Kim Petras (, ; born 27 August 1992) is a German singer and songwriter based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Between 2016 and 2020, she released music as an independent artist under her own imprint, BunHead Records, before signing with Amigo and

Republic Records Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially ...

in 2021. Petras began recording music as a teenager. Prior to releasing a full-length project, she independently released various singles from 2017 to 2019, including " I Don't Want It at All", " Heart to Break" and " 1, 2, 3 Dayz Up", and has coined this series of singles as " Era 1". Several of these singles charted on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''s Dance/Electronic Songs chart. In 2019, Petras independently released her first two full-length projects, ''

Clarity Clarity may refer to: Music Albums * ''Clarity'' (Jimmy Eat World album) or the title song, 1999 * ''Clarity'' (Sifow album) or the title song, 2006 * ''Clarity'' (Zedd album) or the title song (see below), 2012 * ''Clarity'' (mixtape), by K ...

'' and '' Turn Off the Light''. Petras signed with

in 2021 and released the EP '' Slut Pop'', her first project with Republic, the following year. Petras's collaborative 2022 single " Unholy" with Sam Smith topped charts internationally, including the UK Singles Chart and the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, making her the first openly

transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...

solo artist to reach number one in the United States. Petras was the first openly transgender artist to receive a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (for "Unholy" in 2023) and the second transgender woman to win a Grammy following

Wendy Carlos Wendy Carlos (born Walter Carlos; November 14, 1939) is an American musician and composer known for electronic music and film scores. Born and raised in Rhode Island, Carlos studied physics and music at Brown University before moving to New Y ...

Early life

Petras was born in

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

. Her mother is a dancer and her father is an architect. The first song Petras wrote was "about this dude in second grade who didn't like me back". In 2006, Petras, then aged 13, appeared on a German television current-affairs show in which she discussed her medical

gender transition Gender transition is the process of affirming and expressing one's internal sense of gender, rather than the sex assigned to them at birth. It is a recommended course of treatment for individuals experiencing gender dysphoria, providing impro ...

. At age 14, she appeared in a

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

and a

talk show A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (201 ...

, in a push to get permission for early

sex reassignment surgery Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a surgical procedure, or series of procedures, that alters a person's physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble those associated with their gender identity. The phrase is most often associat ...

at age 16, before the minimum age of 18 in Germany. These appearances resulted in international media coverage of her transition, touting her as the "world's youngest transsexual". In September 2007, Petras was a model for a German chain of hair salons. She was evaluated by the head of the psychiatric unit at Frankfurt Hospital, Bernd Meyenburg, and approved for

gender-affirming surgery Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a surgical procedure, or series of procedures, that alters a person's physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble those associated with their gender identity. The phrase is most often associated ...

at 16 years old. In November 2008, Petras announced that the surgery was completed. ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' claimed that Petras was the youngest person in the world to have had that surgery at the time. Petras told ''The Telegraph'' a few months after the procedure: "I was asked if I feel like a woman now – but the truth is I have always felt like a woman – I just ended up in the wrong body." Petras learned English by watching videos of

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

Career

2008–2015: Career beginnings

At 19 years old, Petras moved to Los Angeles, living in the garage of a producer in

Redondo Beach Redondo Beach (Spanish for ) is a coastal city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located in the South Bay region of the Greater Los Angeles area. It is one of three adjacent beach cities along the southern portion of Santa Mo ...

. In 2013, Petras was featured on two singles named "Flight to Paris" and "Heartbeat" by German DJ Klaas. Throughout the next few years, Petras worked with producers including The Stereotypes, C.J. Abraham, Stephen Dresser, Johan "Jones" Wetterberg, Edward Ellis, and Aaron Joseph on a music career, releasing

demos Demos may refer to: Computing * DEMOS, a Soviet Unix-like operating system * DEMOS (ISP), the first internet service provider in the USSR * Demos Commander, an Orthodox File Manager for Unix-like systems * Plural for Demo (computer programming ...

on her

SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...

page, including one titled "STFU". For her contributions to

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

, Petras was ranked at number 19 on ''

'' Artist Chart, listing developing artists, in July 2013.

2017–2019: Breakthrough with "Era 1"

In August 2017, Petras released her debut single " I Don't Want It at All", The song went on to reach the

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

Global Viral chart. The accompanying music video for the song premiered in October on

Vevo Vevo LLC ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized in all caps until 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available ...

