Volume 2
On the opposite side of fate is Slayyyter. As an artist, she had similar humble beginnings to Petras; after building a following on Twitter from her collaboration with Ayesha Erotica, the singer dropped a string of singles between 2018 and 2019 that established a distinct sonic universe, drawing on the aesthetics of sleazy hypersexuality and electronica that defined the late 2010’s pop underground. She even acquired a viral moment with 2019’s “Mine,” which is still streaming strong at about sixty-seven thousand and some streams on Spotify at the time of writing. What makes Slayyyter stand out among her peers and cements her as a notable name in her genre is her acute understanding of how to make good pop music. She doesn’t shy away from the popstars that came before her, instead, wearing her tapestry of influences on her sleeve and pushing them to the max. More importantly, she evolves and develops her sound without sacrificing her sense of self. Her debut self-titled mixtape, released in late 2019, served as both a thesis statement and a snapshot of her earliest days, and since then, her proper debut and sophomore albums proved her artistry even more, covering bubblegum-trap on 2021’s “Troubled Paradise” and 80s-inflected EDM with 2023’s “Starf**ker”. While Slayyyter stayed a somewhat niche artist, she steadily amassed a large following in the queer music space, with the aforementioned “Starf**cker” hitting a peak of ten on Billboards US Dance charts.
At the time, Slayyyter was still signed to independent label FADER, which she was under for the rollout of her first two albums. In August of 2025, she signed to Columbia Records (ironically, the same one as Halsey), and in the same month began the rollout of her third record “WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA” with “BEAT UP CHANEL$,” heralding another stylistic shift that was more potent than ever. “BEAT UP CHANEL$” is an expertly crafted, aggressively energetic pop cut that introduced a new, more experimental side to the singer. That experimentalism was only made more palpable with every consecutive drop. “CANNIBALISM!,” a left turn from any of her past music, is psychedelic-leaning pop-punk that’s as indebted to Bikini Kill and Hole as it is Kevin Parker, and “DANCE…” brings to mind the buzzy synth-pop of Giorgio Moroder and Daft Punk with its sticky, slick bassline. Elsewhere, “CRANK” and “OLD TECHNOLOGY” dial the aggression up to a thousand, with slamming industrial bass driving the former and a vicious riff blending guitars and harsh synths on the latter. So far, it’s been a very successful rollout. “CHANEL$,” “CANNIBALISM!,” “CRANK,” and “DANCE…” are sitting at roughly thirty-two thousand total streams as of February 26th. The latest single, “OLD TECHNOLOGY,” released at noon on a Tuesday with no playlists, no major promotion, and no big names in the credits, debuted with 146,874 streams on Spotify. And after all that plus a sold-out tour, on March 27th, “WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA” debuted at 31.7 million Spotify streams in its first day alone, the biggest debut of her career so far.
As an album, it lives up to the hype of the pre-release singles, and more. If those first five songs were unique in their own right, the rest exist in their own sonic spaces as well, while still being cohesive. “YES GODDD” picks up the energy from “CRANK” and somehow goes even harder, with a final drop as reminiscent of Justice as SebastiAn. It’s a bit jarring to go from that to the Katy Perry-esque “UNKNOWN LOVERZ.” It’s a style I’d never expected from Slayyyter, let alone on an album as abrasive as this one, but its sugary, lovesick 90’s teen movie aesthetic is still a banger. Closing track “BRITTANY MURPHY” starts as thumping, autotune-heavy synthpop before blending into guitars and more natural instrumentation as Slayyyter’s lyrics and vocal delivery gradually become rawer. It’s an intriguing and introspective conclusion to a record that slowly reveals its emotional core under aggressively euphoric electroclash. Easily, it’s Slayyyter’s most accomplished project to date.
So why is it that Slayyyter succeeds on a label and Kim Petras finds herself in popstar purgatory? They’re similar artists in background and genre, but there’s a clear diversion in their paths that mark a distinct difference between the two, and that’s a sense of artistic identity. While Slayyyter’s sound and style have changed from era to era, none of it is performative or a cash grab. While all her “WGIA” singles showcase different sounds and distinct styles, they’re held cohesive by her unwavering charisma and a strong vision of what she’s set out to do. She’s on the mic with a hunger that was hinted at on “Starf**ker” but is now fully unleashed, demanding her audience’s attention. Nowadays, the way to attract an audience isn’t through sticking to the mold. Especially in a world where there’s so much music and it’s easier than ever for someone to pick up a guitar and start a career, an audience is going to be attracted to someone with a clear idea of who they are as an artist. And unfortunately, at least when she signed, Kim Petras abandoned what attracted her fanbase in favor of following the businessman’s advice of what makes a popstar marketable. This isn’t to say that there’s no future for Petras as an artist; in retaliation to her label’s limitations, she’s continued to campaign for her freedom by dropping unreleased loosies from “Detour” and building more anticipation. Even though they’re currently on opposite sides of the spectrum in terms of career success, only time will tell how both of these artists advance and evolve.
Graphics: Eva Derryberry