Kim Petras Wears a T-Shirt with Viral Fergie Cartwheel Meme During ‘Today’ Performance

Kim Petras paid homage to an iconic TODAY show moment at her Citi Concert Series performance on Friday.

The “Unholy” singer, 30, rocked a purple hooded long-sleeve crop top as she lived out a childhood dream — to perform on the same stage where Fergie did her famous one-handed cartwheels back in 2008. Petras’ shirt captured the 15-year-old legendary pop culture moment, showing Fergie in the middle of a cartwheel.

The look even caught the attention of the Black Eyed Peas singer herself, with Fergie tweeting about the performance.

“Just got to relive performing on the TODAY Show thru @kimpetras,” the singer wrote on Twitter. “I’m so honored. You killed those high notes babe!!! Keep shining.”

The rest of Petras’ outfit was simple so as to give the top its moment. She wore a hip-length leather jacket with a black mini skirt and black skin-tight thigh-high platform boots.

The Grammy winner accessorized with rectangle black glasses that featured a unique touch — a thick ruffle-looking frame around the lenses. 

Of course, Petras couldn’t forget to add a little shine. Along with her chunky diamond-studded hoop earrings, the “Heart to Break” singer carried a metallic silver microphone with eye-catching nails that were covered in little skulls.

The Germany native recently sat down with PEOPLE to talk about her major-label debut album, Feed the Beast, which was released Friday. She spoke about how she has hustled relentlessly to fulfill her pop-star dreams, displaying a penchant for songwriting while fighting transphobia and blazing a 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 told PEOPLE. “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 earned 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, she said, “I was struggling to get anyone to release my music,” adding she 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.”

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,” said 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, she said, 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.”

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