, and features a cameo appearance by

Paris Hilton Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American media personality, businesswoman, and socialite. Hilton was born in New York City and raised there partially; shuttling between Los Angeles and New York City; she is a great-grandda ...

. In the same month, she was picked by Spotify to be one of the four artists named as a RISE Artist, a "program designed to identify and break the next wave of music superstars." During the end of 2017, Petras was dubbed "most likely to dominate the pop charts" by ''

Paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, rags, poaceae, grasses, Feces#Other uses, herbivore dung, or other vegetable sources in water. Once the water is dra ...

'' magazine, and appeared on

Charli XCX Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is a British singer and songwriter. She began posting songs on Myspace in 2008 before entering the London rave scene. Signing a recording contract with Asylum Re ...

's mixtape '' Pop 2'' (2017) for the track "Unlock It" alongside

Jay Park Jay Park (born April 25, 1987), Korean name Park Jae-beom (), is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and dancer based in South Korea. He is a member of the Seattle-based breakdancing, b-boy crew Art of Movement (AOM), and founder and former ...

.In January 2018, the Nicholas Harwood-directed video for Petras's single "Faded", which features Lil Aaron, premiered on Noisey, That same month, she appeared in the January issue of ''Galore''. Petras released the breakup-inspired " Heart to Break" in February, to commemorate

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...

. The song was given its radio debut on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

on 19 February. Bryan Kress of ''

'' noted how while the single is "still keeping Petras's upbeat, unabashed pop sound... tventures into new territory for the songwriter." On 1 October 2018, Petras released '' Turn Off the Light, Vol. 1'', a

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

-themed extended play. The project was seen as a departure from Petras's typical sound, and features a guest appearance from the horror hostess character

Elvira Elvira is a female given name. It is believed to have first been recorded in medieval Spain, while other sources claim that it is likely of Germanic ( Gothic) origin. In the Balkans, Elvira is popular among Bosniaks, Croats, and Slovenes in the ...

. Afterwards, Petras announced plans to release a single a month as a lead up to her debut album. She was featured on

Cheat Codes Cheating in video games involves a video game player using various methods to create an advantage beyond normal gameplay, usually in order to make the game easier. Cheats may be activated from within the game itself (a cheat code implemented by ...

' song " Feeling of Falling" in November 2018. Petras has been credited with composing the song "Young & Wild" on

Twice Twice (; Japanese language, Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: ''Tuwaisu''; commonly stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon ...

's 6th EP, '' Yes or Yes''. In February 2019, Petras released three singles titled " 1, 2, 3 Dayz Up" featuring

Sophie Sophie is a feminine given name, another version of Sophia, from the Greek word for "wisdom". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Soph ...

, "If U Think About Me...", and "Homework" featuring Lil Aaron. Petras has not publicly expressed plans to release an album with these eleven "neon head" digital singles from late 2017 until early 2019, but has referred to this release period as " Era 1". In March 2019, Petras appeared as a headline act at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, noted as one of the world's largest pride festivals, which has been headlined by other notable acts including

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

Dua Lipa Dua Lipa ( ; born22 August 1995) is an English and Albanian singer, songwriter and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Dua Lipa, Her accolades include seven Brit Awards and three Grammy Awards. Lipa worked as a model before v ...

Kesha Kesha Rose Sebert (born March 1, 1987), formerly stylized as Ke$ha, is an American singer and songwriter. Her first major success came in 2009 when she was featured on rapper Flo Rida's number-one single, "Right Round". Kesha's music and ima ...

, Sam Smith,

The Veronicas The Veronicas are an Australian pop music, pop duo from Brisbane. The group was formed in 2004 by identical twin sisters Lisa Origliasso, Lisa and Jessica Origliasso. In 2005, the Veronicas released their debut studio album, titled ''The Secr ...

and

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. Regarded as a pop culture icon, he is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling rec ...

2019–2020: ''Clarity'' and ''Turn Off the Light''

Throughout May and June 2019, Petras released one song a week as a lead-up to her debut mixtape ''Clarity'''s release. In June, Petras embarked on the 24 date "Broken Tour" across North America and Europe. Petras was featured on the covers of ''Galore'' and ''Notion'' magazines that same month. ''Clarity'' was preceded by promotional singles including " All I Do Is Cry" and " Sweet Spot", and was accompanied by the lead single, " Icy", on its release date of 28 June 2019. In August, Petras announced that there would be a limited edition vinyl pressing of ''Turn Off the Light, Vol. 1'' through

Urban Outfitters Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) is a multinational lifestyle retail corporation headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Operating in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, select Western European countries, Poland, the United Arab Em ...

