If Jesus Was a Rockstar
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox song
| name = If Jesus Was a Rockstar
| cover = Kim Petras - If Jesus Was a Rockstar.png
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Kim Petras
| album =
| released = {{start date|2022|11|11|df=y}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| genre =Pop{{cite web|url=https://www.thefader.com/2022/11/11/kim-petras-shares-new-single-if-jesus-was-a-rockstar|title=Kim Petras shares new single "If Jesus Was a Rockstar"|work=The Fader|date=11 November 2022|access-date=11 January 2023}}
| length = 2:50
| label = * Amigo
| writer = * Kim Petras
| producer = * Kim Petras
- Ilya
- Max Martin
- Omer Fedi
| prev_title = Unholy
| prev_year = 2022
| next_title = Alone
| next_year = 2023
}}
"If Jesus Was a Rockstar" is a song by German singer Kim Petras, released on 11 November 2022 through Amigo and Republic Records.{{cite web|url=https://diymag.com/2022/11/01/kim-petras-if-jesus-was-a-rockstar-11-november|title=Kim Petras is releasing a new song next week|work=DIY|date=1 November 2022|access-date=11 November 2022}} The song was originally planned to serve as the lead single from Petras' debut studio album Feed the Beast (2023), but it was ultimately dropped from the tracklist.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/kim-petras-drops-if-jesus-was-a-rockstar-1234629380/|title=Kim Petras Imagines 'If Jesus Was a Rockstar' on New Single|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=11 November 2022|access-date=11 January 2023}} It was written by Petras, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Savan Kotecha, Max Martin, Omer Fedi and Peter Svensson, with Ilya, Martin and Fedi serving as producers.
Background and recording
Petras expected to write the song with just Savan Kotecha and Ilya, but Max Martin was also present when she met with the writers, and he ended up co-writing and producing the song as well as providing backing vocals on it. Petras and the three "talked about the song" then tried out things "to see what stuck".{{cite web|url=https://readdork.com/features/kim-petras-interview-nov-22/|title=Kim Petras: "No one's heard anything like this from me before"|work=Dork|last=Ackroyd|first=Stephen|date=10 November 2022|access-date=11 November 2022}}
The song was described as "guitar-driven" and a "new era" for Petras, with Petras calling it "fun" but "also really lyrically intense", as it was written after she "struggled with her spirituality over the [COVID-19] pandemic" and reflected on her feeling "excluded" from religion growing up. Petras also spoke about wanting to "switch things up" from the "gay club music" she had become known for and "sing about something deeply meaningful, something that I struggle with and something that is just honest".
Petras elaborated that "the song kinda says maybe if religion was cooler, then I would wanna be a part of it. So, if Jesus was a rockstar, maybe I'd want to be just like him."{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/culture/pride/kim-petras-interview-unholy-if-jesus-was-a-rockstar-1235157349/|title=Kim Petras Broke Records With 'Unholy' — Now She Wants to 'Break The Cycle' for Fellow Trans Artists|magazine=Billboard|last=Daw|first=Stephen|date=18 October 2022|access-date=11 November 2022}}
Promotion
Petras first revealed the song on TikTok in September 2022, before revealing the release date on social media on 1 November.{{cite web|url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/kim-petras-if-jesus-was-a-rockstar-single-comes-out-next-week|title=Kim Petras' "If Jesus Was A Rockstar" single comes out next week|website=The Line of Best Fit|last=Kenneally|first=Cerys|date=1 November 2022|access-date=11 November 2022}} An acoustic version was released on 13 December 2022.{{cite web |last=Schube |first=Will |date=13 December 2022 |title=Kim Petras Shares Acoustic Version Of 'If Jesus Was A Rockstar' |url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/kim-petras-jesus-was-a-rockstar-acoustic/ |access-date=24 May 2023 |website=U Discover Music}}
Charts
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Chart performance for "If Jesus Was a Rockstar" ! scope="col"| Chart (2022) ! scope="col"| Peak |
| scope="row"| Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan){{cite web|url=https://www.billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=d_and_a_overseas&year=2022&month=12&day=05|title=Billboard Japan Hot Overseas – Week of November 30, 2022|website=Billboard Japan|language=ja|access-date=30 November 2022}}
| 19 |
|---|
References
{{reflist}}
{{Kim Petras}}
Category:Song recordings produced by Ilya Salmanzadeh
Category:Song recordings produced by Max Martin
Category:Song recordings produced by Omer Fedi
Category:Songs written by Ilya Salmanzadeh
Category:Songs written by Kim Petras
Category:Songs written by Max Martin
Category:Songs written by Omer Fedi