金·彼特拉斯

Kim Petras (; German: [ˈpeːtʁas]; born 27 August 1992) is a German singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. After gaining international media attention for transitioning as a teenager, she released her debut EP, One Piece of Tape (2011), and wrote tracks for Fergie, JoJo, Skylar Simone, and Twice. In 2017, Petras released her debut single "I Don't Want It at All", which charted at No. 54 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart. She followed this with her second EP, Turn Off the Light, Vol. 1 (2018), the mixtapes Clarity and Turn Off the Light (both 2019), and the single "How It's Done" (2019); the last of these featured on the soundtrack of Charlie's Angels. A further appearance on Kygo's "Broken Glass" (2020), charted at No. 13 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Songs chart.

In 2021, Petras signed a record deal with Dr. Luke's Amigo Records and Republic Records. That year, she became the first transgender act to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards, MTV Europe Music Awards, and Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Her 2022 EP, Slut Pop, featured "Throat Goat", which went viral in 2023 after a sign language interpreter provided an explicit translation at Sydney WorldPride. She also collaborated with Sam Smith on "Unholy" that same year, which charted at number one in twenty countries including on the Billboard Hot 100 and subsequently won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, making her the first openly transgender woman to top that chart or win a Grammy in that category.

Petras followed "Unholy" with the single "Alone" (with Nicki Minaj), which peaked at No. 55 on the chart, and preceded her debut studio album, Feed the Beast (2023), which charted at No. 44 on the Billboard 200. Her second studio album, Problématique (2023), was issued that same year, and followed with the EP, Slut Pop Miami (2024). She independently released her third studio album, Detour (2026), following a departure from Republic regarding disputes of its release.

Petras has also released the tracks "Unlock It" (2017; with Charli XCX) and "Reminds Me" (2020), which have been covered by Piri & Tommy and by the Kid Laroi and Juice Wrld respectively, and made appearances in the films The Bitch Who Stole Christmas (2021) and This Is Me... Now: A Love Story (2024), the series Bridesman (2022), the Amazon Music documentary The Lead Up (2022), and a series two episode of RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World (2024).

Life and career

1992–2021: Early life and career beginnings

Petras was born on 27 August 1992, grew up in Uckerath, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and has two older sisters. Her mother is a dancer and her father is an architect. She began identifying as female aged two and began hormone therapy aged 12. She also began writing songs around this time, having taught herself English by watching YouTube videos of English-speaking artists such as Britney Spears; her earliest works were produced on GarageBand. She has stated that her gender dysphoria left her suicidal and that she was inspired to become a musician after watching a songwriting documentary. In 2006, aged 13, she discussed her medical gender transition on an episode of Stern TV. She then made further appearances on international news in an effort to be accepted for gender-affirming surgery by age 16, two years earlier than Germany would normally allow. When she did this in 2008, outlets touted her as the "world's youngest transsexual".