Kim Petras is a German singer-songwriter whose career spans independent pop releases, major-label albums, explicit club music and darker, genre-blending projects. She is best known to many listeners for “Unholy,” her collaboration with Sam Smith, which won the 2023 Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. To explore more of her work, start with the sound you want: bright pop, gothic synth-pop, sexually explicit club music or the industrial- and grunge-leaning direction of her 2026 album Detour.
Who is Kim Petras?
Petras is a German singer-songwriter who grew up in rural Germany and has described pop music as a source of refuge and connection. Universal Music Canada lists Madonna, Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue and Gwen Stefani among her influences. Her catalog reflects that pop foundation, but it does not stay in one lane: across her releases she has moved among polished pop, gothic synth-pop, explicit club tracks, French-house influences and heavier electronic sounds.
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Feed The Beast | $13.98 | Buy on Amazon |
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BRAV0HITS 2O22 | Buy on Amazon |
Petras is a transgender woman. In a February 2023 Associated Press interview, she discussed religious rejection while growing up and said she hoped her music could give listeners a moment of fun during a frightening period for transgender people. Her identity is part of her public story, but it is only one part of a career built around making and releasing music.
What made Kim Petras famous?
“Unholy” and its Grammy win
“Unholy,” her collaboration with Sam Smith, brought Petras to a much wider mainstream audience in 2022. The Recording Academy lists the song as the winner of Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards in 2023. Its current artist profile records one win and one nomination for Petras. Universal Music Canada reported that “Unholy” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified 2× Platinum in the United States; those chart and certification figures are the label’s reported figures.
#1 Best Overall
- Grammy-winning popstar and acclaimed songwriter Kim Petras released her debut album, Feed The Beast, in 2023 on Amigo Records (a division of Republic Records)
The song’s provocative framing and theatrical pop sensibility helped make it a cultural flashpoint as well as a hit. But it is an entry point, not a complete picture of Petras’s music: several of her projects explore different moods and styles.
How did her career develop?
Independent releases before wider recognition
Petras’s rise was not an overnight discovery. In a 2023 Associated Press interview, she said she had been making music for more than a decade and described a path that began with independent releases before broader attention arrived. AP also reported that she created BunHead Records, inspired in part by artists such as Robyn and Charli XCX, who have released music independently.
Two different album stories in 2023
Feed the Beast, released in June 2023, was Petras’s major-label debut, according to the Associated Press. The album presents a broad pop sound and includes “Unholy” as a bonus track.
Problématique took a less straightforward route. It had been announced as her major-label debut, but was shelved after much of the material leaked. Petras surprise-released it in September 2023. AP reported that she framed the release as a way to reclaim the project and put out music on her own timing. The album draws on French house, offering a different emphasis from Feed the Beast.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe reported independent release of Detour
In a profile published June 16, 2026, Vogue reported that Petras bought herself out of her label contract after months of negotiation and released Detour independently at the end of May. The magazine described the album as a fusion of industrial EDM, grunge and pop, and reported that the label had previously put it on ice. This is the status described in that dated account; it should not be taken as confirmation of any later contract or distribution changes.
What should you listen to first?
Choose by mood rather than treating any one album as the definitive starting point. These are entry points, not a ranking.
Rank #2
- Best Of 2022 (CD Album 50 Tracks):
| If you want | Try | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Pop-focused songwriting | Clarity | A useful introduction to her earlier pop work; Universal Music Canada lists it among her acclaimed projects. |
| Darker, theatrical synth-pop | Turn Off the Light | A gothic synth-pop project, as described by Vogue. |
| Explicit, club-oriented pop | Slut Pop or Slut Pop Miami | Sexually explicit projects. Petras has said the vulgarity of Slut Pop was intentional: “It is vulgar, you know? That’s what it’s supposed to be and I’m proud of that.” |
| A broad pop album from her major-label period | Feed the Beast | Her 2023 major-label debut, with “Unholy” included as a bonus track, according to AP. |
| French-house influences | Problématique | A project with a complicated release history after being shelved and leaked. |
| Industrial, grunge-leaning pop | Detour | Vogue characterized the 2026 album as a blend of industrial EDM, grunge and pop. |
If you are deciding between them, consider both sound and content: the catalog ranges from bright pop to gothic synth-pop and heavier electronic styles, while the Slut Pop releases are deliberately explicit.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What has Kim Petras said about her music?
In a GRAMMY.com interview, Petras described the intended tone of Slut Pop plainly: “It is vulgar, you know? That’s what it’s supposed to be and I’m proud of that.” The remark captures one strand of her approach: she has made room for deliberately provocative material alongside more conventional pop releases.
Her comments about religion offer context for another part of her public story. In the 2023 AP interview, 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.”
What is the latest Kim Petras album?
The latest album documented in the sources available for this article is Detour, which Vogue reported was released independently at the end of May 2026. Because that release and contract account comes from the magazine’s June 16, 2026 profile, it describes the situation at that time rather than guaranteeing that release arrangements have not changed since.
Can you buy Kim Petras music on vinyl?
Petras’s official site has a page for Detour CD and vinyl, but it invites visitors to request availability updates rather than confirming that the formats are currently in stock. Check the official page or a retailer directly for current format and stock details before ordering.
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