. Petras has announced that ''Turn Off the Light, Vol. 2'' will be released exactly a year after the first part. On 1 October 2019, Petras's second mixtape '' Turn Off the Light'' was released. The album features all of the songs from ''Vol. 1'' as well as nine new tracks, with a bonus track added a year later. On 11 February 2020, she released the single " Reminds Me". That same month, she announced that she would be the supporting act on the European leg of

Camila Cabello Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao (; ; born March 3, 1997) is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence as a member of the Pop music, pop girl group Fifth Harmony, one of the List of best-selling girl groups, best-selling girl gro ...

's The Romance Tour, which was cancelled due to the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. On 7 May, Petras released the single "Malibu". The song was promoted by a performance on ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywo ...

'' and charted in the United Kingdom. Petras was later featured on the song " Broken Glass" by Kygo, from his album '' Golden Hour'', released 29 May. She also released a new song "Party Till I Die", which was included on the 2020 reissue of ''Turn Off the Light''. Petras's song "Reminds Me" was sampled by

the Kid Laroi Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard (born 17 August 2003), known professionally as the Kid Laroi (stylized as The Kid LAROI), is an Australian rapper, singer and songwriter. He was first discovered by Triple J Unearthed in 2016 at the age of 13. As ...

for his song " Reminds Me of You", a collaboration with

Juice Wrld Jarad Anthony Higgins (December 2, 1998 – December 8, 2019), known professionally as Juice Wrld (pronounced "juice world"; stylized as Juice WRLD), was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He emerged as a leading figure in the emo rap ...

released on the first anniversary of his death.

2020–2022: ''Problématique'' and ''Slut Pop''

On 6 November 2020, Petras was featured on K/DA's EP '' All Out'', appearing on the song "Villain" alongside

Madison Beer Madison Elle Beer (born March 5, 1999) is an American singer and songwriter. Beer first gained substantial media coverage when Justin Bieber posted a link to one of her covers she posted on YouTube. In 2013, she released her debut single "Melo ...

, which charted in New Zealand and on the US World Songs chart. In 2021, Petras was featured on remixes of several songs made popular on

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

, including " Jenny" with Studio Killers, and " SugarCrash!" by ElyOtto and Curtis Waters. Additionally, her 2017 song " Unlock It" with

and Jay Park went viral on the app. Petras additionally announced ''Turn Off the Light, Vol. 3'' would be released sometime in 2021, although this plan did not come to fruition. In August 2021, Petras signed to

and released " Future Starts Now" as the lead single from her major-label debut studio album, '' Problématique''. Petras performed the song at the

2021 MTV Video Music Awards The 2021 MTV Video Music Awards were held on September 12, 2021, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York City. This marked the first time in eight years that the venue hosted the show. The show was hosted by hip-hop rapper and singer Doja ...

pre-show on 12 September 2021, as the first out trans artist to perform at the VMAs. In November 2021, she performed two more songs from the forthcoming album — "

Coconuts The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...

" and "Hit It from the Back" — when she appeared at the 2021 MTV Europe Music Awards, becoming the first out trans artist to perform at the EMAs, a show that MTV had deliberately hosted in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

, as "an opportunity to stand in solidarity" in protest against the

Hungarian anti-LGBT law In June 2021, the Hungarian Parliament adopted a law titled "Act LXXIX of 2021 on taking more severe action against paedophile offenders and amending certain Acts for the protection of children". Referred to in English as Hungary's anti-LGBTQ l ...

; likewise Petras's performance was intentionally raunchy and " sex positive" and spoke out to say "It's going to be pretty powerful to be in Hungary and perform the show when these laws have just happened". Petras also performed at the 2021

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the American-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States ...

, becoming the first out trans performer to do so. She was featured in the 2021 holiday film '' The Bitch Who Stole Christmas''. On 3 December 2021, after overwhelming fan response on TikTok, Petras released "Coconuts", doing so around a month earlier than scheduled. On 10 February 2022, after teasing some of the songs on TikTok, Petras announced a surprise EP titled '' Slut Pop'', which was released the following day. On 11 June 2022, Petras performed at Los Angeles Pride with

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...

