Molly Santana
OriginFontana, California, U.S.
Genre
Occupation
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
Years active2021–present
LabelVictor Victor · Capitol[1]
Websitemollyandherweekofwonders.com

Molly Santana is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter.[2] She first rose to the rap scene in 2021 with the release of her extended play Molly's World.

The top songs that shaped her career include "Chain Swangin", "I Know", "Nothing Like This", "Set Up", and "Windows Up".[3]

Early life

Parks is of Japanese and African American ancestry,[4] and grew up in Fontana, California.[5] When she was 11 years old, she taught herself to play My Chemical Romance and Pierce The Veil songs on acoustic guitar, and later electric guitar and bass.[6] She also saw various punk bands at The Smell in Los Angeles.[5] Parks initially garnered attention online as a fashion influencer in 2019,[5] and initially studied fashion in Japan before dropping out to pursue music full-time.[7]

Career

Santana recorded her first song in her car using Apple headphones as a microphone.[4] In 2021, Santana released her debut single "Y They Talk Abt Me?".[7] Her four-song debut extended play, Molly's World, was released in October 2021, and was followed by Neptune (2022) and Mélange (2023).[8]

In April 2024, Santana released her 14-song eponymous debut studio album. Following its release, she toured as a supporting act for Ski Mask the Slump God and embarked on her own headlining tour.[9] In September 2024, Santana released the six-song Masonic Musik EP,[10] which marked her first release with Victor Victor Worldwide and Capitol Records.[7] It was preceded by the single "Windows Up",[9] which was listed as one of the best rap songs of 2024 by The Fader.[11] Thereafter, she opened for Don Toliver on his Hardstone Psycho Tour of North America,[12] and made her debut Rolling Loud performance in Orlando, Florida in 2026.[7] In December 2024,[13] she released Self-Titled Files, an EP of outtakes from her debut album, on SoundCloud and teased a new album.[2] The album, titled Molly and Her Week of Wonders,[4] was released on May 30, 2025.[14][5]

In 2026, she was featured on rapper Drake's ninth studio album Iceman, alongside Future on the song "Ran to Atlanta".[15][16] This song boosted her Spotify monthly listeners from around 500,000 to around 15 million.

Style and influences

Santana's musical style has been described as trap, pop rap,[17] and rage.[18] According to Cydney Lee of Pigeons and Planes, her style features influences from punk music, rage, trap, and "alt-pop".[7] Complex highlighted her baritone voice and grunge and punk-influenced aesthetics.[19] She cites ASAP Rocky,[6] Bladee,[19] Black Kray,[6] Chief Keef,[19] Forever The Sickest Kids, Nettspend,[19] Erykah Badu,[6] Lil Uzi Vert,[19][6] KT Tunstall, the Smashing Pumpkins, Meg & Dia, Augustana, Lillix, Tyler, the Creator, Paramore, Circa Survive, The Graduate, Matchbook Romance, Young Thug,[6] and Yung Lean[19] as influences.

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected details
TitleAlbum details
Molly Santana
Molly and Her Week of Wonders
  • Released: May 30, 2025
  • Label: Victor Victor, Capitol
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Black Punk
  • Scheduled: 2026
  • Label: Independent
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Extended plays

List of EPs, with selected details
TitleEP details
Molly's World
  • Released: October 10, 2021
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Neptune
  • Released: November 25, 2022
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Mélange
  • Released: May 26, 2023
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Masonic Musik
  • Released: September 13, 2024
  • Label: Victor Victor, Capitol
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Self-Titled Files
  • Released: December 30, 2024
  • Label: Victor Victor, Capitol
  • Format: Streaming

Singles

TitleYearAlbum(s)
"Y They Talk Abt Me?"2021rowspan="2"
"Mason Musik"2022
"Blatt"2023Mélange
"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"rowspan="5"
"No Mass"
"Wreckit"
"Red Dot"
"Amnesia"
"Black Ops"2024Molly Santana
"Chain Swangin"
"Windows Up"Masonic Musik
"2 Rich"2025
"Not Regular"Molly and Her Week of Wonders
"Solo"2026Black Punk

References

  1. ^ Paine, Andre (2024-10-17). "Capitol Records appoints Justin Grant to oversee digital marketing for R&B and hip-hop". Music Week. Archived 2024-11-12 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
  2. ^ Horvath, Zachary (2025-01-12). "Molly Santana Treats Fans To "self titled files" Ahead Of Upcoming Album On Soundcloud". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2025-04-25.
  3. ^ Berry, Peter A. BerryPeter A. (2025-09-22). "Molly Santana Breaks Down Five Career-Defining Songs That Shaped Her Sound". XXL Mag. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
  4. ^ Daniels, Maisie (2025-03-14). "Molly Santana: Creating a World of Her Own". FWord. Retrieved 2025-04-25.
  5. ^ Medithi, Vivian (2025-05-30). "Molly Santana's trim fairy tales". The Fader. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
  6. ^ HQ (2025-06-01). "Molly Santana: Redefining Rap with Fearless Vision and Unfiltered Truth". tmrw. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
  7. ^ Lee, Cydney (2025-01-29). "25 Artists to Watch in 2025". Pigeons and Planes. Complex Networks. Retrieved 2025-04-25.
  8. ^ Kirby, Mason (2024-04-30). "Molly Santana shares debut self-titled album 'Molly Santana'". Our Generation Music. Retrieved 2025-04-25.
  9. ^ Horvath, Zachary (2024-08-21). "Underground Multi-Hyphenate Molly Santana Releases Intoxicating Single "Windows Up"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
  10. ^ Fisher, Caroline (2024-09-15). "Molly Santana Unleashes New EP "Masonic Musik"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
  11. ^ Medithi, Vivian (2024-12-20). "Rap Column's top 30 rap songs of 2024". The Fader. Retrieved 2025-04-25.
  12. ^ Guzman, Ivan (2024-11-25). "Backstage at Molly Santana's Brooklyn Show". Paper. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
  13. ^ "self titled files". SoundCloud. December 30, 2024. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
  14. ^ Coleman II, C. Vernon (2025-05-30). "EBK Jaaybo, Luh Tyler, Rome Streetz and Conductor Williams and More - New Hip-Hop Projects". XXL. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
  15. ^ Saponara, Michael (2026-05-15). "Drake Returns With Three New Albums as ‘Iceman,’ ‘Maid of Honour’ & ‘Habibti’ Arrive: Stream Them Now". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-05-15.
  16. ^ "Drake and Future Reunite After Beef on New Song 'Ran to Atlanta'.". XXL Mag. 2026-05-15. Retrieved 2026-05-15.
  17. ^ Horvath, Zachary (2025-04-18). "Molly Santana Is More Than Confident In her Abilities On "Not Regular"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
  18. ^ Saponara, Michael (2025-06-18). "Molly Santana Talks Hollywood Aspirations, New Album & 21st Birthday Plans: 'I Wanna Have the Craziest “Project X” Party'". Billboard. Retrieved 2025-06-18.
  19. ^ Rose, Jordan (2025-02-25). "No One Sounds Like Molly Santana Right Now". Complex. Retrieved 2025-04-25.