Watch: Kim Petras Makes History with Grammy Win, Honors Trans Musicians, Late Producer Sophie
Kim Petras and Sam Smith jointly took a Grammy for their song "Unholy," winning for Best Pop Duo/Group Collaboration and making Petras the first trans artist to win for that category.
Smith, who is non-binary, ceded the microphone to Petras, allowing her to make an acceptance speech that extended thanks to transgender musicians whose talent helped blaze a trail in the industry, Rolling Stone reported.
"I just want to thank all the incredible transgender legends before me who take these doors open for me so I couldn't be here tonight," Petras said.
"Sophie especially, my friend who passed away two years ago, told me this would happen and always believed in me," Petras went on to say, citing the late trans producer. "Thank you so much for your inspiration, Sophie. I adore you and your inspiration will forever be in my music."
Sophie wasn't the only woman to whom Petras extended her thanks. She sent a shout-out to Madonna, as well as her own mother, who, she said, brought her up in Germany "next to a highway".
"And my mother believed me that I was a girl and I wouldn't be here without her and her support and everyone who believed in me to this point," Petras went on to add.
Petras, however, isn't the first trans person to take home a Grammy. At the awards show in 1969, electronic musician Wendy Carlos won three Grammys for "Switched-On Bach." Several trans people have been nominated over the years.
The win followed another history-making moment last fall, when Petras and Smith scored a Billboard #1 with "Unholy," making them "the first openly nonbinary and transgender artists" to score the top spot on the Billboard Hit 100, as CNN reported at the time.
Petras thanked Smith in an Instagram post that read: "Sam, I can't thank you enough for riding with me for years at this point. I'm so honored to be part of your first number one in the US which you should have 500 of at this point. I love you forever angel Sam."
At the Grammys, Petras reiterated her thanks for Smith, saying, "You're a true angel and hero in my life."
RS detailed that after they were introduced by Madonna, the two "took the stage in sexier versions of their all-red red carpet outfits. Clad in a latex pants/heels combo, Smith energetically jumped into their intro surrounded by a swaying demonic choir, before Petras (in a cage) joined in and helped finish out the TikTok hit."
Speaking to the press backstage, Petras explained the roots of "Unholy," saying, "As a trans person, I'm not wanted in religion. It was kind of like 'hell-keeper Kim.' "
Petras went on to add: "I think that people need to judge less, and I hope that there's a future where gender and identity and all these labels don't don't matter that much."
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