In his long and sometimes contradictory pursuit of this goal, Petras has gone down in history time and time again. In 2021, she will become the first transgender artist to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards, make her debut at the European Music Awards (where she gleefully sang a song about anal sex), and vice versa. In his first concert, he played a divorced family. Friendly Event: Parade Macy's Day. With "Unholy," she also became the first transgender artist to reach No. 1 on Billboard and the first Grammy Award winner for "Best Pop Duo/Group Performance" (Smith became the first non-duo artist).
That's a big change from when Petras last spoke five years ago, when the German star was looking for a foothold in the country. Her publicist invited me to his apartment to hear how the then-unknown artist sang with a lone acoustic guitar accompanist. Her tonal anomalies and strength of vibrato and her uncanny flair for melody have impressed me and several important people involved in her work. At the same time, she acquired a powerful manager named Larry Rudolph, who has worked with Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus, was selected by Spotify to star in the series "Rise", and released her first US hit "I Don't". cooperated with t Want It All” peaked at No. 1 on the streaming service’s Global Viral 50 chart. This momentum gave rise to the idea that Petras could become the first true pop star, surpassing the success of other major artists such as Teddy Geiger and Sophie.
Even when we first met in 2018, she was surprisingly confident. She recalls giving a Zoom interview from her hotel room in Cologne in June. I have always believed that. At the same time, she admitted that her accusations were part of a rant. "I'm also pretty insecure," she says. "I make up for it by proving to myself that I can make things happen."
It's one of the reasons she's been so prolific over the past five years, releasing three independent LPs and an EP-length compilation before Feed the Beast.. Along the way, she has faced skepticism from some in the industry about her ability to appeal to more than mainstream LGBTQ+ audiences, and has received critical acclaim on social media for her work with Dr. Luke, including her new song. bought anger. album. In 2014, Kesha accused producer Lucas Sebastian Gottwald of sexually assaulting her. After denying the charges, he sued her for defamation. They issued a statement this week to settle the legal battle. Earlier this month, when Petras was asked various questions about his relationship with Dr. declined to comment.
The majority of them are now captivated by the liveliness of her melodies, the brilliance of European beats and the liveliness of her songs. Music gives her energy. "It's very difficult to write good songs," she says. “You have to know exactly what to remove and what to add.” If this approach makes the song lack depth for some, so be it. "I like writing songs about my breasts, so I'm not worried about being taken seriously," says Petras.
She did this to give a humorous effect to her 2021 single, "Coconuts," which will appear on her new album. And she released a salacious 2022 EP, Slut Pop, containing a student oral-sex song called "Throat Goat," which arrived with quips like, "I just sucked my ex-boyfriend/No gag reaction/I should have done it." ' further advanced. Flex / I'm a goat!"
For this project, she adopted a completely inappropriate look. "I tried to entertain the dirtiest characters as much as possible," she says. “He was the kind of person who would say whatever he wanted to say.”
She also had a deeper inspiration. “It was around the time that OnlyFans was trying to ban sex workers,” says Petras. "I have a lot of friends who need sex work to transform. In my world it's normal and there's nothing wrong with sex. I wanted them to feel strong. ”
This uplifting message is also the driving force behind Unholy, whose success produced the two most televised musical events of the last year. When Petras and Smith performed the song on Saturday Night Live, she jumped out from under collaborator Valentino's pink tulle dress to make it look like Smith gave birth to her. It says. This cheeky ploy was Smith's idea, as was the decision that if their song won a Grammy, she alone would give the acceptance speech. "Sam is like, 'Well done, kids.' If I hadn't sung, they would have seen it," she says. I am a shy person. They wanted me to push myself. "
In her speech, Petras thanked the late pop star Sophie, who died in a fall two years ago. "She was the first transgender person I met in music and one of my first transgender friends in the music industry," says Petras. "She said I was the future. I miss that kind of support."
And the man who secured another big TV appearance for Petras and Smith at the 2023 Grammys — Madonna, who was their idol — has since gone on to look too edgy for his age. It has also helped that it has been widely attacked on social media. This reaction causes the singer to evaporate. "It really worries me about the future of other people in the entertainment industry," says Petras. "It's a double standard. There's a lot of rock dudes doing the same things they did 50 years ago, and they're like, 'Oh, he's a great rock star!' This will never change. "Madonna has always been shocking and open, but she's a woman of a certain age and still trying to push things through, so she manages."
Petras has become more emotional about recent attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, especially transgender people, initiated by politicians using fear to garner support for their campaigns. "I am very upset about this," she says. “Transgender people are used to pestering people all the time, but we have to remember that we are only one percent of the population. Mo called me crazy, but it wasn't overtly diabolical, all of us just wanting to live a normal life."
Particularly controversial was Petras' first-hand experience with young transgender people using hormone therapy. At the age of 12, she was one of the first to pay for German health care and receive hormone therapy. "Hormones have been a must for me," she says, but she doesn't necessarily want to promote hormones. “Everyone is different and has different needs,” she said. "There is no set way to become transgender. I have to figure it out for myself, but I know hormone therapy shouldn't be banned."
She credits the unwavering support of her parents, along with the use of hormones, in saving her life. From an early age, her family allowed her to wear whatever clothes she wanted at home. “He was always wearing skirts or funny dresses,” laughs Petras. These ultra-feminine outfits have been trending ever since she had to come forward as a boy in school. “These clothes became my identity because I needed to hide that part of myself and felt like this monster was stuck in my house or everyone was screaming,” she said. says.
Couture gave her extra power. Petras epitomizes this obsession on "I Don't Want Her All," where she snarkyly sings, "I want all designer clothes!" The lyrics are shown to be self-fulfilling prophecies. Petras has been seen front row at Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier and Moschino shows. A few months ago, I attended the Met Gala as a guest of Marc Jacobs. You see this as another sign of how far you have come.
"I feel like I'm finally in a place where I really know my purpose and know I can handle it all," she says. "I'm focused and ready."
Let's feed the beast today. Petras' recently announced Feed the Beast world tour kicks off on August 4th. Watch the video below.
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