“What is not talked about, does not exist. And what does not exist, is marginalized». This quote of the journalist Valeria Vegas perfectly describes the importance of revindication and representation. In this sense, transgressor artists Kim Petras and Villano Antillano have managed to break the barriers that trans women have to face in worldwide music, achieving a great success in pop and trap scenes.
They represent two very different realities: Petras was quickly accepted and supported by her family the way she is. However, ‘la Villana’ had to become, by force, a symbol of resistance in her own country, her home Puerto Rico. However, they share the same goal: to be a role model for future generations.
First trans woman to get a Grammy
Kim Petras was born in Cologne, Germany, on August 27, 1992. From an early age she felt gender dysphoria, so much so that her parents always considered her a girl and supported her in her transition. At 16, she underwent gender reassignment surgery.»I was asked if I feel like a woman now, but the truth is that I have always felt like a woman; I just ended up in the wrong body», stated.
Petras has always had an artistic background -her mother was a choreographer, her sister a music artist and her father an architect -, which led her to pursue her dream of becoming a singer. Since ‘I Don’t Want It at All a brrr’ (her first single), she has released two albums, two EPs and several collaborations, among them, the transgressor ‘Unholy’, with which she broke again the barriers for the trans community.
Thanks to Unholy, Kim Petras and Sam Smith won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo or Group Performance during the last edition of the ceremony on February 6. The artist thus became the first trans woman to win a golden gramophone.
During her acceptance speech, the German artist wanted to take the opportunity to dedicate a few words to «the incredible transgender legends» who existed before her, such as the innovative artist and trans icon Sophie, pioneer of such an experimental music genre as hyperpop. «To those who kept the doors open for me so I could be here tonight. Sophie especially, my friend who passed away two years ago and told me this would happen and always believed in me. Thank you so much for your inspiration, Sophie. I adore you, your inspiration will forever be in my music”, she continued.
A global recognition
And from Germany, we cross the pond to Puerto Rico to focus on Villano Antillano and all that she encompasses. Villana Santiago Pacheco was born on March 27, 1995 and, for her, the creation of her artistic project has become a symbol of resilience worldwide. «Puerto Rico is home. I survive, I fight, I resist. Puerto Rico has meant resistance for me as long as I can remember,» she told us in Los40 in October 2022.
La Villana has found a refuge and a loudspeaker in trap music, through which she raises global awareness and discomforts the predominant white cis-heteronormativity present in society.
And, thanks to her irreverence and the support of other figures such as Bad Bunny and Bizarrap, the Boricua artist made history as the first trans woman to reach #1 Global on digital platforms like Spotify, with her Bzrp Music Sessions #52 in July 2022.
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