Hot 100 First-Timers: Kim Petras Arrives With ‘Unholy’ Sam Smith Collab

Kim Petras is officially a Billboard Hot 100-charting hitmaker, as the pop singer-songwriter scores her first entry on the Oct. 8-dated ranking, thanks to her new collaboration with Sam Smith, “Unholy.”

The steamy song, released via EMI/Capitol Records Sept. 22, soars in at No. 3 on the Hot 100 with 23.2 million U.S. streams, 2.8 million radio airplay audience impressions and 12,000 downloads sold in the Sept. 23-29 tracking week, according to Luminate. The single concurrently launches at No. 1 on the all-genre Streaming Songs and Digital Song Sales charts. It also debuts at No. 32 on Pop Airplay.

The song also blasts in at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, earning Smith and Petras their first leaders on the lists.

Notably, “Unholy” is just the eighth song this year to debut in the top three of the Hot 100. It follows Nicki Minaj and Lil Baby’s “Do We Have a Problem?” (No. 2 in February); Harry Styles’ “As It Was” (No. 1, April); Jack Harlow’s “First Class” (No. 1, April); Future’s “Wait for U,” featuring Drake and Tems (No. 1, May); Kendrick Lamar’s “N95” (No. 3, May); Drake’s “Jimmy Cooks,” featuring 21 Savage (No. 1, July); and Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl” (No. 1, August).

Buzz for “Unholy” built on TikTok, where Smith and Petras teased the song in clips starting Aug. 18. The official audio has been used in nearly 150,000 TikTok clips so far.

Petras has maintained a steady presence on Billboard‘s charts since 2018, when her EP Turn Off the Light, Vol. 1 debuted at No. 21 on Heatseekers Albums that October. (It climbed to No. 19 a year later.) She scored her first entry on a songs chart in December 2018 with “Feeling of Falling,” with Cheat Codes. The track reached No. 23 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs.

The German artist has placed three titles on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs: “Feeling of Falling”; “1,2,3 Dayz Up,” featuring SOPHIE (No. 40 peak in 2019); and “Broken Glass,” with Kygo (No. 13, 2020).

Petras has also sent four sets onto Heatseekers Albums. Turn Off the Light, Vol. 1, Clarity (No. 7 peak, 2019); Turn Off the Light (No. 14, 2019); and Slut Pop (No. 1 this February), with the Republic Records release marking Petras’ first leader on a Billboard chart.

In July, Petras notched her first entry on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, when her cover of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” reached No. 43. She released the remake for Amazon Music’s “Proud” playlist for Pride Month.

Petras has toured with Camila Cabello, Charli XCX, Rita Ora and Troye Sivan, among others. “Unholy” is slated to appear on Smith’s upcoming fourth LP, for which a title and release date has not yet been announced.