Molly Santana Talks Hollywood Aspirations, New Album & 21st Birthday Plans: ‘I Wanna Have the Craziest “Project X” Party’

Academy Award-winning director Christopher Nolan inspired a generation of filmmakers in the 21st century, but who would’ve expected his impact to reach a 20-year-old fashion student-turned-rapper?

Enter Molly Santana. In an era where Gen-Z rappers seem to have a disregard for album rollouts, Santana wanted to invite fans to be a part of something bigger. After discovering Nolan had made his first feature film, Following, with a frugal $6,000 budget, Santana felt there was no excuse not to bring her directorial dreams to life.

Santana starred in a week-long series of trailers making up a short film leading into her Molly & Her Week of Wonders album. Pulling on the dreamy horrors of 1971’s Valerie & Her Week of Wonders and Nolan’s Memento as inspiration, Santana settled on an eerie art film that has drawn comparisons to rap’s Midsommar.

“You can leave so much more up for interpretation,” she tells Billboard of her dialogue-less plot. “I wanted to make sure people were talking about the album and try my best to make sure people felt like they were in it. I wanted you to feel like you’re in the world. That was my main goal.”

Prior to the short film’s origins, at the top of 2025, Santana traded the bright lights of Los Angeles for the plains of Wyoming, where there was nothing to do but make music. Molly & Her Week of Wonders began to take shape as she escaped the creative shackles and pressures of L.A. for the stillness of Wyoming.

“I think it really helped me be able to let everything come out,” Santana says of her Wyoming trip. “If I would’ve recorded everything in L.A., it would’ve been manufactured. We would’ve been way less creative and I would’ve had way less control over it.”

Filled with 19 tracks, Santana’s sophomore LP arrived on May 30, expanding on her maximalism of rage rap. At times, her timbre is reminiscent of Rihanna with a flow that could make her the First Lady of Playboi Carti’s Opium crew.

Dive into our interview with Molly Santana as she dishes on her Hollywood aspirations, Project X-inspired 21st birthday plans and hopes to work with Dej Loaf and Hayley Williams.

What was the creative process for the album?

I recorded it in Wyoming. It was in January to February. We did a few more sessions in L.A. after. I had met up with a few more producers. I met up with WondaGurl — we made music too. I feel like my next album is gonna be different, but this one was very heartfelt and personal. The more I move into different phases of my career, it’s gonna get a little less personal. This one, I was super vulnerable. We were so far away from everybody. There was nothing to do. There was not a single Black person. I don’t know what I got myself into.

I enjoyed the roll-out with the short film. What was your intention there?

My marketing only goes so far putting my face on stuff and being like, “Listen to this song.” I’m just a girl. When I finally decided on the album name, I just randomly was like, “I should do a week of trailer.” The fact that it was based off a movie was a big part of me doing it. First, Valerie & Her Week of Wonders, and Momento. He always be talking about Christopher Nolan and how he did his first movie for $6,000. Then we got no excuses if he could do it for $6,000. I met this director who shoots 35mm. Talking to a director helped me realize if I wanna make something about me or my art, then I’m gonna have to steer the whole thing. He was like, “You have to tell me exact ways of how you want me to help you write this out.”

I was like, “I’m gonna go write [it] myself.” I wanted to make every day related to the planet that rules the day. That was the foundation. I had no idea what I wanted the story to be like. The idea was first to make it of me and a little version of me following me throughout the whole week. I was like, “We need a director and a child actor and it needs to have dialogue.” Then I thought to make an art film then because it’s so much easier.

I saw a bunch of chatter about it and someone called it rap’s Midsommar. A lot of artists don’t take rollouts seriously anymore. It’s just, “Here’s the music.”

I would do that, but it’s so sad that way. It’s like birthing a child and no baby shower. Nobody gets to come celebrate it. 

Do you want to do movies in the future or acting?

For sure. We be talking about how we want to be directors so bad. We want to be a director trio and the next movie is gonna be us in the director’s chair. I would love to do that. It was so fun. There’s so many different things you can do in film. I like to put my hand in everything and paint in different ways. Nothing was more fun than that. 

You enjoyed the short film more than making the album?

No, but I think the result of it was way more refreshing to watch than listening to the album. I love listening to the album and I was so happy when I was done with it, but there’s something about the film. You can put music in it, style everybody, have people you care about in it and it was fun to watch. It was a new thing for me. It’s like a new toy. 

Do any tracks have a cool backstory tied to them from the album?

There was supposed to be a Don Toliver song on this album. S–t just be changing last minute. Yeah, we only did one song, though. I’m trying to get something soon. 

I saw people asking, “Where is ‘Backstabber?'”

It’s just hard to clear. It’s a Kesha sample. I don’t even know if she can do it for us. Kesha literally said she likes my music. She said she really likes “Chain Swangin.” I was on the phone with her at the end of the Don Toliver tour. I was randomly on FaceTime with her. I need to try a little bit harder, like, “Girly, please!” I think she heard my music on her own. My old A&R [at Capitol Records] saw Kesha in the airport and ran up on her and put her on FaceTime. That s–t was so funny. I was getting an IV for the first time in my life. They’re nice, but they’re not that effective when you’re sick. I was still sick when I used it. I definitely had way more energy. I think that’s how you’re supposed to feel as a human with all those nutrients. I felt alive after it. 

