Kim Petras has Britney Spears to thank for a lot more than her pop-music influence. During an appearance on the TODAY show in promotion of her debut album Feed the Beast, which dropped Friday (June 23), the German pop star shared that she learned to speak English in part by watching videos of the Princess of Pop.
Petras performed a live concert showcasing the new record in New York City Friday morning as part of the long-running NBC morning show’s 2023 Citi Concert Series. While onstage, the “Unholy” singer was asked by hosts Hoda Kotb and Al Roker about her rise to stardom, including how she tuned in to YouTube videos of English-speaking artists to help her pick up the language as a child.
“I watched a lot of Britney Spears,” Petras confessed, giggling.
The 30-year-old musician — who earlier this year became the first transgender artist to win a major Grammy category and was also named Billboard‘s Chartbreaker for 2023 Women in Music — also shared how she intends to spend the rest of Pride Month in the final week of June. “Gonna go to some clubs,” Petras said. “I’m probably just going to hang out at bars and see my friends and have the best time.”
Back inside the TODAY show studios, Petras drank margaritas with the show’s hosts and revealed which musicians she’d like to team up with in the future following her collaborations with Sam Smith and Nicki Minaj. “I really love Lana Del Rey, I’m a huge fan of hers,” the singer said. “I love M.I.A. I’ve always wanted to make a song with Babyface. Diplo, I love Diplo.”
Then, speaking about her historic Grammy win for best pop duo/group performance with her and Smith’s “Unholy” duet, Petras said she hopes her success marks “a step towards just transgender people being generally more accepted into society.”
“It was a really tough childhood and school experience and all that, it still is,” she continued. “I hope it makes people feel hopeful that they can do anything no matter what they identify as or where they’re from. If you’re really good at something and you work really hard and you’re nice to people, you can achieve anything.”
“No matter if it scares you, you just have to do what your passion is,” she added. “And for me that’s pop music.”
Watch clips of Kim Petras’ appearance on the TODAY show below:
Kim Petras talks about the meaning of her new album #FeedTheBeast. #citiconcertseries @citibank pic.twitter.com/NAnTJH1LPy
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 23, 2023
Kim Petras reveals some of her dream collaborations, including Lana del Rey and Babyface! #feedthebeast @citibank #citiconcertseries pic.twitter.com/lGHgw4zAsY
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 23, 2023
💗 @kimpetras opens up to @craigmelvin, @alroker and @watchsavannah about her accomplishments this year, including her #Grammys win and what it meant to her and her community. #citiconcertseries #kimpetras @citibank pic.twitter.com/QVdPFaOFEa
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 23, 2023
