Kim Petras is still a "superpower bitch!"
Since the beginning of her career, the transgender singer has never shied away from pushing pop music into a bolder, sexier, and more unapologetically queer direction.
With her summer album, Detour, Petras continues her long-running embrace of sex positivity in her music. So it only made sense for her to team up with MISTR for the music video for her new banger, "Need for Speed."
Kim PetrasDylan Perlot for MISTR
In the video, Petras is surrounded by the hunky MISTR men as they pop the blue pill, dance to the vibrant track, and poke fun at brand partnerships in the music industry. Owned by Tristan Schukraft, MISTR is a telemedicine company that offers no-cost access to preventive care against the spread of HIV.
“I just really care about my gays out there and myself! Education about sex and sexual health is so important,” Petras says. “MISTR is doing an amazing job making it so accessible for everyone. Transparency is close to my heart. There’s so much shame out there, and I don’t think it helps anyone. Let’s talk about it!”
Fans of Petras — who rang in her tenure as a MISTR Ambassador with a New Year’s bash at The Abbey, a West Hollywood gay bar owned by Schukraft — know this collaboration is fitting. The singer has put out two EPs literally dedicated to having wild sex, so the German pop sensation knew it was important to educate her fans on sexual health.
“Anyone who’s sexually active, get on PrEP. It’s not exclusive to anyone. It really is the future. I just think everyone needs to know this exists. There’s no need to be dangerous anymore,” she says.
Kim PetrasDylan Perlot for MISTR
Short for pre-exposure prophylaxis, the treatment, when taken as the daily pill Truvada or Descovy, is 99 percent effective at preventing HIV, which still disproportionately impacts queer men and trans women. The telehealth platform and its sibling brand SISTR also provide at-home STI screenings and access to Doxy PEP, an antibiotic regimen that can lower transmission rates of syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea when taken after condomless sex.
Music can also serve as a kind of medicine. At a time when Republicans are doing their best to silence queer voices, Petras is using her platform to be louder and prouder than ever. Detour serves as her most authentic body of work yet as she continues to pave a lane for trans voices in the entertainment industry.
“I feel so excited for these songs! It’s been such a joy to experiment with the music and progress as a songwriter,” she says. “You can hear it and feel it. I’m working with people who are dear friends of mine, and I’m so excited for this chapter. It’s my most meaningful album to date. It tells you a lot more about who I am. I’m so grateful every day I get to do this. I’m doing it for me this time around.”
Kim Petras and the MISTR menDylan Perlot for MISTR
Petras’s career as a singer-songwriter has certainly taken off since early hits like “Heart to Break,” “I Don’t Want It At All,” and “Do Me.” While OG bunheads, as fans call themselves, still have these songs on repeat, Petras admits that she’s proud of her overall success as opposed to just one moment in time.
Detour may be her most evolved work to date, but the trans icon deserves plenty of credit for pushing sexually explicit queer pop music further into the mainstream throughout her career. Petras made history in 2023 as the first openly trans woman to win a Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for her sexy collaboration “Unholy” with Sam Smith.
“I’m proud of everything I’ve done, but I’m always proud of Slut Pop. That was really brave of me to do, especially at that point of time,” she says. “It felt like everyone was turning on me, so I’m proud of myself. I’m not caring about numbers or hit records. I’m proud of the music I love and for giving the middle finger to conservatives when Sam and I won the Grammy.”
Although Petras has become a household name, especially as a courageous queer artist, the best is yet to come. Mainstream success has never pulled her away from her dedicated LGBTQ+ fanbase, so Detour feels like a homecoming for the talented artist.
“People are still listening to me seven or eight years into releasing music, so it feels incredible. Every step of the way, I’ve had fun. It’s music I want to listen to, and that really translates. I’m one of my fans! I can relate to them so much. I was a pop-obsessed kid, so it’s a really cool purpose.”
Learn more about MISTR at heymistr.com.
This article is part of OUT’s July-Aug 2026 print issue, on newsstands July 7. Support queer media and subscribe — or download the issue now through Apple News+, Zinio, Nook, or PressReader.
Hunter Doohan on the cover of\u00a0Out's July/August 2026 print issue
