In the fall of 2021, Kate Hudson was seated in the middle of Linda Perry’s recording studio in the San Fernando Valley, waiting to start a project that had been a lifetime in the making. The previous year, in the midst of pandemic lockdowns, Hudson, like so many others, was jolted into taking stock of her life. She had a lot to be proud of—her children, more than two decades of work, an Oscar nomination, a successful company—but there was one glaring regret: She had never recorded an album.
Long before her breakout turn as rockstar muse Penny Lane in Almost Famous, the actress had been jotting down poems and lyrics. She was a musical soul, drawn to everything from Pearl Jam to Neil Young, and Madonna to Joni Mitchell. But as Hudson’s acting career took off, the idea of pursuing music became more and more unrealistic. Every time she thought about it, a new obstacle popped up: She was too busy, she was too scared, and eventually, when she was in her 30s, she was told she was “too old.”
Finally, in 2020, she decided to shake off any preconceptions about what she should and shouldn’t do. The first step was deceptively simple—if she was given the chance to sing, she would say yes, no questions asked. “Instead of overthinking it, I just had to do it,” she says. “That was the first shift in my brain.”
It proved to be the right move. Not long after, Hudson agreed to sing a cover of Katy Perry’s “Firework” for a zoom charity event at her son’s school. As it turns out, Perry, the lead singer of 4 Non Blondes, had caught the performance, and was impressed. She reach out to let Hudson know that she wanted to meet up to write and record. Hudson couldn’t turn it down. “The first day is always like an awkward first date,” says Hudson, sharing the advice her fiancé, Danny Fujikawa—who also worked on the album—gave her before that first session. As Perry was warming up and finding her sound, she belted out a wild, booming note.
“I started to laugh because it was like she was waking me up,” Hudson recalls. “That was it, we were off to the races.”
Now, at long last, Hudson is ready to release the final product, Glorious, her debut album. Out May 17, the record is a blend of Americana, pop, disco, and vintage rock ’n’ roll—all held together by full-bodied, gravelly vocals sent straight from Laurel Canyon. Shimmery and bold, the 12 tracks range from triumphant ballads like “Not Easy to Know” to self-assured bops like “Gonna Find Out” and “Lying to Myself.” It’s a confident release, one that feels unencumbered by Hudson’s previous doubts. “I went into this with no expectations of what it would be,” she says. “I wasn’t doing this for any reason other than it felt like I just had to do it.”
Hudson caught up with Vogue to talk about the making of Glorious, her creative process, and going on tour.
Vogue: You’ve been writing songs your whole life, what stopped you from recording before this?
Kate Hudson: For so many years, it was like, “you don’t break what’s not broken.” If you had success in one area of the arts, then you shouldn’t be venturing into another area. A part of me never really understood that. I think a lot of artists are drawn to and want to operate in different modalities, but the only reason we don’t pursue the things we love is because we’re afraid of what people think, which goes against what it is to make art anyway. If we always worried about what people thought, then a lot of the things we love would’ve never been made.
Along with your fiancé, you also wrote this album with Linda Perry. What was that experience like?
I love working with different types of personalities, and I’ve been doing that for a long time. So getting in a room with Linda, it was like discovering a whole new process. She really wanted to facilitate the building of an album, so I appreciated how she moved through things quickly. If something wasn’t working, she didn’t linger, she just kept moving. I really related to that, and I think that's why we were able to be so prolific in this process.
Danny was a great anchor because Danny’s a much quieter and more specific songwriter. So when we were done writing the structure of the songs, Danny could then really go into his dark room and spend time with them, and arrange them and really refine the sound. So it was a really, really nice mix.
Because you’d been working toward this for so long, how did it feel when you were finally putting pen to paper, or tracking vocals?
When I got together with Linda, it was the first time I’d ever collaborated in the writing process, and that’s when the floodgates opened. We were writing two to three songs a day. I couldn’t believe how much music was coming out. It hasn’t really stopped. It made me realize that there was a lot of music to be written, and that was exciting, because I started to feel like if I was in the right, focused environment, then I could get this done. I’d never put myself in the position before to give myself that structure, and it was such a gift.
Was there a temptation to revisit some of your old lyrics or poems when you started on Glorious, or did you want to start completely fresh?
