This Saturday Samantha Hudson plays Razzmatazz as part of her AOVE Black Label tour. Causing controversy across Spain ever since she casually criticised the entire Catholic Church in a video for a school project, aged fifteen, Samantha has only turned it around to become a National Treasure.
Very much subcribing to the Dolly Parton School for Beauty and Brains, Samantha respresents Spain’s queer community through her activism while charming and challenging mainstream audiences on primetime talk shows. When she’s not working with Almodovar, interviewing John Waters at Primavera Sound or winning MTV’s Best New Spanish Artist 2023, she’s busy being ‘a flirty coquette girl’ filming Tik Tok videos in her kitchen. ‘I was just cleaning my dishes before you called,’ she tells us. ‘My kitchen is my favourite place to film myself. Everyone thinks I’m being ironic but it’s the only place with proper light!’
Earlier this year she dropped her rave-inspired AOVE EP, following it up with the extended AOVE Black Label EP. Loverboy caught up with her last week to find out more about tour life and her saddest breakup – Jesus Christ.
Samantha before we start, I have to tell you two things. First of all you came to me in my dream last night. You were in conversation with Ana Belén as a new feature for Loverboy…
Actually I would love that. I am such a huge fan of hers because she is so gracious and so so beautiful. I have to tell you that once we were both at an awards ceremony and Ana Belén came over to say that she loved my work and my activism. I almost melted. So maybe your dream is our destiny!
And the other thing is a big congratulations on your MTV Award!
Thank you. I actually couldn’t believe it. I feel like I am an ambassador for the underground. If you check my career from the beginning when I made the video denouncing the Catholic church, aged fifteen, until today, you can see how low-key I have been – only dipping my toe in the mainstream circuit.
I was very surprised I won the award because the other artists in the category are some of the biggest in Spain with big labels behind them and double my followers on social media. At the end of the day I am an underground artist signed to an indie label. But for me it makes sense too that Samantha Hudson beat them. It was fair because it was the public that voted and I am happy they see my art the way I do – it’s not only my music but it’s my community, my political beliefs, my gender expression, the way I show myself to the world. For me all of those things are my art and keeping that in mind, I am not afraid to say that compared to the other artists, I am for sure the winner!
You’re out on the AOVE Black Label tour right now, playing Razzmatazz on Saturday! Are you living the rock star life?
Nothing too crazy because honestly I would rather sleep when it finishes! I have to say though, and I don’t know if it’s the outfits I am wearing, the hairstyle or maybe the powerful sexy rave music of this EP but I am flirting a lot on this tour.
On this tour?!! But I feel like flirting is part of the essence of Samantha Hudson!
No! I don’t flirt that much. I consider myself a flirty and coquette girl, sure, but I don’t actually flirt that much. I don’t know why I am flirting more now because I feel as pretty as I have always felt but I feel like a powerful witch casting a spell on every person that comes to see me.
I saw you on your last tour Liquidación Total and you were playing intimate theatres. Now you’re back in the clubs. Tell me about this shift…
We only went with theatres before because of the pandemic. So suddenly I became a theatre girl, and the shows were in the afternoon or even in the morning. I felt amazing after those shows – performing at 4am is very…complicated, let’s say that.
But I think the AOVE Black Label tour matches the club energy better. We premiered the show at Sonar, where the aesthetic is fully rave, counter-culture. I wanted to keep things that way. For me it’s more like an electronic liturgy…but happening in a club.
AOVE Black Label is definitely a harder sound than Liquidación Total.
Yes, I feel like more of a musical artist now. During Liquidación Total, I had this theatrical Variety Show type thing happening, like a cabaret, very kitschy and trashy. Now the show is full-on choreography with dancers and the visuals are very weird, with AI artwork. This is the sexiest I have been in my whole life.
Tell us about the title, AOVE.
It’s an acronym for the product Aceite de Oliva Virgin Extra. But for me it really has nothing to do with that because I am trying to get rid of that Spanish trademark that I did with Por España, that kitschier side. Maybe what I’m saying doesn’t match with what I’ve done haha…I was really thinking about the English speakers because I thought A-O-V-E sounded so cool.
There are more English lyrics on this EP than previous releases. Is this something you are building up to?
I wouldn’t say that. To be honest, I am very comfortable in Spain. When I think about going to other countries…I don’t know if I am that ambitious but who knows?! Maybe it’s because no one has reached out to me yet.
But the English lyrics on AOVE just felt very natural for me. Sometimes it is easier for me to say something in English. It sounded cooler, I think.
What is your favourite English word?
Hmmm, I love the word ‘scrumptious.’ I think it’s one of the first English words that I learned. I also love ‘delulu’ as in delusional. I think that is a very specific concept, one that I don’t know how to say in Spanish and for it to then sound like, ‘delulu.’ It’s perfect.
You have a kebab named after you in Madrid. We need to start a petition to have something named after you in Barcelona. What should it be?
I don’t really know but maybe we could just change the name of the city and call it Samanthalona?! It sounds very cosmopolitan right?!
Some of our biggest icons are Dolly Parton or Mariah Carey who play the bimbo and then shock others when they come out with something intelligent. I see that quality in you too…
For me, playing the blonde, doing exactly the opposite to what people are demanding from you, is such a power move. I grew up on Paris Hilton and I’ve always been inspired by the bimbo girls. Those girls who people think have nothing more to offer the world than their beauty but then they prove that they are actually smart, intelligent and talented – just not necessarily in an academic way. Or maybe! For me that archetype is very aspirational. I also think you have to be very smart to play the dumb person.
I always defend that position because it’s very unfair to have to prove that you are smart or that you can talk about complex political concepts in order for people to respect you. You should respect everyone. Period.
Who do you feel you have shocked the most with your brains?
Everyone! I think that’s one of the keys to my success. I present myself as this silly, young, goofy girl and then talk about things that are deep. Why would you think I don’t know how to talk about these things just because of my aesthetic?! That’s the real dumb position!
But everyone is shocked, from David Broncano on La Resitencia to when I was on Masterchef or Pasapalabra. People think, ‘Oh you’re just this stupid girl.’ Then I prove that I am more than just a pretty face. But at the end of the day I just want to be a pretty face!
Do you have plans to do any more reality competitions?
I don’t think so because it’s so stressful and I’m a very chilled person. I’m very Christian. I have been ex-communicated but I still love you, Jesus Christ. It’s unfair. This has been the saddest breakup I have gone through.
From one believer to another. We are named after the biggest selling single of 2001 so we always ask what is your favourite Mariah Carey song?
‘Bliss.’ The vibes that that song gives me are so chilled. I always picture myself in a very relaxing landscape with a rainbow. This kind of aesthetic and her voice in that song, for me it’s very warm, confident and totally a safe space. It feels like smelling a fairy tale.
It’s very angelic and sexy. Very Samantha Hudson.
I’m the opposite, I am very demonic and sexy!!
Samantha Hudson plays Razzmatazz this Saturday 25th November
For more info see AOVE Black Label Tour see www.subterfuge.com
Main photo by Sandro
