Swimsuit

8 Dreamy Photos of 2023 SI Swim Cover Girl Kim Petras in Los Angeles

The German pop star donned pastels, a bit of shimmer and dark hues—and rocked them all.

Cara O’Bleness

Kim Petras

Kim Petras was photographed by Yu Tsai in Los Angeles.

When Kim Petras walked the red carpet at the 2023 SI Swimsuit Issue magazine’s launch in New York City in May, the Grammy Award-winning singer revealed she was initially nervous to pose for the publication. In the end, she told us that the images Yu Tsai captured of her in Los Angeles brought her to tears.

“I just like didn’t think I had that in me to be beautiful in a bathing suit—it’s a hard thing to do,” she told us. “I’m just so grateful to the whole Sports Illustrated team. It was like a true dream.”

Petras released her first single, “I Don’t Want It at All,” in 2017. Six years later, the 30-year-old German pop star made history as the first transgender woman to win a Grammy Award. In February, she took home the honor for best pop duo/group performance, for her track “Unholy” with Sam Smith. A few months later, she was named one of SI Swimsuit’s 2023 cover girls.

“[On stage] I kind of feel like I have this like persona which really gives me confidence and strength,” she noted while on the red carpet at the Hard Rock Hotel. “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’s full gallery of images is proof that she is indeed an incredible talent, both on stage and off. Below are eight of our favorites from her cover photoshoot in Los Angeles.

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Kim Petras was photographed by Yu Tsai in Los Angeles. Top by PatBO. Swimsuit bottom by Frankies Bikinis x Sydney Sweeney. Earrings by Alexis Bittar. Ring by Sophie Buhai.

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Kim Petras was photographed by Yu Tsai in Los Angeles. Swimsuit by LILY&ROSE. Earring by Jennifer Meyer.

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Kim Petras was photographed by Yu Tsai in Los Angeles. Swimsuit by Natalia Fedner. Earrings by Alexis Bittar. Necklace by Logan Hollowell.

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Kim Petras was photographed by Yu Tsai in Los Angeles. Swimsuit by BANANHOT. Earrings and bracelets by Alexis Bittar.

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Kim Petras was photographed by Yu Tsai in Los Angeles. Swimsuit by Heavy Manners. Earrings by Alexis Bittar.

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Kim Petras was photographed by Yu Tsai in Los Angeles. Swimsuit by LILY&ROSE. Earring by Jennifer Meyer.

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Kim Petras was photographed by Yu Tsai in Los Angeles. Swimsuit by Natalia Fedner. Earrings by Alexis Bittar. Necklace by Logan Hollowell.

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Kim Petras was photographed by Yu Tsai in Los Angeles. Top by PatBO. Swimsuit bottom by Frankies Bikinis x Sydney Sweeney. Earrings by Alexis Bittar. Ring by Sophie Buhai.

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Cara O’Bleness
CARA O’BLENESS

Cara O’Bleness is a writer and editor on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit. Prior to joining SI Swimsuit in 2022, she 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, O’Bleness 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.

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