I wanted to meet the music where I am now. Putting out my first album right now in my life is wild, so I knew lyrically, it would need to be reflective. I always said the only thing I wanted, that I was very conscious of, was to be authentic. This has to feel very honest. The only way I can make this is if I'm tackling it exactly where I am right now and that means there will be a maturity to the music. I wanted it to feel a little lived in, even though it’s my debut.
We’ve gotten to hear your voice in films like Nine, and in shows like Glee, but what was it like finding your sound?
For this album, it was really just singing from my instinct. When you sing for a film, you’re singing as a character or you're singing maybe a little bit differently than you would if it was your own music. But for this, especially when I’m writing the song and the melody, it’s just very instinctual. I’ve been doing this privately for so long, I wasn’t trying to create a sound, or try to be something other than honest. It was like, what does my voice sound like when it just comes out without overthinking it?
How do you feel about the people comparing your vocals to Stevie Nicks?
Obviously, I’m beyond flattered. She’s probably most female musicians’ rock goddess. Stevie is one of my very favorite female artists, so that’s a very kind thing. I just saw her not that long ago at this private show, and I was looking at her just thinking “Wow, this woman has lived an incredible life.” Her music, and her story, and her energy, she's just the ultimate. But part of that is because she never tried to be anything but herself. That’s what I’ve been thinking about all my favorite artists. So not just Stevie, but Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, or Cyndi Lauper. These women are authentic voices.
Because you’ve been at work on this for so long, have you been sharing snippets as you go, or keeping it all under lock and key?
When I felt good about it, I would play it for people. I also just had to be listening to mixes all the time, so if I was getting my hair and makeup done for something, and I had to hear a mix, there were a handful of people who heard different variations of the songs that way, too. But finished product wise, no one's really heard it. Even my family hasn't heard the full album.
What’s their response been to what they have heard?
They all know that this is a part of me. So they’re just really excited that I’m doing it. I know [my brother] Oliver is really loving the music, and that means so much to me. It’s interesting when you put something like this out there, whose opinion really matters to you, and who you really hope loves it. Ollie was always that for me, because he loves music. He complimented the songs that I played him, and that felt really loving and good.
Now that Glorious is finally going to be out in the world, what are you most looking forward to?
I just can’t wait to get on the road and just feel that connection. I’m even excited to have those shows that might be a little weird. I look forward to having those experiences, because I’ve seen that happen many times. It’s new for me doing it myself, but I’ve been on some kind of tour my entire adult life. I know exactly what it looks like. For me and my kids, this is a huge part of what my whole family knows really well. So, it’ll be fun to do that myself. I really just love being on stage, traveling, and seeing the world. So what could be more exciting than the idea of actually touring the album?
The album is so dynamic, it really covers a wide range of genres and styles. What songs are you most excited to perform?
I can’t wait to perform “Romeo,” because that one is just going to be really fun live. The most challenging one, actually, for me to sing live is, “Talk About Love,” because of where it sits in my register, I just have to be so focused when I’m singing it. I’m just excited about all of them, though. They’re all my babies.
You initially wrote 26 songs while working on the album, will there be more music on the way?
Definitely. I didn’t do this to then just stop. I did it because I love it so much, and I hope I get to be writing music until I die. It will always be something I’m doing. But I hope that I can do it in a way that can connect me with different artists that I admire. So yeah, there’s definitely going to be more music. If I have anything to say about it, there will be.
You’re working on a new project with Mindy Kaling in which you play the president of a pro basketball team. I’m curious if recording music and tapping into that side of yourself has changed anything for you as an actor?
Spiritually, it did unlock something. I always go for weird metaphors, but it’s like a rose bush that hasn’t started blooming yet, and there are all these little buds just waiting to open. Once one starts to go, then they all open up into this big beautiful thing. That’s what it feels like. It’s made the focus of my acting more specific, because I don’t want to be doing things that aren’t bringing me the same sense of fulfillment.
When you think about the things in your life that matter to you creatively, and when you're doing what you love the most, it kind of becomes a domino effect into everything else. The choices become different. Like do I want to make this film if I don’t have that kind of deep connection to it? If not, then it makes the no’s easier. Choosing to make the album did actually affect that. It’s liberating.
What are you proudest of when it comes to Glorious?
I did what I said I was going to do, and that feels like a pinch-me moment. There were so many opportunities for me to say “this is too much,” or “I don’t have the time for this.” I could’ve done that, and instead, I chose to stick with it, and I’m so happy that I did. I just didn't realize how much I needed it spiritually.