What a success: Briton Sam Smith and German Kim Petras have now stormed the US Billboard charts with the song “Unholy”. The number first caused a lot of enthusiasm on TikTok, and then an opulent video did the rest. More than 30 million people have already viewed it on YouTube. However, the instant catchy tune is a bit disreputable: the text is about a family man who goes to strip clubs behind the backs of his wife and children and does “forbidden things” there.

“Unholy” has also reached number one in Canada, Australia and Great Britain, and in Germany it has already landed in the top ten. However, this is not just the success of a German artist, but also the first top placement of a trans woman. And with Sam Smith also that of a non-binary person. A great thing for many LGBTQ people who have had few prominent identification figures in the music industry.

Incidentally, Kim Petras and Sam Smith not only teamed up for this song, they have known each other for a long time. In an Instagram post, the 30-year-old thanked her for the successful collaboration: “Sam, I can’t thank you enough for being by my side for years. I’m so honored to be part of your first number 1 in the to be USA. I love you forever Angel Sam.”

Petras was born in Cologne and grew up in Uckerath. Even as a small child, she recognized that she was actually a girl, even though she was born with male sexual characteristics. With the support of her family, she undertook appropriate treatments and operations in order to finally be able to live as a woman. Petras has been based in Los Angeles for some time, where she has worked on musical projects with Charlei XCX and Paris Hilton.

Source: “DW”, Instagram