German-born Singer Kim Petras during a photoshoot for the album cover of her debut under Amigo Records. Photo by Luke Gilford.
The Beast became fed, and so were we when Kim Petras dropped her debut album “Feed The Beast.” You may remember Petras from Sam Smith’s popular hit “Unholy,” which went viral after being teased before its release in 2022. Petras is a German singer and songwriter who began as an independent artist in 2016. She was the first openly trans woman artist to win a Grammy Award for “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance” and the second transgender woman to ever win a Grammy.
Petras originally debuted as an independent artist in 2017 under her creation, BunHead Records, with the single “I Don’t Want It At All.” She continued to release several singles, which she called “Era 1.” After Era One, she released two full-length projects, “Clarity” and “Turn Off The Lights,” in Era Two. In 2021, Petras signed under Amigo Records, and in February 2022, she entered Era Three and released her first project, “Slut Pop,” under the label. As of Feb. 14, she has released a follow-up to this extended play (EP) titled “Slut Pop Miami,” which follows the exact vibe with tropical innuendos.
The same year she signed with the record, Petras dropped her first lead single for the project. On Dec. 3, 2021, she dropped the track “Coconuts,” a fun, energetic song describing her chest. Throughout 2022, she dropped two more singles, “Brrr” and “Alone,” which features Nicki Minaj. Eventually, Petras released her 15-track debut album under Amigo in the summer of 2023.
“Feed The Beast” displays Petras’s hooky, club-pop sound with a variety of songs, such as the tracks “uhoh” and “King of Hearts.” Some tracks of the album display sounds of R&B with songs like “BAIT,” which features fellow singer-songwriter BANKS, and “Alone” with Minaj’s verse. A few ballad-like pieces appear with the songs “Thousand Pieces” and “Minute.” The bonus track features Smith’s viral hit, “Unholy,” which fits the album as Petras’s first mainstream breakthrough.
My favored tracks off her debut project include “BAIT” and “Claws.” Petras showed us her vocals over the darker, alt-pop sound with her single “Brrr,” but I honestly wasn’t expecting more to follow. With the album art and concept of the project, these tracks best suit it. I found the album misleading with the promotional images depicting fantastical, medieval realness, but the tracks filled with dance club music. Nonetheless, the album was an enjoyable experience, with many of the tracks finding a home in my playlists. Since her debut, Petras continues to “feed the beast” on her future endeavors.
