On Oct. 1, 2018, pop princess Kim Petras claimed her title as the HallowQueen. The pop singer unveiled her now-beloved EP Turn Off the Light, Vol. 1, the first part of her Halloween-themed magnum opus that would flood queer bars around the world every October for years to come.
For Petras, Halloween is practically in her blood. Having grown up in Germany, the singer tells Billboard that not many people around her celebrated the spooky season, save for her mother. “My mom was one of the only people who threw a big Halloween party,” she says. “She did it at our house every year and everyone would come over and get dressed up and that was my favorite thing ever.”
Since then, Petras has found a significant amount of inspiration in the annual holiday. “You can be whatever or whoever you want to be on Halloween. Dressing up and clothes are, for me, such an important part of how I express myself and how I’ve always expressed myself,” she says. “I feel like being able to dress in whatever you feel like is really cool. It’s a really magical night.”
When it came time for Petras to put together the entirety of her Turn Off the Light project in 2019 (the album earned an extra song this year in “Party Till I Die“), Petras remembers having “pure fun” with her friends who helped her make it. “We would just go outside and scream and record it. It was a blast,” she recalls. “We would record animal noises and watch horror movies, too. We came up with this evil villain persona where I could talk about killing boys and talk about being the worst version of myself. It opened so many doors to so many new things I could talk about in my music … It is all of my favorite things in one place.”
But when it comes to her own Halloween celebrations, what does Kim Petras listen to? “I always focus on what songs make people want to dance and what songs really are staples of the holiday,” she tells Billboard. “I think that’s always my number one thing — I like finding a mix of unexpected songs to include next to the classics, but there are actually so many songs that you can make Halloween songs and, over time, I think will become Halloween classics.”
To give us an example, Petras put together a special playlist of spooky songs to help you celebrate Halloween on Saturday. Below, see why she chose artists like Michael Jackson, Madonna, Nicki Minaj and more:
“Thriller” – Michael Jackson
“In my opinion, ‘Thriller’ is the most iconic Halloween song and a must-have at any party with the iconic dance that comes with it. MJ is always inspiring. You need this song at every Halloween party.”
“Close Your Eyes” – Kim Petras
“This was the first song we wrote that really pushed the whole Turn Off the Light project into the direction we went in and made it what it is today. It has a special place in my heart. Now that it is two years old, I like to think of it as a Halloween party staple.”
“Goosebumps” – Travis Scott feat. Kendrick Lamar
“I love this song. It’s a modern Halloween classic. I love Travis and the production of the song is incredible. I’m obsessed with it and always will be obsessed with it!”
“Monster” – Kanye West feat. Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Jay-Z & Bon Iver
“One of the best, most iconic Nicki verses ever. I’m a Barb, forever and always. I love this song. Everybody slays it, but especially Nicki.”
“So Happy I Could Die” – Lady Gaga
“I love The Fame Monster. It’s a great, great record. I love Gaga and the song screams Halloween.”
“Party Til I Die” – Kim Petras
“We just added this track to Turn Off the Light as the newest song. This is the first song from the third volume, which will be coming out next year. I think the song itself is pretty self-explanatory, though!”
“OPR” – Gesaffelstein
“This song slaps. It has techno, dungeon, darkness vibes. I’m obsessed with Gesaffelstein, so definitely ‘OPR’ … whatever that stands for.”
“She Wolf” – Shakira
“This one is kind of a curveball. No one really thinks of it for a Halloween party, but people are still going to freak out if you play this. A classic!”
“Die Another Day” – Madonna
“Iconic James Bond song. Very Halloween-y. Very in the vibe, and Madonna is forever the queen of everything!”
“There Will Be Blood” – Kim Petras
“One of my favorites from Turn Off the Light. I love this one so much.”
Check out Kim Petras’ full Halloween playlist below. “If you play these songs, your Halloween party is going to slap, and everybody’s going to get really drunk… So, you can all thank me for that. You’re welcome!”