Kim Petras gets candid about life in the spotlight.
In the new headline interview with Cosmopolitan Great Britain released Friday, the 31-year-old singer admitted she turned to therapy after “Unholy” — her Grammy-winning song with Sam Smith — blew up her profile.
“I needed therapy after a huge song, to learn how to turn everything off,” Petras told the publication. “I had a therapist in my teenage years and stopped when things got busy. But I missed having someone to give everything to. I recommend therapy to everyone; it’s an essential tool… The music industry can get very hectic.”
The star went on to admit that her collaboration with Smith, who is also 31, and the attention that came with it, “took over my life”.
“It was crazy,” she remarked. “Suddenly I started traveling a lot and there were more eyes on me than ever before. It felt like a huge breakthrough, because it changed the music industry’s perception of me and what I could do.”
Kim Petras for Cosmopolitan UK.
Courtesy of Cosmopolitan UK
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Along with therapy, Petras also credited Smith with helping her deal with fame and being in the public eye.
“Sam is such a wonderful person and has been my coach in so many ways,” she said Cosmopolitan Great Britain. “If I’m feeling in crisis or read something about myself that I can’t deal with, I’ll text them or call them. That level of media attention is really scary; it made me grow as a person, and it’s so inspiring to see that Sam can shake it off.”
She added of their song, which won the Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at last year’s ceremony: “It was such an honor and I’m so grateful for the whole experience. But nothing can prepare you for that level of attention. It felt revealing and terrifying. Suddenly a lot of people who don’t normally listen to my music started digging up my origin story.”
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Sam Smith and Kim Petras in Las Vegas in September 2022 Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images Paris Hilton praises her fan-favorite collaboration with the ‘talented’ Kim Petras: ‘I love all the words’ (Exclusive)
Petras and Smith became the first openly trans and non-binary artists to win the award in this category.
The duo also performed their hit at the ceremony and were introduced on stage by none other than Madonna.
During an interview with PEOPLE last year, Petras revealed the encouraging words the iconic singer, 65, shared with her before the show.
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Kim Petras on the cover of ‘Cosmopolitan UK’.
Courtesy of Cosmopolitan UK
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“I was so nervous fucking out,” said Petras. “After her speech, she turned and mouthed to me: ‘Go get it, bitch.’ It made me feel like, I got this.”
“And I feel like I have a special connection with Madonna because I’ve always felt that she pushed gender, and she wasn’t necessarily just super-feminine or super-masculine, and she’s just Madonna,” Petras added. “I think Madonna gave me a lot of hope and strength and stuff when I needed it, even as a kid.”
The April/May issue of Cosmopolitan UK is on sale from Tuesday 19 March.
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Source: HIS Education