Q&A: Zoe on Venus and Carina Allen Break Down the Vision Behind “Hypnotic Love”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY SOPHIE GRAGG ☆
STEP INTO THE IRIDESCENT, GLITTER-DRENCHED UNIVERSE OF ZOE ON VENUS - the alter ego of New Jersey-based artist Victoria Allen, whose latest single “Hypnotic Love” is a dance-pop ode to queer confidence, sensuality, and transformation. Infused with 80s disco textures - Juno synths, Moog basslines, sweeping strings - the track pulses with the charisma of drag queens and the radical act of taking up space with joy. Written with performers in mind and inspired by the vibrant energy of queer nightlife, “Hypnotic Love” is a visual and sonic world built on desire, glamour, and unapologetic selfhood.
To bring that world to life, Zoe collaborated with director Carina Allen, whose imaginative eye turned a New Jersey consignment shop into a playground of style, sparkle, and surreal storytelling. The video, which stars a cast of drag queens and even features a cameo from Zoe’s real-life grandmother—is part fantasy, part tribute, and wholly celebratory. Together, the two creators discuss the intention behind the music, the meaning of transformation, and how community and color collide to create art that’s both personal and universal.
LUNA: “Hypnotic Love" is described as a dance-pop anthem with the glitz of 80s disco. What drew you to this particular sonic palette for this song, and what 80s disco artists or elements inspired you?
ZOE ON VENUS: When creating the “Zoe on Venus” world, I immediately was attracted to making a project inspired by the 80s. I love the unapologetically bold fashion, the glamour, and I find the music is just as flashy. The sonic journey begins with a seductive intro and eventually leads into a hook with disco strings, Juno synth pads, Moog bass arps, all of the delicious elements that I feel drawn to. These sounds are what you hear in Donna Summer’s discography, Madonna’s, Grace Jones’s, a couple artists I love to enjoy and take inspiration from.
LUNA: The lyrics, particularly "let's break out, get loud, make out, we’ll take control of this room," evoke a sense of bold charisma and queer intimacy. Can you elaborate on the inspiration behind these specific lines and the drag queen personas that influenced them?
ZOE ON VENUS: The birth of “Hypnotic Love” is truly owed to Lexi Pro, one of the queens in the video. She asked me one day in Fall 2023, “when the f*ck are you going to have me be a part of your project?” Literally. And I responded, “when I write a song for drag queens of course.” I wrote it within that same month.
When I was writing the lyrics to “Hypnotic Love”, I already had the video in mind. I thought of what would feel empowering for a drag queen to perform to and how can I align the performance with the message I’m trying to convey.
Embracing your identity as a queer person can be difficult at times when you aren’t surrounded by others reflecting their truth. But stepping into queer spaces where you aren’t questioned, where you can “get loud”, where you can live authentically, it touches your spirit. We owe the existence of pride to our black drag queens, our trans women, we owe it to Marsha P. Johnson, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, Sylvia Rivera, Raymond Castro for reclaiming power in a world where queer existence is still erased. Loudness is a form of rebellion and survival and I had a place in my mind where rules didn’t apply, where people curate their own movement, loud in joy. Taking control of the room is implying that we are expressing ourselves fiercely.
LUNA: How does the visual world you've created for Zoe on Venus with its pinks, glitters, and iridescent hues connect with the themes of "Hypnotic Love" and the 80s disco inspiration?
ZOE ON VENUS: One of our locations took place at Pearl St. Consignment in New Jersey which plays with a ton of pink in the atmosphere of the shop. I knew I wanted the world in this video to build around a similar color palette and it was perfect.
The fashion in the 80s spoke through glitter, vibrancy, big hair, metallics, we wanted to imagine our glam to its fullest extent and feel electric. The drag queens, our co-star Victoria, and myself used our wardrobe to capture that essence.
LUNA: How involved were you in the concept and development of the music video for "Hypnotic Love"? Did you have specific visual ideas in mind to complement the song's energy and themes?
ZOE ON VENUS: I always knew this project was going to involve the queens + myself, but the storyline had multiple directions before I had taken it to Carina to help mold it into its perfect form.
Carina & I had multiple talks months prior to shooting, my ideas were a rough draft at first, but I knew which locations I wanted and that I wanted the queens & I to play a role in which we transform our co-star into an extravagant, glammed-out, femme princess. All we needed to do was build our story into a huge gay take-over inside of the consignment shop.
I found when watching the rough cuts of the video as they were being sent to me I was feeling very sentimental. There were parts in it I felt were an ode to past versions of myself, before I created Zoe on Venus. It was an act of intimacy when we transformed Victoria into becoming a part of our world. I used to be so guarded, but my work helps me embrace vulnerability.
My grandmother is casted in the video where she interrupts the queens as they’re trying to style Victoria. She walks into the shop looking to purchase an item for her granddaughter and acts out the perfect improv. My relationship with her has shaped me into becoming the woman & artist I am and why I try to live as courageous as I can. It was an honor to represent that through my art and having her in the room with all of us was an expression of love and support that transcends the physical realm.
LUNA: How does the music video for "Hypnotic Love" further build upon the sonic and visual storytelling that defines your artist project?
