Disbelief colors Kim Petras’ voice when asked about her reaction to the global success of “Unholy”. After searching for the right words, I arrived at Dream Fever. While the fact that the world’s biggest hit may not have sunk in yet, the numbers don’t lie. In addition to being #1 on Billboard’s Global 200, Unexcused Collaboration with Sam Smith has topped the charts in several countries including the UK, Australia and Canada, and is looking to do the same in the US – looming at No. 2 on Hot 100.
While Unholy exploded seemingly overnight, it was actually five years in the making. “I got in touch with Sam very early in my career,” the German pop star explains in her light-toned English. As a fan, she was eager to make it happen, but the right song never came until Smith sent her a demo of Unholy. “I knew I could add something special to it,” Petras says. “A week later, we were in the studio drinking whiskey and coming out with the words of a bitch.”
Since that session at the famous Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, “Unholy” has been all Petras could think of. “She’s been in my life for five months and I’ve built my whole life around her,” she says. “I always thought it would be great.” Petras had no idea how big it was. And the success means more considering her collaborator: “Sam hosted me because they felt I was a good fit, and it meant a lot because I was able to be myself.”
Living out her cabaret fantasies in the video directed by Floria Sigismondi was just the icing on the cake. “I’m German, so ‘Cabaret’ is one of my favorite things because it’s set in Berlin,” Petras says. “I’ve always loved Lisa Minnelli and wanted to do something like this.” Smith liked the idea and filmed the clip in a London theater. Lifting above the podium in a heart-shaped collar had its drawbacks: “My butt still hurts from that collar, but it’s totally worth it.”
Given the song’s September 22 release date, “Unholy” is eligible for a Grammy Award at the 65th Annual Gala on February 5th. “It would be surreal and amazing,” Petras says of the possibility. “I’ve always felt like an outsider, so I built this LGBTQ+ space around me and focused on my die-hard fans in the community.” A nomination from the Recording Academy would be an acquittal. “Grammy’s realization that I’m a good songwriter or that I sing good songs would mean the world to me.”
No matter what November 15th (the date the nominations will be revealed) brings, Petras is already breathing a rare air in the pop world. Her next single, “If Jesus was a rock starNot only was it co-written by Max Martin, but it was also co-written by Swedish pop maestro in backing vocals. “We scheduled a session at Max’s studio in West Hollywood,” she explains. Kotica, but I walked in and Max was sitting on the sofa.”
It turned out that Martin was very aware of Petras’ music and wanted to work with her. The feeling was very mutual. “I know a lot about Max,” she laughs. “I had to ask him questions about his old band and all the pop songs he liked, the tunes, the chords.” Then Martin surprised everyone by standing behind the microphone. “He’s done background singing because he has such a great voice,” Petras said. “Omar and I used to die and admire.”
“If Jesus Was A Rock Star” promises a drastic change of pace for the pop-escape premiere. “It’s the first time I’ve talked about something so real,” Petras says. “I’ve struggled with religion my whole life, and I’ve never been accepted into it because I’m trans.” The song includes the lyric: “If Jesus was a rock star, I might want to be just like him,” which she interprets as an invitation to include: “If religion doesn’t exclude me, I might want to be a part of it.”
The song also sounds different from its usual fare. “It’s really just guitar and acoustic,” Petras reveals. “I never thought I’d do this kind of song because it must be really good to get away with it.” The focus is solely on the lyrics and Petras’ vocal diction, which excites and intimidates the pop singer in equal measure. “I feel like the most exciting thing I can do right now is strip everything away and get to the heart of why music is so important to me.”
She was worried, however, that fans might not go on the trip when she first performed at TwitchCon. “It’s slow and all my songs are gay clubs,” Petras says. “I thought it would be part of the group where everyone gets a drink.” Instead, fans took out their sticks and sang together. “It was really magical for people to instantly connect with the song and understand that it’s about equality, and how I wish everyone was included in it all.”
While Petras has more Max Martin-produced tunes on the road after “If Jesus Were a Rock Star,” the focus remains much on Unholy. There are shows planned that have the result of her settling in with horror icon Chucky (Petras contributed to Syfy’s “Chucky” series soundtrack) who announce It was unholy long before Terrace and Smith in a recent post. “There was no excuse for that, but Chucky is also a creator and a bad bitch,” she laughs. “Chucky, can we put our differences behind us and just hang out? I feel like it’s time.”
In many ways, “Unholy” is the culmination of a long-term journey for the singer who moved to Los Angeles from Germany “without money and sleeping on studio couches,” as she says, “I’ve been working hard every day for 10 years.” It wasn’t easy, But Petras wouldn’t change anything. “If you work hard and believe in yourself, great things can happen,” she says. “My little fairy tale is happening right now. I am so grateful to Sam and everyone who loved the song.”
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