You saw her climbing down from a suspended rope miming the cross. We witnessed her emerging out of an elaborate Sam Smith gown at Saturday Night Live. She is everywhere, and we are proud to see that. She is the transgender artist Kim Petras! Kim is everywhere since she and Sam Smith dropped the single ‘Unholy’ from the latter’s album ‘Gloria’. The song became an instantaneous hit around the globe on platforms like TikTok.
It is a big moment for the transgender community as she became the first trans artist to climb to the top position on Billboard 100. It is the needed breakout that Petras had. There are many talented trans music artists across the genres like Shea Diamond, Cavetown, Dorian Electra, and others. It is difficult to break into the industry when an artist has a particular gender identity. Kim has been on the scene since 2008, and now it is her world and we are living in it. In a recent interview, she weighed upon her relationship with religion considering her gender identity.
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Kim Petras Always Thought She Is Going To Hell
Irrespective of the response that the song got, ‘Unholy’ became an instant bop of the year! It debuted at No.2 on Billboard when it was released on September 22nd, 2022, but it reached the No.1 spot in two weeks. It is a big leap and a celebratory moment for LGBTQIA+ community. Sam Smith is a genderqueer and a non-binary person and Kim Petras is a transgender woman. The biggest news is that the two are nominated for the 65th Grammy Awards under the ‘Best Pop Duo/Group Performance’ category.
Two of her consecutive releases had religion subverted. In ‘Unholy’, they compared infidelity to a religious sin (Genesis 20:9, Genesis 30:9). In another song, she creates a scenario that is tandem with the title of the song ‘If Jesus Was A Rockstar’. During an interview with The Associated Press, she said, “I just never got a chance to even know about spirituality or be accepted by God. So, to me, it’s like mythology. To me, it’s like a fairy tale or any other story”. Through her music, she weaponizes religion in articulating her traumatic experiences.
Kim continued, “I just, since a young age, had to be like, ‘I’m going to hell’. That was my growing-up experience. Had I had the chance to be a part of a religion, I maybe would have. And maybe I would have lived more the way that people who protest my concerts want me to live”.
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Kim Petras Wants Her Music To Be A Safe Haven For Transgender Kids
As per a Human Rights Campaign report, in the United States of America, there were 37 reported fatalities of transgender people killed in 2022. In 2021, the record was 50 fatalities. It has become difficult for transgender and non-binary people to access public spaces. But artists like Kim Petras are a hope for the other people from the community.
During the same interview, she assured, “It’s a scary time for transgender kids and people and I think there are just a lot of things that really need to get figured out. I’m scared for the trans community and I just hope I can be a person that makes them forget about those troubles and just makes them have fun for a little bit”.
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