Kim Petras performs during her Feed The Beast World Tour at Moody Amphitheater in Austin, Texas on Sept. 27, 2023. Photo by Renee Dominguez/Getty Images.

Problematique was supposed to be pop star Kim Petras‘ debut full-length album. Following a handful of EPs and mixtapes, it was supposed to show the German singer-songwriter’s growth and position her as a mainstream artist.

But after unfinished versions of the tracks leaked, Petras shelved the whole project, pivoting instead to new work like 2022’s Slutpop and, eventually, her Grammy-winning collaboration with Sam Smith, “Unholy.” She kept the momentum growing with her new first LP, June’s Feed The Beast.

With all the success, her bosses at Republic Records changed their minds and Petras agreed to dust off the older Problematique songs; finishing them up for an official release last month.

“I think the success of “Unholy” changed the label’s overall plan,” Petras said over email last week. “I performed “Hit It From The Back” at the MTV EMAs and it became such a fan favorite. I didn’t think it was ever going to get released but, with the Feed The Beast World Tour being about all these different sides of me, it was only natural to release it.”

Ahead of her show at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, Petras answered questions about both long-players and her ongoing Feed The Beast Tour.

Kim Petras performs during her Feed The Beast World Tour at the Brooklyn Mirage in Brooklyn, New York on Oct. 9, 2023. Photo by Santiago Felipe/Getty Images.

RIFF: Arguably, one of your biggest Feed The Beast moments is “Alone” with Nicki Minaj. What was it like working with her?

Kim Petras: Nicki is one of my biggest inspirations ever as an artist and a lyricist, so working with her was the coolest thing ever. She was so sweet to me and knew exactly what she wanted to do. Getting to do the music video with her was such a dream come true. I feel like I learned so much from being around her.

Feed The Beast Tour shows have a lot of choreography. How much of that is due to working with sibling choreographers Scott and Brian Nicholson, who’ve worked with the likes of Ariana Grande? How has that aspect of preparing varied from previous tours?

Kim Petras: I’ve always wanted to do a tour with lots of choreography in it. My first headline tour had some but, for the Feed The Beast World Tour, I wanted to go even bigger. It was a lot of work, but Scott and Brian are amazing and really helped me achieve my vision for the show. I think the main difference in preparing for this tour was the amount of rehearsal time. I was in rehearsals for a month and we were just running it over and over again until all the details were in my brain without even thinking, because I wanted to get to the point where I could do the show exactly how its supposed to be but have it all be muscle memory.

You once performed a German version of “Thousand Pieces” on Instagram Live, and Feed The Beast has a few full-on techno moments; the genre being very popular in your home country. Would you ever consider going the German language techno route on a full album?

Kim Petras performs during her Feed The Beast World Tour at Moody Amphitheater in Austin, Texas on Sept. 27, 2023. Photo by Renee Dominguez/Getty Images.

Kim Petras: Who knows? I don’t think so right now, but I used to say I’d never sing in German as it’s such a harsh-sounding language… and then I did on “In the Next Life” and incorporated a yodel into “Claws” from Feed The Beast and loved singing “Thousand Pieces” in German, so never say never!

Are there any songs you wish had made it onto Problematique that didn’t?

Kim Petras: There may have been one or two, but I might have other plans for those songs. You’ll have to wait and see!

How did working with SOPHIE change your perspective on your music and the industry as a whole?

Kim Petras: SOPHIE was such a visionary. She was such an inspiration to me and countless others, and working with her was incredible. She was always pushing the boundaries of what pop could be and had such a profound impact on the industry. I think she opened a lot of eyes and a lot of doors for embracing freedom and creativity within music. I’ll always carry that with me. The conversations I had with her and her influence and inspiration will always live on in my music.

You’ve now released two Turn Off The Light Halloween-themed mixtapes. Will there be a Volume 3?

Kim Petras: It won’t be this year but TURN OFF THE LIGHT was always meant to have a third and final volume to it. I’ve been so busy over the past year, and everything has been such a whirlwind that I haven’t had the chance to work on finishing it, but I know a lot of you spooky bitches are waiting for it!

What part of the music process do you like best; songwriting, recording, post-production, promotion or performing?

Kim Petras: I truly love being on stage, being in the studio and writing songs. I always think of myself as a songwriter first because that’s how I started, but I always feel most myself and my happiest when I’m performing for my fans.

Since your collaboration with Sam Smith on “Unholy,” your career appears to have gone through quite a big shift. You won a Grammy and what you do makes bigger headlines. What direction do you see yourself going in next with your music?

Kim Petras: I have a few ideas! I’ll always make pop music as that’s what I love and it is who I am as a songwriter and artist, but I never want to repeat myself so I’m always looking for ways to stay inspired and do things differently.

Follow writer Vera Maksymiuk at Twitter.com/veramaksymiuk.