Kim Petras

Kim Petras fuses emotive singing with an unwavering faith in pop's capacity to transport listeners, extending the lineage of Kylie Minogue and Madonna via her assured dance-pop. Her 2010s singles cultivated a worldwide audience that carried her debut full-length, the rock- and R&B-tinged Clarity, into the Top 30 of Billboard's Independent Albums chart in 2019. Although she tested alternate identities on the horror-infused Turn Off the Light that same year and the frank Slut Pop EP in 2022, the breakthrough of her Grammy-winning Sam Smith duet "Unholy" prompted a turn toward greater introspection on the 2023 albums Feed the Beast and Problematique, both of which entered the Top Ten of the Dance/Electronic Albums chart. She launched 2024 with her fourth EP and sequel, Slut Pop Miami.

Born in Cologne, Germany, Petras developed an early passion for pop and Eurodance that soon led her to create original material. While still a teenager she moved beyond posting cover-song videos and partnered with a producer for her first single, "Fade Away," issued in 2008. Additional releases followed, among them the 2009 tracks "Boomerang" and the Sobertruth collaboration "Taste." Her initial EP, One Piece of Tape, surfaced in 2011 shortly before she moved to Los Angeles. Subsequent credits included featured vocals on Klaas's 2013 singles "Flight to Paris" and "Heartbeat," appearances on Danity Kane's 2014 album DK3, and her own standalone single "STFU." In 2015 she co-wrote Skylar Stecker's "That's What's Up" from the album This Is Me and joined Isaac Phase on "You" from Phase 00001.

Petras resurfaced in August 2017 with the '80s-tinged dance-pop track "I Don't Want It at All," released on her own BunHead imprint. Later that year she contributed to "Unlock It" on Charli XCX's Pop 2 mixtape. October 2018 brought her own mixtape, the Halloween-themed Turn Off the Light, Vol. 1, which contained "o m e n," "Close Your Eyes," and "Turn Off the Lights" featuring Elvira; the project reached number 19 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart. Further 2019 singles comprised "1,2,3 dayz up" with SOPHIE, "If U Think About Me...," and "Homework" featuring Lil Aaron. Clarity, her official debut album recorded with Dr. Luke, Made in China, and Aaron Joseph, arrived that June. Incorporating emo pop, glam rock, R&B, and varied pop styles, it peaked at number 28 on Billboard's Independent Albums chart. After touring North America and Europe, Petras issued the expanded full-length Turn Off the Light in October 2019, which merged the earlier volume with additional horror material and climbed to number 42 on the Independent Albums chart. She also supplied "How It's Done," a collaboration with Kash Doll, Alma, and Stefflon Don, to the Charlie's Angels soundtrack.

In 2020 Petras issued "Reminds Me" in February—the track later sampled by the Kid LAROI for "Reminds Me of You"—followed by the U.K. hit "Malibu" in May and the Kygo duet "Broken Glass," which charted in Canada and Switzerland. November brought her feature on K/DA's "Villain" from the EP ALL OUT. Signing with Republic, she debuted on the major label with "Future Starts Now" in August 2021, again working with Dr. Luke, Lil Aaron, and Aaron Joseph. That year she also appeared in the holiday film The Bitch Who Stole Christmas and released "Coconuts." Slut Pop, an EP of sex-positive material produced by Dr. Luke, arrived in February 2022, topping the U.S. Heatseekers Albums chart and entering the U.K. charts. After leaks of tracks from her forthcoming album prompted her to discard much of the material and begin anew, she joined Sam Smith on the September 2022 single "Unholy." The track became a worldwide number-one, multi-platinum success that earned both artists the 2023 Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

Following that achievement, Petras graced the cover of Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue and delivered her major-label debut, Feed the Beast, in June 2023. Crafted with Dr. Luke, Blake Slatkin, and Rami Yacoub, and featuring Banks plus Nicki Minaj on the single "Alone," the album paired candid songwriting with aggressive pop and reached number two on Billboard's Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart while entering the Top 50 of the Billboard 200. That June she also partnered with Paris Hilton on a new version of the latter's 2006 single "Stars Are Blind." September 2023 saw the release of the long-postponed Problematique, originally slated as her fourth album and first official full-length; it included a Paris Hilton guest spot on "All She Wants" and peaked at number eight on the Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart. Petras's fourth EP, Slut Pop Miami, followed in February 2024, led by the single "Head Head Honcho."