Kim Petras (; German: [ˈpeːtʁas]; born 27 August 1992) is a German singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. After attracting international attention for transitioning as a teenager, she released the EP One Piece of Tape (2011) and wrote tracks for Fergie, JoJo, Skylar Stecker, and Twice. She released her debut single, "I Don't Want It at All", in August 2017, followed by the single "Heart to Break" (2018), which charted at No. 52 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart. She followed this with Turn Off the Light, Vol. 1 (2018), Clarity (2019), Turn Off the Light (2019), and the single "How It's Done" (2019); the last of these featured on the soundtrack of Charlie's Angels. A further track, "Broken Glass" (2020), charted at number 23 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Songs chart.
Petras signed to a Republic Records imprint in 2021. That year, she became the first out transgender act to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards, MTV Europe Music Awards, and Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Her 2022 album Slut Pop featured "Throat Goat", which went viral in 2023 after a sign language interpreter provided an explicit translation at Sydney World Pride. She also featured on Sam Smith's "Unholy" in 2022, 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", which peaked at No. 55, the album Feed the Beast (2023), which charted at No. 44 on the Billboard 200, and the album Problématique (2023) and the EP Slut Pop Miami (2024). A further album, Detour, was delayed after Republic refused to release it, prompting Petras to ask to leave the label in January 2026. She 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 has featured in the film The Bitch Who Stole Christmas (2021), 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). She has been criticised throughout her career for working with Dr. Luke.
