For a big part of her career, Kim Petras has been criticized for working with Dr. Luke – a music producer that was accused of sexually harassing Kesha during their years collaborating together. Alas, just like Kesha, Petras had signed a contract under Luke’s music label, meaning that there was only so much she could do outside of her contractual obligations.
As she moved forward in her career and signed with Republic Records in 2021, Petras has been trying to move past her ties to the problematic music producer for many years. In 2022, Petras collaborated with Sam Smith on the hit single “Unholy,” which went no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The duo subsequently won a Grammy for the song in 2023, which finally gave Petras more power over the future of her pop stardom.
During a new interview with Billboard, Petras opened up about her work with Luke in a more candid manner than ever before. “I’ve always been a songwriter,” she noted. “Anything I’ve done, I’ve been a big part of writing. I’ve always collaborated with different people and producers.”
She added, “Luke is the one person people like to pick out and be like, ‘This is obviously who has to write all of this girl’s music because she can’t be talented and that’s a big name.’ But I am here because I’m good at writing, and I do my sh*t.”
In the same interview, Petras talked about her viral “Unholy” performance with Smith on Saturday Night Live. “Even growing up in Germany, SNL was a huge thing,” Petras commented. “I’m a huge comedy fan, and I love Bowen [Yang] on the show. We’ve kind of become friends – there’s this really sweet story of Bowen listening to [my song] “I Don’t Want It at All” before his SNL audition.”
Petras ended the interview by referencing some of her biggest music idols. Namely, she cited Cher, Nicki Minaj, Madonna, Lana Del Rey, Marina, and Kylie Minogue as sources of inspiration. “Women in pop music were my only friends in high school,” the popstar explained. “They were everything I wanted to be and [gave me] the strength I [needed] to transition and live my life authentically. They gave me the strength to be myself.”
