Relive Kim Petras’s Dreamy SI Swim Cover Shoot for the Game Changer’s 33rd Birthday

The singer-songwriter celebrates her big day on Aug. 27!

Kim Petras / Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images/Sports Illustrated Swimsuit

We’re wishing Kim Petras the happiest birthday, as the singer-songwriter celebrates turning 33 today, Aug. 27! In honor of the very special occasion, we’re resurfacing the German pop sensation’s debut photo shoot in the fold, when she graced the cover of our 2023 issue.

Kim Petras was photographed by Yu Tsai in Los Angeles. Swimsuit by Natalia Fedner. Earrings by Alexis Bittar. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Only three months after Petras etched her name into the Grammy Award history books as the first transgender woman to receive an award in the Best Pop Duo/Group category for Unholy with Sam Smith, the artist delivered a front-page spot with SI Swimsuit.

“I was so excited when I got the call to be in Sports Illustrated,” Petras told the magazine. “It’s very iconic, and a lot of very iconic people have done it before, so [it was a] big dream come true for me.”

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. / Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

The first-timer joined photographer Yu Tsai and the SI Swimsuit team in Los Angeles, where she stepped onto set in the City of Angels for a poolside shoot. Surrounded by greenery and stone architecture, it’s no surprise that Petras looked absolutely ethereal as she donned a pastel BANANHOT one-piece and floral top from PatBO, among other swimwear ensembles. However, she admitted during the magazine’s launch party that year that there were some initial nerves.

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

“[On stage] I kind of feel like I have this like persona which really gives me confidence and strength,” she shared on the red carpet at the Hard Rock Hotel New York. Reflecting on her debut shoot, the model disclosed that she “wasn’t sure if [she] would deliver” in front of Tsai’s lens. “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.”

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

But once she was in the zone, there was no stopping her. “Yu Tsai and the whole team at Sports Illustrated made me feel really comfortable and like I belonged there,” the artist told PEOPLE after the issue hit newsstands. “I had the best time and, honestly, it was a huge confidence boost.”

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

Petras shared front-page honors with fellow celebrity first-timers Megan Fox and Martha Stewart, alongside SI Swimsuit Legend Brooks Nader for the 2023 campaign.

Kim Petras and MJ Day / Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images/Sports Illustrated Swimsuit

SI Swimsuit’s editor in chief, MJ Day, took to Instagram at the time of Petras’s debut, tagging the artist and writing: “I remember the first time I held a Grammy award, I was freaking out just to HOLD one. To have a Grammy Award WINNER on our cover is an entirely different level of excitement and pride. YOU are ICONIC and I am so proud to have you on our [SI Swimsuit] 2023 cover.”

We’re wishing a very happy birthday to this incredible artist!

---

More SI Swimsuit 2023:

manual