Image source: Planet Radio
Sam Smith and Kim Petras paved the way as the first nonbinary and transgender artists to lead the Billboard Hot 100.
The two artists collaborated for “Unholy,” the viral song making the rounds online.
Billboard shared their happiness for the artist’s success on Twitter, writing:
“@samsmith and @kimpetras are the first publicly non-binary and transgender artists, respectively, to earn a No. 1 song on the #Hot100, thanks to ‘Unholy.'”
Unholy
The Sam Smith and Kim Petras collaboration has been teased since August, and the highly anticipated song was finally released last month.
“Unholy” is a gripping song about a relationship in which a man’s son witnesses his infidelity, withholding the secret from his wife.
A preview of the song made it one of the most used sounds on TikTok, and its popularity grew once it was released.
Since its release, the accompanying music video for “Unholy” has been viewed more than 29 million times on YouTube.
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Reaction
The success of “Unholy” marks a significant milestone for Sam Smith and Kim Petras.
It’s Smith’s eighth UK number one track, following a string of hits, including the Grammy-winning song “Stay With Me.”
However, “Unholy” marks Kim Petras’ first mainstream hit and debut on the Billboard Hot 100.
Sam Smith and Kim Petras
Kim Petras is the first transgender woman to reach an important milestone in the music industry.
She posted on Instagram to share the news with over 777,000 of her followers.
“Sam, I can’t thank you enough for riding with me for years at this point,” Petras wrote.
“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.”
Meanwhile, Sam Smith also took to Instagram to share their excitement with their fans, saying they were “speechless, overwhelmed, nauseous, and extremely happy.”
“I am so honoured [sic] to get to work with such incredibly talented musicians and humans.”
“And Kim… what magic you are. You are a treasure and an inspiration to so many. Thank you for jumping with me.”
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Albums
Sam Smith and Kim Petras collaborated on the song, one of the many tracks on Smith’s “Gloria” album.
The Grammy-winning artist will release the album in January next year.
Sam Smith’s latest album, “Love Goes,” was released in 2020, generating hits like “Dancing with a Stranger” and “Diamonds.”
Meanwhile, Kim Petras made her official debut five years ago with “I Don’t Want It at All.”
In February, she finally released her EP “Slut Pop.”
Kim Petras previously told British outlet Metro that although she is a transgender activist, she wants the world’s focus on her talent, not her gender.
“I want to be taken seriously,” said Petras.
Reference:
Sam Smith and Kim Petras are first nonbinary and trans artists to reach number 1 on Billboard chart
