Faith, Blood, Glamour and Survival Collide on SANTI’S “Miss Venezuela” EP
Miss Venezuela is a bold, confrontational, and deeply personal album rooted in Venezuelan culture, queerness, and survival. Created by Venezuelan immigrant artist SANTI, the project explores beauty, violence, religion, exile, and resilience through a sharply queer lens. Blending pop, electro-Latin, and performance-driven storytelling, the album examines how religious fundamentalism, nationalism, and repression impact queer lives—while reclaiming identity with glamour, rage, and humor. Miss Venezuela is not just a cultural reference; it becomes a symbol of a country, a body, and a dream forced to smile through devastation.
ON THE ALBUM’S CORE MESSAGE
“Miss Venezuela is about how religion, politics, and beauty standards collide with queerness. I wanted to show how religious fundamentalism often creates more harm than protection—and how queer people still survive inside of it.”
ON BEING A GAY IMMIGRANT ARTIST
“This album is made from the perspective of a gay Venezuelan immigrant who grew up watching his country fall apart while being told his identity was an abomination. Making this album was my way of rewriting that narrative.”
ON QUEERNESS & RELIGION
“Queerness and religion are often framed as enemies, but what’s truly dangerous is when faith is used as a weapon. This album confronts that violence directly.”
TITLE TRACK – “MISS VENEZUELA” (SONG QUOTE)
“In Miss Venezuela, I reference the real-life homophobic remarks made by former Miss Universe Dayana Mendoza to show how beauty and religion can be used to shame queer people. The song challenges the idea that queerness is an ‘abomination’ and exposes how damaging that belief truly is.”
SONG SPOTLIGHT – “VENEKA”
“VENEKA” takes a word that’s been used to insult Venezuelans and flips it into a symbol of resilience. No matter how much we’re displaced, rejected, or stripped of resources, Venezuelans keep surviving, creating, and pushing forward.”
MUSIC VIDEO CONCEPT – “MISS VENEZUELA”
“In the Miss Venezuela video, I reference the film Carrie. She’s smiling while being drenched in blood. That image represents Venezuela—still beautiful, still performing, even while being destroyed. Miss Venezuela keeps smiling because she has no other choice.”
Photographer, Wardrobe Stylist & Creative Director: Love Bailey (@loveisbailey)
Location: DollHaus LA (@dollhausla)
