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Kim Petras Sings Sam Smith's Praises: They're 'Truly Talented'
The popstar discussed working with Smith on “Unholy,” dealing with right-wing media, and future collabs.
Popstar Kim Petras made more than just a worldwide hit last year when she collaborated with Sam Smith – she also made a real friend.
The talented duo faced backlash from rightwing zealots after their Grammy performance earlier this year when their hit “Unholy” sparked controversy. However, Petras told Metro UK that she and Smith gave each other “lots of confidence.”
The 30-year-old German star, whose debut album Feed the Beast dropped today, told the publication she was proud of the way her BFF handled a situation that might break most people.
“I feel like I’ve learned a lot from Sam regarding how to handle media and people commenting on your appearance, looks, your body,” Petras said. “People were really harsh to Sam but I was very impressed to see how Sam handled all of that and didn’t let it get close.”
The hitmakers were accused of promoting satanism by conservative news outlets for their sexy Grammy performance, where Smith was dressed up as the devil in a skin-tight red outfit and Petras danced in a cage surrounded by women wearing devil horns.
Smith dealt with particularly harsh criticism for embracing body-positivity and their queer identity and for using they/them pronouns.
“It’s so tough sometimes, you go through comments or press stuff and you’re like, 'Oh my god everyone hates me,'” Petras continued. “But give it a few hours, touch grass and breathe and let it go by.”
The pop stars both proved all of the naysayers wrong when they took home the award for the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 2023 Grammys for their devilish song, making Petras the first transgender artist to win in that category.
Earlier this month Smith released a new single “Vulgar” in collaboration with superstar Madonna, but rather than be jealous of her bestie’s success, Petras has nothing but praise for them.
“They’re just a really truly talented, gifted artist who really writes and cares about the music,” she said. “I love working with those kinds of artists.”
As for whether or not an “Unholy” sequel is in their future, Petras said she would be “honored."
“I would love to collaborate again and whatever I do next get Sam on,” she explained. “It’s got to be the right song. This song came along after a few years of talking about collaborating and the song was just right.”
Petras told the publication that in the past she had always been worried that her identity “would stand in the way of people being able to connect” because such a small portion of the population is transgender. But winning a Grammy proved to her that she isn’t “too strange or weird to be on the radio.”
We hope both stars continue to smash boundaries!
Ariel Messman-Rucker is an Oakland-born journalist who now calls the Pacific Northwest her home. When she’s not writing about politics and queer pop culture, she can be found reading, hiking, or talking about horror movies with the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network.
Ariel Messman-Rucker is an Oakland-born journalist who now calls the Pacific Northwest her home. When she’s not writing about politics and queer pop culture, she can be found reading, hiking, or talking about horror movies with the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network.
