WHO IS SHE?:
Raised in Los Angeles, singer-songwriter Sarah Hudson comes from a famous family. Her father is a well-known producer and part of the '70s rock trio the Hudson Brothers, making actress Kate Hudson Sarah's cousin. A rebel, Hudson grew up pushing people's buttons in a Catholic girls school before deciding she wanted to follow in Dad's footsteps, playing music and pushing buttons of another kind.
WHAT HAS SHE DONE?:
Hudson's debut album, Naked Truth, tackles her quest for individuality and freedom with songs about being yourself and putting down anyone who would try to hold you back. The July 13 release features Steven Tyler and Desmond Child.
WHY DO WE CARE?:
Cute as a button, the tattooed, midriff-baring, 23-year-old Hudson also boasts an edgy streak, so while her poppy disc might be aimed straight at the mainstream, she's not afraid to ruffle the feathers of prudes and her pop tart competition.
Playboy.com: The first song on your album, "Naked Truth," talks about people who might hate you for everything, "from the tattoo on my wrist to the color of my hair." Would anyone really hate you because of those things?
Sarah Hudson: I don't think "hate," but definitely "judge." Anybody who's remotely different or does something to make themselves stand out is putting themselves out there to be ridiculed.
Listen to the title cut from Sarah Hudson's Naked Truth
PB: Does it bother you, all the pressure to look pretty and sexy to sell records?
SH: It sucks that we're in a society where we have to look a certain way. Our tits have to be big, our stomachs have to be tiny, we have to be size zero. It sucks, but it's always been like that. As a fan, I want to buy a record and look at the artist, and I want them to be larger than life. I want to be not perfect but amazingly beautiful, almost cartoon-like. I kind of like that, making you look 10 times more glamorous than you are.
PB: Your cousin Kate made a big deal about gaining weight when she was pregnant. She was proud of her weight gain.
SH: Totally. I love that she did that. That's totally cool that she didn't care. I didn't talk to her during that time, but you could tell that she was proud of her body. She would go out, and she was proud to be bigger and pregnant and beautiful. I think that's major, because a lot of girls and a lot of young women will see that and go, cool, I don't have to be size zero when I get pregnant.
PB: Or maybe they'll see that and just want to get knocked up by rock stars.
SH: [Laughs] Exactly! Though I don't know if that's the best thing to do!
PB: You have more than that one tattoo on your wrist, don't you?
