Tabitha Wilson
With the release of Alone by Kim Petras and Nicki Minaj, it seems that we’ve finally found this year’s song of the summer.
Europop
The single was highly anticipated after clips of the tune went viral on TikTok – a popular modern marketing strategy for artists. Many users were expressing their excitement and delighting in the return of a Europop styled tune.
“classic sex-positive, fun, and upbeat lyrics, with silky smooth vocals”
The song samples the iconic 1990 club classic Better Off Alone by Dutch Europop duo Alice Deejay, and features Petras’ classic sex-positive, fun, and upbeat lyrics, with silky smooth vocals. The track feels like a muted version of her work on her 2022 EP Slut Pop, which was acclaimed by fans for its bold, unapologetic themes.
Production of Alone
The single is incredibly polished, with production from Dr Luke and Rocco Did It Again!. The strong, pulsing beat is complemented by Minaj’s fun verse, where the ‘Queen of Rap’ shows her versatility by blending in. Indeed, Minaj has been described in the past as a ‘lyrical chameleon’ thanks to her ability to enhance, but not overshadow, any artist.
“Petras is on her way to become the new Princess of Pop”
With an earworm-inducing hook, Petras is on her way to become the new Princess of Pop. The German singer-songwriter made waves this year when she became the first openly transgender woman to win a Grammy, accepting the award for ‘Best Pop Duo/Group Performance’ alongside Sam Smith for the viral sensation Unholy.
In her speech, the 30-year-old artist praised her inspirations SOPHIE and Madonna for their work within the LGBT community, and elements of their music can definitely be heard in this latest single.
Petras On Minaj
Speaking about Nicki’s involvement in the track to Zane Lowe of Apple Music, Petras said: “It doesn’t feel real still. Her singing ‘it’s Barbie and it’s Kim Petras,’ I cried, I was on the floor and then she calls me Kim Petty in it, which all my friends are like, ‘how do we not come up with that our entire lives?’ So she just changed my life in so many ways with that verse and that verse rips, I love her and I’m so inspired by her always, it’s crazy to me.”
“new feel-good anthem”
With a music video rumoured to be on the way, it’s clear that Kim Petras is worth keeping an eye on. If you’re on the hunt for a new feel-good anthem, check out Alone.
Featured image courtesy of dotigabrielf via Pixabay. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
Tabitha Wilson
Tabitha is an MA Journalism student at Sheffield University. She has previously worked as a maritime journalist, and studied politics at Durham University. She enjoys writing about music, culture, and travel.