Feed the Beast (Kim Petras album)

Feed the Beast is the debut studio album by German singer Kim Petras. It was released on 23 June 2023 through Amigo and Republic, following two mixtapes that Petras self-released four years prior. A pop and dance album, Feed the Beast explores themes of love, heartbreak and hedonism, filled with sex-positive lyrics on many of its songs. It was preceded by the lead single "Alone" with Nicki Minaj, and includes collaborations with Banks and Sam Smith.

Upon its release the record was met with mixed-to-positive reviews; some critics found the album entertaining and praised Petras's songwriting and vocal performances, while others found it to be safe and inferior to her previous releases.

To promote the album, Petras embarked on the Feed the Beast World Tour. Commercially, the album debuted and peaked at number 24 in her native Germany, while it became her first charting album in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Background
On 3 August 2022, after having alluded to the release of her forthcoming originally planned debut studio album, Problématique for a year at that time, Petras confirmed that the album release was halted, ultimately putting her in "limbo". However, she approved fans to listen to leaks. On 22 September 2022, Petras released the highly anticipated "Unholy" with English singer Sam Smith. The song went on to reach number one in various countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States, and eventually earned both artists a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

Petras then released the singles "If Jesus Was a Rockstar" in November 2022 and "Brrr" in January 2023. On 21 April 2023, the singer released "Alone" with rapper Nicki Minaj. The song proved more successful than its two previous singles, having charted in five countries. While all singles were expected to appear on the album, "Alone" was officially announced as the lead single.

On 17 February 2023, the singer stated that an album that she had been working on "for three years" was ready to be released the next summer, sharing her excitement for people to hear the songs. On 26 February, the album was nearly finished. On 15 May 2023, Petras announced the album on her social media. A corresponding album poster depicts a noir photo of a "medieval-looking sword propped up against a large stone". Petras also shared posts of medieval imagery. In anticipation of the album, the news was celebrated as part of a live performance on NBC's Citi Concert series.

Title and concept
The album's title came after Petras had a meeting with her A&R Wendy Goldstein, following the leak of her then-planned debut album Problématique. She encouraged the singer to "write more and feed the beast", which inspired her to name the album with that title after their conversation. Petras also described the album as her most personal, with "vulnerable, real moments [for her]", being a departure from some of her previously released projects such as Turn Off the Light (2019) and Slut Pop (2022), where she played characters to fit their musical narrative. According to Amazon Music, the album's concept was based on a "modern-day spin on the classic Greek tale Andromeda" with lyrics about "sacrificing every part of yourself to your biggest passion in life". The overall aesthetic features a medieval setting surrounded by rocks, a sword and chains, while the cover was shot by American photographer Luke Gilford.

Composition
Feed the Beast is a pop and dance album, incorporating multiple sub-genres on its songs, such as Europop, house, hyperpop  and disco. Many of the tracks were inspired by the music Petras listened to while growing up in Europe. Lyrically it was described by the singer as a personal album and explores themes of love, heartbreak and hedonism, with many sexual innuendos on its composition. Stephen Daw from Billboard compared music from Feed the Beast to Cascada and Basshunter music. Megan Graye and Ellie Muir from The Independent also compared it to Basshunter.

Singles
The album's lead single "Alone" was released on 21 April 2023. It features guest vocals by rapper Nicki Minaj and peaked at number 55 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Petras' second entry on the chart.

Other songs
Previously released single "Coconuts" and promotional single "Brrr" were ultimately included on the album's tracklist, while "Unholy", Petras's collaboration with Sam Smith, appears as a bonus track.

Following the release of the album, "King of Hearts" was planned to be pushed as a single, according to Universal Music international press releases and Petras herself, however, the song did not receive a music video nor was sent to radio stations. It was then promoted on Spotify playlists and performed at a number of occasions, such as the Today show and Germany's Next Topmodel.

