The Fordham Ram

**The Fordham Ram** is Fordham University's Journal of Record Since 1918. Kim did an interview for their website published on June 13, 2019.

## Interview

A pop star with a unique schedule, Kim Petras has released a new single for the eighth consecutive Thursday. The song, titled “Personal Hell,” serves as another example of Petras’ new sound for her latest project, “Clarity.” This second era contrasts from her previous bubblegum, ’80s-inspired pop songs with trap beats, rap verses and “sad girl” lyrics.

This is not the first time the singer has released music in a non-traditional way. Prior to starting this “era” in April, Petras had released a series of singles, including viral hits “I Don’t Want It At All” and “Heart to Break,” from August 2017 through February 2019 — none of which saw an album release.

“Clarity” is similar to her first era in that each song so far has debuted individually; however, all the songs will see a full release on June 27. The Fordham Ram had the opportunity to speak with Petras in light of her recent work.

**In this new era, you have released eight singles in consecutive weeks. What led you to that decision?**

Well, last time I dropped a single a month so this time I wanted to pick up the speed and do one a week!

**The first single for this era, “Broken” is considerably darker than your other pop anthems. Tell us more about the motive behind your new songs and how they fit in with this project.**

They were the starting point of this new record. I got my heart crushed and went through some really dark times while being on the road and performing these super bright pop songs every night. I love them but, at the same time, I felt sad and wanted to share my real feelings with my fans and let them know that I’m going through something — especially if they’re going through something too.

The songs came very naturally. It’s what I gravitated towards: the beats I picked, the words I wrote down, the rhyme schemes I used… They all stood out and were very clear to me. I’m really happy that I’ve created something that people can relate to. A lot of people have said that it’s crazy how much the songs relate to their life situations, so I’m really happy that I’ve made people feel like they’re not alone in that.

Your new singles clearly have a new sound when compared to your previous era. What influenced you this time around? What’s a typical day like in your creative process?

A lot of things influenced it! With every breakup comes a little phase where you want to go out and meet new people, so there are songs like “Got My Number,” “Sweet Spot,” and “Do Me” that are just really that. I feel like I went back to my roots a little. I always used to go to Kylie Minogue nights in Cologne when I was living there. I love her music, so “Sweet Spot” is very inspired by her. I listened to a lot of “808s & Heartbreak” by Kanye West, a lot of Travis Scott’s “Astroworld,” a lot of old Rihanna records like “Loud” and “Good Girl Gone Bad,” and some “Dangerously in Love” by Beyoncé… I just felt really inspired to explore a different palette of sound, vibe, vocal placement, and pitch. All of this is me experimenting a lot.

For my creative process, I love to watch a ton of movies and series and things. I write all the words I like into my little journal, all the sentences I like, everything that speaks to me — and then I go into the studio and do as many songs as possible and pick the best parts and put the best parts together. Every song happens differently, comes from a different place, and has a different inspiration, so there’s not really a typical day.

**What led you to want to be an independent artist? What pros and cons to being independent have you noticed?**
I love being independent. I love being in charge of my own destiny, making the music I want to make, and making the visuals I want to make. I also have this amazing team which really helps me with everything and is really smart, which is great. It’s really for me, though — I didn’t find the right label to go with. I didn’t find one that I thought really believed in me. At this point, I believe I would have been shelved at some label and wouldn’t have been able to put out any music. Instead, I’m dropping as much music as possible, building a fanbase, and selling out tours. The best thing about it that I’m my own boss. It’s really intense and I work a lot, but at the same time it’s really rewarding. It’s really nice to see my vision be exactly the way I envisioned it.

**You’ve performed in NYC before and you have more upcoming concerts here — what do you think of the NYC vibe?**
New York is my favorite place to perform in. There’s something about New York that’s just really magical. I’ve always been really obsessed with New York and I’d really love to live there one day. I mean, I don’t want to pick favorites as I love performing everywhere and I love meeting my fans, but New York has a special place in my heart.

**In the past, you’ve collaborated with artists such as Charli XCX and SOPHIE, as well as others. Who is an artist you would like to collaborate with now?**
There’s this German rapper whose name is Rene. He’s really killing it and I’d love to collaborate with him. I really want to collaborate with Post Malone one day. I really want to collaborate with Daft Punk, too!

How have you seen pop as a genre change since you entered the industry, and where do you see it going?

I think pop isn’t defined by a genre anymore. I think it can be anything. It can be a trap song, it can be a country song, I think pop can be an 80’s synth song — there are no rules and I think genres are disappearing. I think a lot of the new music we’re seeing takes inspiration from everywhere. At least, my new music takes inspiration from the greats of every genre. I’m taking from every genre, putting it into a blender, and making my own literal pop smoothie. I think we’ll be seeing more of that.

**Lastly, as the season is changing — who is on your summer playlist?**
**Kylie Minogue is on it. I always listen to her in the summer. Lana del Rey is on it, because I love a sad girl summer anthem. Still Travis Scott. Still Post Malone. Rihanna. I can’t wait for her new reggae album to come out… I want her to hurry up already and drop it. That’s some of my summer playlist!**

## References

<references>

1. ↑ https://fordhamram.com/69109/culture/kim-petras-announces-her-new-project-clarity/