second of the two being particularly special as Kingsbury invited a few of her fans to join her onstage to dance along.
“I feel like my favorite moment from this tour is singing “Alabama” in Alabama. It was a really small show, but I’ve never played a show as an out-queer person in Alabama.” Kingsbury expressed earlier.
The song itself is very special to Kingsbury who referred to it as a song for the half of her relatives who don’t often understand or support her. Kingsbury talked about how certain religious constraints in her youth made it very hard for her to come to terms with her identity and how through her music and touring she has become more confident, especially in making “Shock Treatment”.
“I think now, I just kind of have been following my heart and what kind of sounds and presentation feels right. I think with “Heaven’s Just A Flight”, I was a lot younger. So I think now I feel very much like I know who I am, and I know what I will and won’t do, but I know that, in certain ways I need to push myself, and so I feel like I’ve pushed myself with “Shock Treatment”.
Kingsbury did also reflect on the things from when she was younger that she still carries through her work saying “I think now turning 30 and being a little less judgmental of my younger self, I am the same person, just not in a constrained environment. And I think that the more that I like the girly, pop, drag aspect of what I do, the more I tap into who I was as a child.”
As the night ramped up to the pinnacle the entire venue briefly turned into a chapel of queer expressive freedom as Kingsbury played “I See God In You”. When asked about a possible anthem for the tour Kingsbury thought of this song saying,
“I hadn’t entirely understood what that song was going to feel like live, because this is the first time I’m playing it live. It feels very special to be singing “I See God In You”. And in a way that’s like, there’s no religion and no person that can tell you that you don’t have God in you.”
During this song I looked around at the crowd all yearning to the stage, arms outstretched and singing loudly and with pride, it truly did feel like every person present was a holy idol. It was a church I could get behind, everyone singing in the choir to their own higher power, living by their own religion.
Kingsbury’s final two songs of the night were the pivotal hit “Kissing Someone Else” and the EP’s namesake “Shock Treatment”. I desperately wish these songs could play back to back at the club the way Kingsbury played them that night because the room exploded. I would say it was like a firecracker going off, but it was more like a proud and queer version of a Fourth of July. There wasn’t a soul in the house who wasn’t dancing, and I could see the thrill in all their faces as they screamed the lyrics. I think after that night we could all agree that there’s nothing a little shock treatment can’t fix.
Enjoy the music video for “Shock Treatment”:
Everything Caroline Kingsbury (vinyls, upcoming tour, email list):
you can find her on (Instagram) and (TikTok)
This review is written by Monisha Mukherjee.
Monisha Mukherjee is an Indian American arts and culture writer based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked as a writer and managing editor at VCU’s Ink Magazine and is now a medical student and co-writer of the Substack “The Resentment Notebook”. She enjoys meeting fellow writers and artists and being able to highlight their unique work, as well as crafting thought pieces around her random passions and knowledge including but not limited to travel, pirates, fashion, and Winnie the Pooh.
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As someone who has the privilege to see the tour when it stopped in New York, this was an absolute fantastic read!! It was an absolute magical experience beyond doubt.