Kim Petras Talks About Unplugging With Motorola Razr & Her Must-Have Tour Essentials

October 10, 2023 E Jazz Reporter

Music
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Unplugging from your phone can be a challenge — especially if you’re prone to FOMO, but Kim Petras has found an easy yet stylish way to disconnect (and it doesn’t require shutting off your phone). The Motorola razr has become one of the “Alone” singer’s favorite accessories, as it not only features the retro flip phone look, but has been modernized with a touchscreen giving you the ability to go on social media, create content and now, use new the Moto Unplugged feature.

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If you ever feel like taking a break from technology, the new feature allows you to customize your experience for specific situations, whether it’s going to the gym or just needing some time to focus on music lessons or school work. Petras especially has taken advantage of the new feature to focus her time and energy on other activities such as yoga.

“I get a lot of messages and calls all the time, so it’s really nice to be able to set your time and be doing yoga, or practicing meditation or putting down lyrics and just have no one bother you,” she tells Billboard. “And I love social media, I love my fans, but there’s definitely times where I just need to be focused on songwriting, need to be focused on details with the show — so it really helps to be able to just set yourself a time and a window [that] you’re not available.”

Motorola

The new Motorola razr doesn’t just feature Moto Unplugged, but comes in a variety of vibrant shades including a Summer Lilac and Sage Green. Its foldable design and Flex View capabilities allow you to customize your user experience, and it also has a camera-mirroring ability where people can see themselves while you snap a picture of them — or take a selfie.

And if you want additional savings, you can snag the Motoroloa razr+ in hot pink (Petras’ favorite shade) for 20% off on Amazon for Prime Big Deal Days.

Besides learning about the 33-year-old’s love for the brand, Billboard also had a chance to learn what she does in her off time, her Feed the Beast world tour and any must-have touring essentials.

What drew you to Motorola?

Well, I used to have the iconic pink Motorola razr, so I love the feeling of hanging up on people and just slapping it — it’s my favorite feeling in the entire world. But I just love this revamp, and when I saw that they had come out with the iconic pink color again, I was really into it. You know, I’m a ’90s baby, and I grew up with 2000s phones, and I love that you can use it as an accessory and clip it to your bag and clip it to things. I don’t necessarily always carry big bags, so like I clip it to my jeans or my T-shirt or things like that, which is really great because usually all I need is my phone and my cards,and that’s it.

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Any other favorite Motorola razr features?

I personally really love the outside camera that you can take pictures [of people with], and they can see themselves. I very often have to take so many pictures of people because, you know, it’s like back and forth, like they’re going to check if the pictures are good and all of that. It just makes it so much easier for me to find a pose, and find a good angle and find the lighting immediately when I can see myself on the camera on the outside of the phone.

How do you like to unplug from your phone?

I try to meditate — I love meditation. I think it’s kind of necessary if you have a job that’s really intense at times and really, really busy at times. I definitely listen to a lot of music, I make music, I write down little song ideas. That’s usually what relaxes me and keeps me unplugged from everything.

I have three dogs, so I make sure I get outside with them every day, which really helps. I love nature, I love planning trips with my friends and just being in nature, and around mountains, and beautiful things and I think that really kind of reminds me how kind of small my problems are and you know that I’m a person and not just a work machine, but I really, truly enjoy my work.

Looking at your Feed the Beast tour, what can we expect, and any song you’re looking forward to performing the most?

I’m very excited to sing songs from the newest project [Problématique]. I’m excited for honestly all the songs. I always have different kind of sections in my shows because I have many, you know, EPs and different projects that are very specific, different versions of myself — like “Turn Off the Light” is a very dark version of myself and then “Slut Pop,” which is a very over-sexualized version of myself, and I love kind of switching it up during the show.

I’m most excited honestly for people to see the stage. I worked really hard on the stage and it has kind of its own character and movement, and the technology on this tour is really, really sick. There’s a lot of surprises and the stage just kind of can transform and has a mind of its own, which is really cool and kind of makes everything a little eerie and haunted mansion feeling.

That’s perfect, just in time for spooky season.

Yes, totally, and spooky season is definitely my favorite. I’m such a fall person — I dread summer, to be honest. I’m so excited that I’m getting to go tour during this time because it’s beautiful everywhere during this time and I love being on a bus, I love looking out into the world and seeing different places.

Do you have any must-haves that you take on tour?

My Motorola razr, of course. I need a humidifier, that’s really, really important — the air is so dry traveling a lot [and] it’s just for my voice. Then I just like to bring cards. I like to play with my friends, my dancers with the crew. I play video games in my kind of little room on the bus and invite my friends to do the same thing and watch movies. My little teddy bear, his name is Teddy, who I take everywhere because I won’t have my dogs on tour — I’ve had him since birth and I take him everywhere with me, helps me sleep. And of course speakers, music all the time — there’s so many things, It’s very unfortunate. But, yeah, I just need to make my little room my own, hang up some pictures of my dogs, bring some things that remind me of them.

And are there any upcoming projects you can hint or tease?

My fans are always asking for more, they’re never satisfied, which I love about them — they keep me on my toes. I have an exciting collaboration coming up that I’m super excited about, which might be happening pretty soon. I have some pretty cool performances at some pretty cool televised things that I’m excited about, but mostly I’m just focused on this tour. I’m working on whatever’s next. Right after tour I’m going back to the studio — I’m writing on the tour, which I hope I come back from this tour with my next album, you know.

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