German pop star Kim Petras is taking the world by storm after making history a year ago this month as the first transgender woman to ever win a Grammy Award in the best pop/duo category, for “Unholy,” a collaboration with Sam Smith.
Petras started making music in her teens, releasing a number of songs independently from 2017 to 2019, that charted on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic songs chart. She also independently released her first two full-length projects, “Clarity” and “Turn Off the Light” in 2019, as well.
Following her history-making moment at the 2023 Grammy Awards, Forbes says the 30 year-old pop sensation got to team up with one of her heroes, rapper Nicki Minaj, on “Alone,” the lead single from Petras’ debut studio album, “Feed the Beast.”
“Petras has already won a Grammy … for “Unholy,” her duet with Sam Smith,” reported Forbes magazine. “Now, the Grammy winner is shooting for another accolade [with] “Alone,” which finds her teaming up with one of her heroes, Nicki Minaj.”
After Petras and Smith’s Grammy performance of “Unholy,” the two were met with a wave of backlash from critics, who, according to Pink News, called the duo “degenerate filth,” claiming the song promoted satanic worship.
Despite the negative response, Pink says Petras and Smith were still graced with support from musical icons such as Madonna.
The European pop singer has indicated she believes some people were bothered by the song and video because of its no-holds-barred presentation of the two performers LGBTQ+ identities: Petras is transgender and Smith is non-binary.
“‘Unholy’ was a song that was so about me and Sam,” Petras told Pink News. “Our identities and stuff like that, and I think so many people just really tried to tear that down.”
The 31-year-old artist said she’s been faced with some negative response for simply being transgender and the subject matter of her music for quite a while, but she’s learn to deal with the cynicism as she’s continued on her journey through life to reach a point of finding her true and authentic self.
“I’ve had people protest my shows since my first tour (2019’s the Broken Tour), so I’m used to that,“ Petras told iHeartRadio.
“I mean, just being trans, being part of the LGBTQ community you’re just used to that; to people saying and openly saying you’re living wrong and that you’re going to hell,” said Petras.
She went on to say those sort of comments have been something she’s had to deal with since childhood.
“So that was like since I was a kid honestly, how people reacted towards me,” Petras said. “I just kind of got used to it and I was like, Well, I am the way I am and I have to live with that.”
During “Call Her Daddy,” a podcast by Alex Cooper which aired on June 28, 2023, Petras discussed how anti-trans intolerance and hate continues to grow and her efforts to stand up for the right to live the way they choose and to express themselves freely.
She spoke out about how trans people are discriminated against; and how LGBTQ+ intra-community empathy and support help create a strong and united force.
“It’s brutal how people treat trans people,” said Petras.
She described the way things are presently for the trans community and the way their lives are negatively impacted by the anti-trans agenda sweeping the nation. Petras emphasized the shame and judgment a trans individual can face after disclosing their trans identity, noting that the violence can get so bad that it can even lead to murder.
“The judgment around it is still so intense and scary,” Petras says. “There’s so much actual murder and things that are happening to the trans community. [It’s] really terrifying.”
Petras is also getting her feet wet in film, as she has appearances in Jennifer Lopez’s new Amazon original film, “This is Me…Now: A Love Story,” which has an accompanying album as well. The film is set to be released on February 16, exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.