Kim Petras Says She's 'So Much More' Than Her Gender: 'Equality Is Being Known as a Great Artist' (Exclusive)

Kim Petras is ready to take her seat alongside the music royalty she grew up idolizing.

On Friday, the "Alone" singer, 30, released her major-label debut, Feed the Beast. And she's hustled relentlessly to fulfill her pop-star dreams, displaying a penchant for songwriting while fighting transphobia and blazing her own singular trail.

“My purpose is to be an artist. I just so happen to be transgender, but that’s not all that I am,” Petras says. “It’s been a nonstop mission since I was 12 years old to do this, but I feel like I’m just beginning.”

Last fall, Petras made history when "Unholy" — her deliciously deviant collab with Sam Smith — topped the charts, making the duo the first out trans and non-binary artists, respectively, to score a No. 1 hit. The song went on earn them the Grammy for best pop duo/group performance, another first.

"Unholy" marked a turning point for Petras. Not only was it her biggest hit to date, but it also offered her a much-needed boost. Before the duet dropped in September, “I was struggling to get anyone to release my music,” says Petras, who felt stalled after her label shelved another album she’d completed. “It was a really s---ty situation that then led to the biggest moment I’ve had in my career. I’m so happy I clawed my way back.”

Petras has approached life with that same tenacity since she was young. Born in Cologne, Germany, and raised in the countryside by her parents, Lutz, an architect, and Konni, a choreographer, Petras was assigned male at birth but “always” knew she identified as female.

“I had to pretend to be another person — go by my boy name, wear boys’ clothes. My family was supportive, but there were definitely moments where I was challenged,” says Petras, who struggled with suicidal ideation before transitioning at age 16. “I’m very proud that I always knew myself. And I’m just lucky that I had parents that didn’t kick me out.”

Bullied as a kid, she found solace in music.

“I always had a strong connection to pop stars, and I felt like those were my friends,” says Petras, who — inspired by artists including Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and, of course, Madonna — began writing songs in her bedroom before selling her first jingle as a teen. At 19, she moved to the U.S. to pursue music full-time.

"I came here by myself, had around 500 euros and stayed illegally for two years" before getting a visa, says Petras, who booked songwriting sessions with any producer who would work with her. She eventually scored a publishing contract, launched her own label and found streaming success with her 2017 single “I Don’t Want It at All.”

“I look up to creatives who are really authentic and carve out their own lane and are unafraid,” she says. “That’s what I try to be. I'm from the middle of nowhere. I always knew I had to carve my own way.”

For years Petras was told by industry execs that she’d never make it as a mainstream artist because she’s trans. But in 2021 she signed a deal with Republic Records, home to stars like Ariana Grande and The Weeknd.

“It took a while to find the right people who really get what I’m trying to do, but finding a label that supports me was crucial,” Petras says. But she continues to face hurdles most singers don’t: “I still feel people view me as a little bit of a test creature.”

Like many pop stars, Petras has skirted her share of controversy. She’s faced backlash for working with Dr. Luke, the music producer singer Kesha accused of sexual assault. (Luke denies the allegations; Kesha’s 2014 lawsuit was dismissed because of statute of limitations; and on Thursday, Luke and Kesha revealed that they had reached a resolution in his defamation lawsuit.)

“It breaks my heart, and it’s unfortunate,” Petras — who worked with Luke on seven of Feed the Beast’s 15 tracks — says of the situation, declining to comment further.

Petras also receives hate because of her gender identity, and she’s alarmed by political attacks on trans rights.

“I’m just so tired of people trying to tell certain people what they can or can’t do with their bodies, how they can or can’t live,” she says. “Trans people are such a small percentage of the population. We just want to live, and it is a matter of life or death. It’s really scary, and we have to fight through this.”

But Petras doesn’t consider herself an activist. Rather, she hopes her advocacy shines through her artistry.

“It is important that I show people that you are more than your gender. I have so many sides to me. That’s not all that makes me me,” she says. “For me, reaching equality is being able to be known as a great artist.”

To that end, Feed the Beast is a triumph that proves Petras is a master pop-music student, evoking everything from Britney’s bubblegum and Robyn’s crying-in-the-club catharsis to Katy’s humor and Madonna’s unabashed sexuality.

“I’m really pushing myself to my limit. I’ve done this for a long time but never on this level,” she says. “I’ve never been this busy.”

And Petras is happiest when she’s working. In August, she'll kick off her Feed the Beast Global Tour.

“The stage is the only place where I really feel like I belong. I feel successful whenever I’m on- stage selling out a venue, and that’s what I want to do forever... ” she says. “But the Grammy is nice to have too!” 

For more on Kim Petras, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.