Kim Petras

Kim Petras is a German singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles whose 2022 collaboration with Sam Smith, “Unholy,” became a global hit. The single topped charts in twenty countries, including the Billboard Hot 100, and won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. The achievement made Petras the first openly transgender woman to top the Hot 100 or win a Grammy in that category.

Born on 27 August 1992, Petras received international media attention after transitioning as a teenager. She began releasing music with her debut EP, One Piece of Tape, in 2011, and also wrote songs for artists including Fergie, JoJo, Skylar Simone, and Twice. Her first single, “I Don’t Want It at All,” arrived in 2017 and reached No. 54 on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart. That year she also appeared with Charli XCX on “Unlock It.”

Petras expanded her solo catalog with Turn Off the Light, Vol. 1 in 2018, followed by the 2019 mixtapes Clarity and Turn Off the Light. Her 2019 song “How It’s Done” appeared on the soundtrack to Charlie’s Angels. In 2020, her Kygo collaboration “Broken Glass” reached No. 13 on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Songs chart. Her songs have also travelled beyond her own releases: “Reminds Me” was covered by the Kid Laroi and Juice Wrld, while Piri & Tommy covered “Unlock It.” Her work has been featured in films, television, and streaming projects including The Bitch Who Stole Christmas, Bridesman, This Is Me... Now: A Love Story, and RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs. the World.

In 2021, Petras signed with Dr. Luke’s Amigo Records and Republic Records. She became the first transgender act to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards, MTV Europe Music Awards, and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade that year. Her 2022 EP Slut Pop included “Throat Goat,” which went viral in 2023 after a sign language interpreter gave the song an explicit translation at Sydney WorldPride.

After “Unholy,” Petras released “Alone” with Nicki Minaj, which peaked at No. 55 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song preceded her debut studio album, Feed the Beast, released in 2023 and reaching No. 44 on the Billboard 200. Later releases include Problématique in 2023, the EP Slut Pop Miami in 2024, and Detour in 2026. Before Detour was released, Petras left Republic Records after the label refused to release it.