ON THE COVER:
KIM PETRAS

When she appeared in last year’s HITS Pride special, Republic’s Petras seemed poised for greatness. In the interim, she’s achieved it—thanks to a massive smash with Sam Smith, “Unholy,” and a series of huge mainstream looks, most notably a Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover.

Now she’s delivering album Feed the Beast, her strongest and most personal musical statement yet. The soulful and outspoken artist has become the most visible trans person in music, as evidenced by the interview in this issue. Though ours may be one beast she regrets feeding.