. On 30 July 2022, Petras seemingly confirmed via Twitter that ''Problématique'' (2022) had been scrapped. On 2 August 2022, many songs believed to be on the album leaked online. Petras responded to these leaks on Twitter, saying "It's ok if u wanna listen to the leaks ... I'm not getting to put out any music anyways I'm fucked."

2022–present: "Unholy" and ''Feed the Beast''

On 22 September 2022, Petras released the song " Unholy", a collaboration with Sam Smith. The track went viral on TikTok and hit number one in various countries upon release, including Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. It was also her first career entry on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100, eventually topping the chart in October 2022. This made Petras the first openly transgender woman in history to have a number-one song on the chart, and Smith the first openly non-binary person to do so. On 5 February 2023, Petras and Smith won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Unholy". This made Petras the first openly transgender artist to win a major-category Grammy, and Smith the first non-binary artist to win a Grammy. During her acceptance speech, Petras thanked her mother, who she said "believed me, that I was a girl, and I wouldn't be here without her and her support". She also thanked musicians

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

and

. Sparked by the massive commercial success of "Unholy", Petras released the singles " If Jesus Was a Rockstar" in November 2022 and " Brrr" in January 2023, both of which failed to live up to the success of their predecessor. On 17 February 2023, she stated that an album that she had been working on "for three years" was ready to be released the next summer, sharing her excitement for people to hear the songs. On 21 April, she released " Alone" with rapper

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...

. The song proved more successful, having charted in five countries. On 15 May, Petras announced her debut studio album '' Feed the Beast'' on her social media and "Alone" was officially announced as the lead single of the album. Previously released songs "Coconuts" and "Brrr" were also included on the album. In anticipation of the album, the news was celebrated as part of a live performance on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

s Citi Concert series. She embarked on the Feed the Beast World Tour in support of the album. On 18 September 2023, Petras surprise-released a revised version of ''Problématique''. On 6 October, she teamed up with James Hype on the single "Drums", which samples

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...

's " Like I Love You". Petras was scheduled to make the theme song of

UEFA Euro 2024 The 2024 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2024 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2024) or simply Euro 2024, was the 17th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international Association football, football champ ...

with

OneRepublic OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado, formed in 2002. The lineup currently consists of Ryan Tedder (lead vocals, piano), Zach Filkins (guitar, viola), Drew Brown (musician), Drew Brown (guitar), Brent Kutzle ( ...

and

Meduza ''Meduza'' (Russian: Медуза, named after the Greek goddess Medusa) is a Russian- and English-language independent news website, headquartered in Riga, Latvia. It was founded in 2014 by a group of former employees of the then-independent ...

, but on 20 March 2024, it was announced that Petras would not participate anymore due "unforeseen scheduling issues". She was replaced by German singer Leony.

Artistry

Petras is a pop singer who also makes

electronic dance music Electronic dance music (EDM), also referred to as dance music or club music, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres originally made for nightclubs, raves, and List of electronic dance music festivals, festivals. It is generally ...

(EDM),

dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...

electropop Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...

and

bubblegum pop Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a more specific rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States in the late 1960s, th ...

. She credits the late

1990s File:1990s decade montage.png, From top left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope orbits the Earth after it was launched in 1990; American jets fly over burning oil fields in the 1991 Gulf War; the Oslo Accords on 13 September 1993; the World ...

and early

2000s File:2000s decade montage3.png, From top left, clockwise: The Twin Towers of the original World Trade Center (1973–2001), World Trade Center on fire and the Statue of Liberty on the left during the September 11 attacks, terrorist attacks on Sep ...

pop scene, as well as

1980s File:1980s replacement montage02.PNG, 335px, From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, ''Space Shuttle Columbia, Columbia'', lifts off in 1981; US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet Union, Soviet General Secretary of the Communist Party of ...

Italo disco Italo disco (variously capitalized, and sometimes hyphenated as Italo-disco) is a music genre which originated in Italy in the late 1970s and was mainly produced in the 1980s. Italo disco evolved from the then-current underground dance, pop, ...

, as the primary basis for her sound. Petras describes herself as a "

stan first", citing Minogue as a key influence to her sound as a pop artist. Petras's other inspirations include

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists in hist ...

