Kate Hudson has always been music adjacent. Most “famously” Hudson played Penny Lane, her star-making part as the girl-next-door super-groupie in Almost Famous, for which she won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Academy Award. While not typecast, Hudson’s talents lend themselves to music-related projects such as the feature films Rock the Kasbah and Music, the latter directed and co-written by Sia. She even played a recurring character in television’s music-based series, Glee. In real life, she is the biological daughter of musician Bill Hudson. She has been in relationships with high profile musicians including Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson, Muse’s Matt Bellamy and, currently, Danny Fujikawa.
With her debut album, Glorious, Hudson goes for a full role-reversal—one she has been preparing for in private for many years—and it looks great on her. Hudson’s music exposure and natural affinity have served her well. In the dozen songs on Glorious, she is self-reflective, using her life and growth—particularly as a mother of three—for source material. Bolstered by Fujikawa, Johan Carlsson, and Linda Perry as producers and/or songwriters, Glorious is wholly Hudson’s vision. Her truth is what’s heard on the early singles “Talk About Love” and “Live Forever,” whose video is interspersed with delightful home movies of Hudson and her sons. Hudson’s is husky-voiced bar crooner and lullaby whispering mother all at once, while her sound is part rock chick, part down-home country, with a strong sense of melody rooted firmly in guitar riffs.
Building up excitement for Glorious, Hudson has been making the performance rounds since Grammy Week 2024, performing private shows for intimate crowds studded with Hollywood stars, among them, Leonardo DiCaprio, Stella McCartney, and Zac Braff. She has also been making her musical mark on viewing audiences with charming appearances on the late night and early morning circuits performing not only her own songs, but ripping covers ranging from Stone Temple Pilots’ “Vasoline” to ‘Til Tuesday’s “Voices Carry.” Hudson’s confidence is magnetic as is her unadulterated joy in finally letting loose her inner musician. In the immortal words of Penny Lane, “It’s all happening.”
Here are 10 of Hudson’s essential tunes.
Bob Dylan “Simple Twist of Fate”
Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks is one of my favorite albums of all time. When I was young and was discovering Bob Dylan, “Simple Twist of Fate” was the one I couldn’t stop playing over and over and over again. It holds the most meaning and memory in terms of Bob songs, which is hard because I’m a huge Bob Dylan fan.
John Prine (or) Bonnie Raitt “Angel from Montgomery”
It’s hard to pick which version. It’s an all-time great song. John Prine is one of the great songwriters of all time
The Verve “Bittersweet Symphony”
To me, this is the ultimate motivational tune. I feel like everybody had that moment when they discovered this song and it just opened the door up for them for life. Like, “Oh, my God, life is just good when you’re listening to this song.” It’s super cinematic. A classic.
The Cure “Close to Me”
I love The Cure. It was a hard one to choose but “Close To Me” is always my go-to Cure song. I remember when Ryder and Bing discovered The Cure, sharing these songs with them was some of the most fun. When I realized that my kids liked The Cure, I kind of realized that my kids might be cool. That was a really fun day for me.
Sheryl Crow “I Shall Believe”
I had to include a Sheryl Crow song because she was such a huge part of my childhood in terms of loving music and wanting to sing. “I Shall Believe” is a bit of an obscure one but it’s on her album, Tuesday Night Music Club. I was a super emo girl and I would sit in my room and listen to the song when I was 14 or 15 years old and just drift off and dream. It’s just a huge part of my teenage years, this song and that whole album.
The Rolling Stones “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” and “Rocks Off”
I could do an entire 10 favorites of all time with just the Rolling Stones because they’re maybe my number one favorite band in the world. “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” is the ultimate party song. It makes me want to get wild.
“Rocks Off” has one of the great lines of all time: “The sunshine bores the daylights out of me.” I want that written on my wall in neon. Even though I love mornings now, even though mornings are my favorite time, I still just love that line so much. It defines that Exile on Main Street time. For people who love music, that’s a really interesting time in the Stones’ life.
Radiohead “High and Dry”
I’m a ‘90s girl. “High and Dry” defines that time in my life. I love Radiohead, that’s another band I could have 10 songs as my favorite of all time.
Bruce Springsteen “I’m on Fire”
I really love the Boss. There’s a lot of great songs. I love “I’m on Fire.” I love the feeling of it.
Thelonious Monk “Pannonica”
I’m a big jazz head. My all-time favorite Monk piece is “Pannonica,” which he wrote about this woman who was really the baroness of jazz. She was a great proponent for and supporter of a lot of the jazz cats in New York in the ‘50s and ‘60s. She was a Rothschild. I suggest looking into her because she’s one of the great untold stories in music.
Neil Young “The Needle and the Damage Done”
I go back to the times when music inspired me so much, when I was first discovering it and the songs that I played over and over and over again. “The Needle and the Damage Done” was always the one—even though it was a very dark song—that I loved and played again and again.