How has the reception to the album been?

I haven’t seen anyone say nothing too crazy. I see people say these songs are misses and I’m like, “How?” They all say different stuff so I know it’s opinion-based. I haven’t watched any reviews yet. I love watching people’s reviews so I can hear what they actually say in depth. I wanna see the person behind it and what else they review. 

What’s the plan for the 21st birthday this year?

I don’t know. I wanna have the craziest Project X party. I wanna set a whole neighborhood on fire, secretly, in my wildest dreams. I wanna go somewhere where there’s crazy animals or something I haven’t done that my child self would wanna do. 

What made Victor Victor Worldwide the right place for you?

When I signed there, everybody I talked to was personal. Labels are corporate and working a job for real. Don’t really care about you outside of it. The people I met at Victor Victor have real personalities. That’s why I gravitated [towards signing there], because it’s real humans and not just an office. 

What’s the biggest difference as an artist from when you weren’t signed to now?

You really do lose a little bit of freedom since you’re not independent. I don’t feel like much has changed, but I learned more. Learned how to work a team and lead better. If I never signed, it would’ve taken me three years to understand what I do now. I think I learned too much sometimes and I want to go back. Take me back before the red pill. When I see artists that don’t know what the f–k is going on, I’m like, “Damn, stay over there. Don’t come to the label systems.” It’s fun over there. The meme of Squidward looking outside his window. I’m like the Squidward — you kids go have fun. 

What’s been the toughest part being a woman in rap and being that young? Has it been tough to get taken seriously?

For sure. I feel like I battle it every day. I be wishing I was a guy. I wish I could roll up outside and have my hair like I just woke up and my t-shirt has a stain on it and girls will still be like, “Oh my God.” I wish, bro. Men got it real good. There’s some guys I’m looking at like, the uglier they get, the more the women like them. The dirtier they look, the women are like, “Oh, I like this guy.” I’m like, “Why?” Looking chopped and they love it. I wish I was a man sometimes. I be holding myself at gunpoint for real, figuratively. 

What fashion trends are you messing with now?

Women are dressing super fire recently. There’s a new surge of women, it’s like Yeezy coming back, but [for] women. The first few seasons — season four and before. The way how women can dress right now and they’re making it look cool, I f—k with. Even Billie Eilish and the big-ass [clothes] I f —k with. 

How was it growing up between Cali and Japan?

I would visit Japan in the summer. Growing up in California is interesting. [New Yorkers] are way more smart than Southern California. Southern California people are very slow and talk like this. We’re really laid back. Life is like a joke out there almost. They’re like demons out there. You have something on that looks cool, “Who are you? Where do you work? What car are you driving?” It’s so weird. It’s Instagram in real life. I love California. Good food and great weather, but lame socialization and partying. 

You have so many different looks and one of my co-workers asked if they were all the same person. Does your driver’s license picture look different to the point that you get stopped?

The only time I be looking crazy different is if I know I’m gonna be on camera or take photos. My license right now is funny and the lady at TSA asked if I drew on it with a Sharpie because I have black grills in it. I was like, “Girl, this is not a yearbook photo. I’m not gonna draw on my license like a five-year-old.” Someone was calling me a shape-shifter the other day. It was my first time doing a beauty shoot and they had my photo hung up with black hair and black grills and I showed up with blonde hair and blonde eyebrows. They were like, “That doesn’t even look like you, you’re a shape-shifter.” One day I’ma get like a chameleon and walk around and be twins. 

How was Paris Fashion Week?

So great. I felt like a little girl. I never been to Europe or nothing. It was my first time being in Paris and my first big Fashion Week. I never been to any shows. I had just quit going to school for fashion a few months before adjusting to music. I got to Fashion Week quicker doing music. How does that work?

Who would we find on your playlist right now? Do you listen to yourself?

I’m not gonna lie, I be streaming myself. I been listening to this one song by Future, “Incredible.” It’s on HNDRXX. I just listened to the new Rico [Nasty] album. I listened to some of the Plaqueboymax. 

I’ve been listening to the PinkPantheress tape a lot.

She’s so fire. One day I really want to link up with her. 

What do you want to get into outside of music?

Really just the film. Really want to get into modeling. I want to inspire people and use me as their muse. I don’t want to be the person leading everything. I just want to be more involved in other people’s worlds. Have more artistic connections. I found more people that do stuff that I f—k with like painting and creative direction. I’m realizing I can be friends with these people now because I’ve built myself up to build a portfolio and explain who I am so now they f—k with me. When I was a little kid I wanted to be in a collective of people and now I can start building it. 

Who else is on your dream collaborator list?

I really want to work with Dej Loaf so bad. It don’t even gotta come out. I just wanna meet her and see what she got going on. Future and Chief Keef. We just did a session with Bryson Tiller, but we didn’t do anything. It was intros. I really want to work with him. I want to work with Hayley Williams so bad. 

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? What’s the goal?

2035, oh my gosh. Probably with a kid and a family, hopefully. This country is not looking like there’s many good family contenders. In 10 years, hopefully I’ll have a movie or be part of a movie in some way. Executive producer or something. I gotta have [my own] clothes by then.