Kim Petras, the 'unapologetic' transgender pop princess
May 17, 2018
German-born transgender pop singer Kim Petras is a rising star who has been compared to Lady Gaga and garners millions of YouTube views. She spoke to DW on the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.
Image: Getty Images/J. McCarthy
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Deutsche Welle: Lady Gaga's ex-manager Troy Carter says you are the best thing in the world of pop since Gaga's debut. Any idea where this sudden hype comes from?
Kim Petras: I sing pop music that I like, and that is completely unapologetic – which is actually the term, it's called "unapologetic pop." That had been missing before. I write my own lyrics, I can incorporate my own ideas. And yes, apparently, people think it's cool. That's pretty awesome.
What are your songs about?
Basically, they are always about something personal. A relationship that isn't working, or when I talk to friends or go out partying, watch movies. Topics I am interested in and that mean something to me. I take that material and write a structured pop song. And I write a lot about things I dream of, what I wish my life were like.
Kim Petras is interviewed by DW's Benedikt AmaraImage: DW/Benedikt Amara
If people look for you on Google, your transsexuality is very present in the search results. Is that something you've ever written about?
No, I don't write songs about transsexuality. Maybe some day I will. But I actually prefer to write about topics that relatively normal. I find my emotions are inspiring, but I don't find transsexuality to be that inspiring.
You moved to Los Angeles at the age of 19 to become a pop star. Those first months must have been tough.
Yes, they were. I flew to LA, where I knew one or maybe two people from the internet. I slept on couches in studios, had little money and just a few contacts. Every day, I wrote three or four songs, I got to know people, and I contacted them on the internet.
I did that until I had finally grabbed someone's attention. People started recording my songs, later I was offered songwriter contracts. And then, finally, I could take the time to work on my own project. I worked hard for this all by myself.
You just finished your debut album, which is about to be released. What are your plans for the next few years?
I'm going to go on tour with my new album, certainly throughout North America. I'm going to go to lots of prides [Pride marches — editor note] and I'm going to perform at CSDs.
I just got back from a radio tour in the US: San Francisco, San Diego, Milwaukee, Dallas, Denver, New York, LA. And I hope they'll play my song on the radio in America, which actually isn't that easy because they only rotate 12 songs. I plan new music videos and new singles. Lots are completed already, and I can't wait to release them.
Transgender models on magazine covers
Transgender models on magazine covers are no new phenomenon in an increasingly diverse world. These athletes and actresses have already hit the newsstands with a splash.
Giuliana Farfalla, German Playboy
A first for the German edition of Playboy: Reality television star and model Giuliana Farfalla made it to the cover of the magazine, published a week ahead of her appearance in the show "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!" The 21-year-old also appeared on "Germany's Next Top Model" in hopes to "encourage other transgender and transsexual people," she said.
Image: Playboy/Christopher von Steinbach
Caroline 'Tula' Cossey, Playboy
Playboy's first-ever transgender model, Caroline "Tula" Cossey, starred in a pictorial feature in 1981 (the above picture shows her on a later cover, from the 1990s). She, too, was fighting for recognition transgender rights. Hugh Hefner's son Cooper, now the creative director of Playboy Enterprises, said featuring transgender models was "the right thing to do."
Laverne Cox, Time Magazine
A trailblazer for the transgender community, Laverne Cox became the first openly transgender person to appear on the cover of Time magazine in 2014. Cox is known to a wider audience for her role as a trans woman prisoner, the hairdresser Sophia Burset, on the popular Netflix series "Orange is the New Black."
National Geographic special issue on gender
Featuring a nine-year-old transgender person on its cover, the January 2017 special issue looked at how young people from around the world, "old enough to have sage views on gender," are affected by gender issues. The issue also examined challenges for girls today — including anonymous bullying and body-shaming — and how "society makes a man."
Caitlyn Jenner, Vanity Fair
Former Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner publicly announced the name change to Caitlyn and her identity as a trans woman in a July 2015 Vanity Fair cover story. She also starred in the docu-series "I Am Cait," which documented her gender transition and subsequent new life as a woman.
Amelia Gapin, Women's Running
In July 2016, marathon runner Amelia Gapin was featured on the cover of Women's Running. "Being a transgender woman on the cover of a magazine dedicated to women says people like me are not just being seen, but being seen for who we are," she told the magazine in an interview. "It's a feeling of acceptance, inclusivity and being welcomed."
Hari Nef, Elle UK
Featured on the cover of Elle UK in September 2016, US actor and model Hari Nef would rather not be defined by gender. "'In an ideal world, I wouldn't have to change my body," she told the magazine. "I wouldn't have to do all this stuff, I wouldn't have to be pretty, or 'feminine' and people would respect that."
Valentina Sampaio, Vogue Paris
Vogue Paris put a transgender model on its cover for the first time in March 2017: Brazil's Valentina Sampaio. "The day when a transsexual poses for a magazine cover and it will be no longer necessary to write an editorial on the subject, we will know that the fight has been won," said the fashion magazine's editor-in-chief Emmanuelle Alt.
Ben Melzer, Men's Health Germany
Muscle-packed arms, a six-pack and a beard: Ben Melzer, the first openly male transgender model to star on the cover of Men's Health, also hopes he can change attitudes. He underwent the change from woman to man at age 23. He's now, he says, "the person I always wanted to be." He wants to be an example for others who feel they were "born in the wrong body," adding, "it is 100 percent worth it."
