German-born, Los Angeles-based singersongwriter Kim Petras is about ready to become the next big thing in pop music. Her debut single, “I Don’t Want It At All,” skyrocketed to nearly four million streams within its first few weeks on Spotify; the next two singles, “Hillside Boys” and “Hills,” were both featured in Spotify’s New Music Friday. Her music is described as “unapologetically pop,” and when you listen to the tracks — infused with soaring vocals, ridiculously catchy choruses, and the verve of the ‘80s — you’ll hear what that means.
Being in the public eye is something Kim is used to. At 16, she made headlines for being the youngest person to ever undergo gender reassignment surgery. She began the transition process when she was 12.
Now 25, Petras is living the dream she always saw for herself growing up in Germany, when she would watch pop videos on repeat.
But on her latest single “Heart To Break,” she’s pushing the boundaries again with her very own heartbreak song.
“[‘Heart To Break’] was kind of summing up my heartbreak experiences but making a fun song about them,” Petras told Billboard. “It’s describing the part of you that is about to make a mistake and knows you’re making a mistake, but you don’t care because you still want to jump in and do it.” The song was #1 on Billboard Pride’s March 2018 Playlist.
The song, while still keeping Petras’ upbeat, unabashed pop sound, ventures into new territory for the songwriter as she confronts a bad relationship while trying to squeeze as much fun from it while it lasts. The lyrical tightrope of the situation was no easy feat for Petras as “searching for the right words at every point of the song” took nearly four months to complete.
Kim Petras will perform on Friday, June 8 on the Pennsylvania Lottery Stage
For more info, visit PittsburghPride.org
Petras’ goal is to continue working as an artist, though she hopes her presence as a pop singer speaks to other young trans people. “It’s a hard thing to go through and it’s important to me to be able to help,” she said.
In an interview with Out Magazine, Petras elaborated further on the dichotomy between being a pop star and a figure in the trans community.
“I definitely always have a responsibility to the transgender community because I’m a part of it It’s definitely difficult to have role models being transgender. At the same time, I’m just having fun making my music, being artistically whatever I want to be and being free. My music’s not about me being transgender, but I’m writing songs about how I feel, what I’m obsessed with, what I love, what I hate, what makes me happy — just human emotions. It’s not songs specifically about being transgender,” she told Out.
Petras showcased her “obsessions” perfectly in the saccharine, pink-hued music video for her first single, “I Don’t Want It At All.” With the opening lyric, “I want all my clothes designer / I want someone else to buy ’em,” the satirical song features a cameo by Paris Hilton at the end of the video. “We had a lot of fun,” Petras told us of working with Hilton.
For now, Petras will continue to work on her upcoming album, rack up Spotify streams, and dream of working with Cher, who she told us is her dream collaboration. And for now, you can just sit back and enjoy the pop music kingdom Petras is building.
“For a moment, I’d love for listeners to forget reality and have fun when they listen to me.”