ZOE ON VENUS: Zoe on Venus translates to “Life on Venus”, sonically and visually I’m always looking to summon this character I created – a pop star who rules the planet Venus. These types of projects feel more of an extension of my emotional process which ties this character into the themes of romance, sensuality, & pleasure. I wrote “Hypnotic Love” purposely to capture this celebration of confidence as creative armor. By performing under this persona, I explore parts of myself that are less filtered & more bold.
LUNA: What was it like collaborating with director Carina Allen on bringing the visual world of "Hypnotic Love" to life?
ZOE ON VENUS: I felt drawn to Carina immediately during the time when I was searching for directors for this project. I admired her work and she was the first & only person I brought the project to.
What’s important to me is that the atmosphere on shoot days feels safe, the team is taken care of, a timeline is maintained, and we can have fun. Our collaboration was meaningful to me because we shared the same values and she brought a really unique perspective by nailing down aesthetics with an imaginative lens. She deepened my vision and invested herself into this with such care for detail. Watching her brain work in real time and seeing her ideas evolve from her storyboard to the lens alongside our DP, Kris Khunachuk, was really magical.
LUNA: What were your initial visual interpretations of the track and lyrical content?
CARINA ALLEN: Well I was super excited to work on something different— different than my own music sonically, and with more performers than just the artist. Also just something that celebrates queerness! I was hype. Victoria came to me with a loose idea of what she wanted, locations already set, and said “I have a bunch of drag queens.” Immediately my gears started turning and I knew I wanted to create something psychedelic, fun, and flashy.
LUNA: The song is inspired by the bold charisma of drag queen personas. How did you incorporate this influence into the visual language and aesthetic of the music video?
ALLEN: I wanted the drag queens to really shine in this video, and represent this bigger universal idea of, “be who you are” or “be larger than life.” I thought by positioning them early on as “mannequins” that come to life, we could introduce a magical element to the video, as well as a suspension of disbelief allowing anything to happen next.
Aesthetically, I wanted to build the viewer up into this vibrant, sparkly world that showcased all the drag queens and their unique looks by playing with fun textures and rich colors. Showgirls meets House Bunny meets Alice in Wonderland meets Paris is Burning. We were lucky to be shooting in such fun locations as well; Pearl St. Consignment is a work of art in itself.
LUNA: The sonic elements of the track are rich with 80s disco sounds. How did you translate this sonic nostalgia into a compelling visual experience?
ALLEN: What goes around comes back around, you know, and I love that we’re seeing this resurgence of ‘80s pop as well as the consistent dedication to Y2K fashion currently. I had fun playing with nostalgic elements in this video without trying to force it to be a “period piece” or anything like that.
But really as a director, I wanted to craft strong, seamless visual moments that matched the production I was hearing in the song. I.e., the camera beginning to rotate the first time we hear that pulsing hook, the camera pushing in and out on Zoe [Victoria] in sync with background “oohs” and “aahs,” plus some tongue-in-cheek narrative moments that coincide with the lyrics. I wanted each beat of the video to feel original and unique, but still maintain an overarching flow and pace that matched the production of the song; ultimately culminating in a big colorful, hazed-out, gay dance party.
LUNA: Can you discuss your collaborative process with Zoe on Venus in developing the concept and visual narrative for "Hypnotic Love"? What was the dynamic like in bringing her vision to the screen?
ALLEN: As mentioned, Zoe [Victoria] has some solid visual references/ideas from the start; current MUNA & Charli XCX music videos, vintage ‘20s showgirl imagery + ‘80s glam fashion, two great locations, and an imagined drag queen takeover. I knew my job immediately was to figure out how to tie all these things together— why are the drag queens here, why are we in this hair salon, how do we get from point A to point B, who is Zoe on Venus in this universe?
I was initially inspired by the visual of the tall, hollywood storefront windows of Pearl St., leading me to the idea of the drag queens as mannequins come-to-life. The salon location suited well for the idea of a “makeover” sequence, and I thought Zoe could be the connect between the two locations; a fairy godmother of sorts who has the drag queens on speed dial for any fashion emergencies. I liked the idea of being on drugs or being “hypnotized” by a larger force, a la Alice in Wonderland, but wanted to keep things lighthearted and whimsical, i.e., mystery potion that unlocks your inner diva.
I also always aim to have a sense of humor in all my work, so when Zoe [Victoria] mentioned the idea of having her grandmother involved in the video somehow, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to insert a scene with dialogue. A wink at the viewers who “iykyk” and otherwise a fun moment for the drag queens to come to life even more. Plus, it gives the viewer a moment of contrast between the “real world” and the hypnotic, playful world of Zoe and the drag queens. It was mainly improvised, which also made it even more fun.
LUNA: Were there any specific visual references from 80s disco or drag culture that informed your directorial choices for this video?
ALLEN: I wanted some of those strong, spot-lit performance shots towards the end of the video, along with the final disco dance party + glitzy wardrobe to embody the whole “‘80s” of it. But I honestly didn’t try to pull too hard from any one specific reference as I wanted it to still feel modern, and I wanted all the drag queens to shine in their own way, as their own unique characters. I’ve kind of always been inspired by drag queens, and the dual escapism & embodiment that the craft allows for when it comes to playing with identity. I felt like this video was really a celebration of that, of queer joy and exploration, and of embracing glamour for fun.
