The Sun

**The Sun** is a tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Kim Petras did an interview for their website and podcast on 2019.

## Written Interview

WHEN singer Kim Petras appeared on This Morning in 2009, aged 16, to talk about being the world’s youngest trans woman, she shared a dream of being an international pop star.

At the time, such a goal seemed near impossible.

She was stuck in Cologne, Germany, being bullied so severely at school she had considered suicide. Not to mention the fact the entertainment industry was relatively transphobic.

A decade on, Kim has released a critically acclaimed debut album Clarity, this week performed her first sold-out headline show in London and is considered one of the most exciting stars in pop with celebrity fans including Miley Cyrus and Paris Hilton.

And, mark my words, she is one of the most promising talents in pop, with songs like Hillside Boys, If U Think About Me... and Clarity being classic pop with a distinct futuristic twist.

In her first major UK newspaper interview since becoming a star, Kim opens up about her incredible determination to become the woman she knew she should be from when she was just two years old.

In her first major UK newspaper interview since becoming a star, Kim opens up about her incredible determination to become the woman she knew she should be from when she was just two years old.

Speaking on a new episode of my podcast The Dan Wootton Interview, Kim tells me: “I was always like, ‘I’m a girl, help me’. A lot of kids do know and that’s a normal thing in the transgender community.

The problem is a lot of parents force their kids to live as a gender that they don’t identify with. I hated myself, I hated my body and I didn’t identify with it.

“I had surgery at 16 — it allowed me, for the end of my teens, to be a normal girl. If you believe kids, that they are transgender, they can have a happy life earlier. And not be suicidal. Because I was suicidal, until I got surgery.”

Speaking on a new episode of my podcast The Dan Wootton Interview, Kim tells me: “I was always like, ‘I’m a girl, help me’. A lot of kids do know and that’s a normal thing in the transgender community. The problem is a lot of parents force their kids to live as a gender that they don’t identify with. I hated myself, I hated my body and I didn’t identify with it.

“I had surgery at 16 — it allowed me, for the end of my teens, to be a normal girl. If you believe kids, that they are transgender, they can have a happy life earlier. And not be suicidal. Because I was suicidal, until I got surgery.”

Kim’s parents understood and her mum, a dance teacher with gay and transgender friends, sought professional help from psychologists and doctors from when she was 12.

She says: “I was so lucky to have supportive parents. I feel so blessed that I got to do it as young as I did.”

But what’s important about Kim is that her transition doesn’t define her.

Sure, it’s a big part of her story, but more fascinating is how she moved to Los Angeles with nothing and is now on the cutting edge of pop music.

Kim prepared herself by using her tough school years to learn how to write music on her MacBook computer.

She recalls: “I was just writing about boys that didn’t like me back. Really cheesy, but I eventually got much better and kind of wouldn’t stop.”

She was able to afford the trip to Los Angeles after writing a jingle for laundry detergent in Germany, which helped her secure a publishing deal.

But despite making some amazing music, Kim became disillusioned with mainstream record companies in LA.

She recalls: “All the labels were just talking about me being transgender constantly and didn’t even listen to the music. All the meetings I had with them were just like, ‘How do we promote it? How do we not promote it? Can you be a pop star and be transgender?’

“All these old men would talk about my gender and I was like, ‘Ugh’.”

Getting on radio playlists is also proving difficult, which is ridiculously discriminatory given the obvious quality of her tunes.

She says with horror: “I’ve had a meeting with somebody who was like, ‘If I work for you, I’m going to hell because you’re going to hell’.”

As a result, she decided to maintain control of her music, saying: “That’s the reason why I get to be transgender and an artist — I don’t think I would if I had to go with a major label.”

Kim’s main music collaborator has been Dr Luke, the controversial producer fighting for his reputation after being accused of physical, sexual and verbal abuse by Kesha.

Kim was forced to dial back her initial support of the super-producer after a public backlash.

During the podcast — which you can download for free by searching for The Dan Wootton Interview wherever you listen — she says: “It’s a complicated situation between the two of them. I just don’t want to include myself in that.”

Will she work with Dr Luke again? Clearly pained with the question, she says: “I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not.”

## Video

The video with snippets of the podcast can be seen on The Sun's website.

## Podcast

The podcast is over 46 minutes long and is available on multiple podcast websites:

* Spotify
* Apple Podcasts
* ACast
* Tune In
* Stitcher

## References

<references>

1. ↑ https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/9832006/kim-petras-transition-clarity-fame/