Critical reception
At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, Feed the Beast received an average score of 63 based on nine reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

On a positive review, Nick Levine from NME called the album "a tremendously entertaining showcase for a pop star", praising Petras' ability to "go deep" when she wants to, while understanding the "visceral thrill of dumb escapism". Kayleigh Watson from The Line of Best Fit also gave the album a positive score, calling it a "sonic tour-de-force of euphoric dance anthems". Petras's power as a songwriter and performer was also praised. Many critics thought the album didn't live up to Petras's usual level of artistry and were mixed on their reviews. Writing for Pitchfork, Shaad D'Souza called the record "too safe" and was left disappointed, stating that Petras "let all [her] edge get sanded away." For The Guardian, Alexis Petridis thought the album was a "missed opportunity for a groundbreaking figure" and was more critical of some songs, such as "Coconuts". Alexa Camp for Slant Magazine praised some songs such as "Thousand Pieces" and "Minute", but called it "safe" after her Slut Pop EP.

Personnel
Musicians


 * Kim Petras – vocals
 * Dr. Luke – programming (tracks 1, 6, 8, 9, 12)
 * Rocco Did It Again! – programming (1)
 * Housefly – programming, keyboards, bass (12)
 * Nicki Minaj – vocals (2)
 * Cirkut – programming (3, 13), background vocals (15)
 * Fat Max Gsus – background vocals, bass guitar, drums, French horn, guitar, keyboards, programming (4)
 * Ian Kirkpatrick – programming (5)
 * Aaron Joseph – programming (6, 8, 9, 12)
 * Vaughn Oliver – programming (6, 8, 9, 12)
 * Michael Pollack – background vocals (11)
 * Sarah Faith-Griffiths – background vocals (11)
 * Pierre-Luc Rioux – guitar (11)
 * Isaiah Tejada – keyboards, programming (11)
 * Jordan K. Johnson – piano, programming (11)
 * Stefan Johnson – piano, programming (11)
 * Ilya – background vocals, bass guitar, drums, keyboards, programming (14)
 * Rami Yacoub – background vocals (14)
 * Sam Smith – vocals, background vocals (15)
 * Jimmy Napes – background vocals (15)
 * Chris Worsey – cello (15)
 * Ian Burdge – cello (15)
 * Tony Woollard – cello (15)
 * Vicky Matthews – cello (15)
 * Chris Laurence – double bass (15)
 * Stacey Watton – double bass (15)
 * Simon Hale – string arrangement (15)
 * Adrian Smith – viola (15)
 * Andy Parker – viola (15)
 * Jenny Lewisohn – viola (15)
 * John Metcalfe – viola (15)
 * Reiad Chibah – viola (15)
 * Alison Dods – violin (15)
 * Charis Jenson – violin (15)
 * Charlie Brown – violin (15)
 * Everton Nelson – violin (15)
 * Ian Humphries – violin (15)
 * Louisa Fuller – violin (15)
 * Lucy Wilkins – violin (15)
 * Marianne Haynes – violin (15)
 * Natalia Bonner – violin (15)
 * Patrick Kiernan – violin (15)
 * Perry Montague-Mason – violin (15)
 * Richard George – violin (15)
 * Steve Morris – violin (15)
 * Warren Zielinski – violin (15)

Technical


 * Dale Becker – mastering (1, 3–13)
 * Randy Merrill – mastering (2, 14, 15)
 * Clint Gibbs – mixing (1, 3–5, 7, 10, 11, 13), engineering (2, 6, 8, 9, 12)
 * Serban Ghenea – mixing (2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 14, 15)
 * Sean Phelan – engineering (1)
 * Aubry Delaine – engineering (2)
 * Kalani Thompson – engineering (2, 6, 8, 9, 12)
 * Tyler Sheppard – engineering (2, 6, 8, 9, 12)
 * John Hanes – engineering (8, 9, 14), immersive mix engineering (12, 14)
 * Stefan Johnson – engineering (11)
 * Ilya Salmanzadeh – engineering (14)
 * Jeremy Lertola – engineering (14)
 * Sam Holland – engineering (14)
 * Gordon Davidson – engineering (15)
 * Gus Pirelli – engineering (15)
 * Freddie Light – recording (15)
 * George Oulton – recording (15)
 * Bryce Bordone – mixing assistance (2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 14, 15)
 * Grant Horton – engineering assistance (2, 6, 8, 12)
 * Ed Farrell – engineering assistance (15)
 * Ira Grylack – engineering assistance (15)
 * Miles Wheway – engineering assistance (15)
 * Natalia Milanesi – engineering assistance (15)
 * Fili Filizzola – mastering assistance (9)
 * Hector Vega – mastering assistance (9)