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

and the

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are an English girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Mel B ("Scary Spice"), Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"), Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"), Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"), and Victoria Beckham ("Posh Spice"). They have sold over 10 ...

, as well as

Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer-songwriter and DJ who rose to fame as the lead singer of the pop band Culture Club. He began his solo career in 1987. Boy George grew up in Eltham a ...

Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble, July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie (band), Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1 ...

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter who achieved global fame as the lead vocalist and pianist of the rock band Queen (band), Queen. Regarded as one of the gre ...

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...

, Baby E, Lil Aaron, Liz Y2K, and Kesha. In an interview, Petras stated that "To me, pop music is an escape from my problems. I can put on my headphones and listen to it for three and a half minutes to forget about everything that's bothering me. It's always been that way for me. I feel like pop definitely saved my life in so many ways." On her songwriting, Petras told ''Noisey'' that "there's something about making a song that everybody can sing and remember, and when you listen to it the first time you already know the words by the second chorus, like you've always known the song. I'm obsessed with that idea." She commented on themes, stating "I write about boys, heartbreak, sex, having fun and the things that I go through."

Public image

Following her debut, Petras was dubbed as "the new princess of pop" by ''Nasty Galaxy''. The title was repeated by publications including ''

'', ''

ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to: * ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company ABC News may a ...

'', '' V'', and '' Idolator''. Following the release of her debut mixtape ''Clarity'' (2019), many reviewers praised the record but criticized her involvement with Dr. Luke, who had been accused of sexually and verbally assaulting Kesha in 2015. The same controversy was reignited in 2022 with the release of her EP ''Slut Pop'', also produced by Dr. Luke. After the release of the EP, "#FreeKesha" trended on Twitter and Petras faced further backlash over lyrics in the EP referencing Lady Gaga, a supporter of Kesha and a survivor of sexual assault herself. Petras has spoken several times about her experience with transphobia, both in her personal life and in her career, stating that many record labels turned her down over her being transgender and tried to get other labels to do the same. In 2023, Petras became the second trans woman to be featured on the cover of the ''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Issue.

Awards and nominations

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2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

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GLAAD Media Awards The GLAAD Media Award is a US accolade bestowed by GLAAD to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding portrayals of LGBTQ people and the issues that affect their lives. In addition to film and television, the Awards ...

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, '' Turn Off the Light, Vol. 1'' , rowspan=2, Outstanding Music Artist , , , - ,

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Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

, rowspan="5", " Unholy" (with Sam Smith) , Best Pop Duo/Group Performance , , , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2",

iHeartRadio Music Awards The iHeartRadio Music Awards is a music awards show that celebrates music heard throughout the year across List of radio stations owned by iHeartMedia, iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia's digital music platf ...

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MTV Europe Music Awards The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an al ...

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

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MTV Video Music Awards Japan The MTV Video Music Awards Japan (MTV VMAJ for short) are the Japanese version of the MTV Video Music Awards. Like the MTV Video Music Awards in the United States, in this event artists are awarded for their songs and videos through online vo ...

, Best Collaboration Video (International) , , , - ! scope="row" rowspan=5, Queerty Awards , rowspan=2, 2020 , Herself , Badass , , rowspan="2", , - , "Sweet Spot" , rowspan=4, Anthem , , - , 2021 , " Malibu" , , , - , 2022 , "

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Discography

Studio albums * '' Feed the Beast'' (2023) * '' Problématique'' (2023)

Tours

Headlining * The Broken Tour (2019) * The Clarity Tour (2019–2020) * Feed the Beast World Tour (2023–2024) Supporting * The Bloom Tour (2018) * The Romance Tour (2020; cancelled) Special guest * Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides Promotional Tour (2019) * Pop 2 Tour (2018) * Phoenix World Tour (2019) * Charli Live Tour (2019)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Petras, Kim 1992 births Living people 21st-century German LGBTQ people 21st-century German women singers Dance-pop musicians English-language singers from Germany German dance musicians German electronic dance music musicians German expatriates in the United States German LGBTQ singers German transgender women German transgender musicians German women pop singers Grammy Award winners Hyperpop musicians MTV Europe Music Award winners Musicians from Bonn Transgender women singers German women in electronic music AWAL artists Republic Records artists