Swimsuit

2023 SI Swimsuit Issue Cover Model Kim Petras Brings the House Down at Hard Rock Live

The Grammy Award-winning artist performed a set list of her dance-pop hits.

Cara O’Bleness

Kim Petras

Kim Petras.

German pop star and 2023 SI Swimsuit Issue cover model Kim Petras gave an incredible performance at the Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on Friday night.

The Grammy Award-winning artist absolutely brought the house down and sang a setlist of 14 hits, including “Party Til I Die,” “Revelations,” “Faded,” “Unholy” and “Heart to Break.”

During Petras’s performance of her hit 2021 track “Coconuts,” SI Swimsuit models joined onstage. Melissa Wood-Tepperberg strutted across the floor in an animal print ensemble, while Madisin Rian donned a gorgeous red dress and Lauren Chan rocked a vibrant yellow number.

Earlier this year, Petras posed for photographer Yu Tsai in Los Angeles for one of four 2023 SI Swimsuit Issue covers. On Thursday night at the SI Swimsuit launch party at the Hard Rock Hotel in New York City, the 30-year-old star told SI Swimsuit that seeing her cover image for the first time brought her to tears in an exclusive interview.

Kim Petras

Kim Petras.

“[On stage] I kind of feel like I have this like persona which really gives me confidence and strength,” she admitted. “At first I wasn’t sure if I would deliver but everyone made me feel so beautiful and like I belong on the cover of Sports Illustrated.”

Petras, who was the first transgender woman to win a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for her track “Unholy” with Sam Smith in February, went on to call working with the publication “a true dream.”

The celebration in Hollywood, Fla., continues through the weekend, as the 2023 SI Swimsuit Issue launch festivities go through Sunday, May 21, and include activities, celebrity guests and live entertainment. Click here to learn more.

Make sure to follow SI Swimsuit on YouTube!

Published
Cara O’Bleness

CARA O’BLENESS

Cara is a trending news writer/editor for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. A passionate writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience in print and online media, she loves storytelling and believes that words have the power to change the world. Prior to joining the team, Cara worked as a writer and editor across a number of content verticals, including food, lifestyle, health and wellness, and small business and entrepreneurship. In her free time, Cara loves reading, spending time with her family and making her way through Michigan’s many microbreweries. She is a graduate of Michigan State University's School of Journalism.