In addition to a new EP and Christmas album, Freedia also released a new documentary last year titled Freedia Got A Gun, which focuses on her New Orleans upbringing and gun violence. Her memoir, Big Freedia: God Save the Queen Diva!, was re-released in paperback; she has been killing it with her YouTube cooking series, and we can see her at the virtual Creating Change Conference scheduled for January 28 to 31. Constantly on the go, Freedia was able to take some time to catch up with OFM and talk about her projects and how she hopes her voice continues to inspire hope and change. Hi, Big Freedia! Thank you for taking some time to chat with me, and happy new year! Any resolutions? Just to have a better year! I think we can all agree that 2020 was an absolute shit-show. What were some of the biggest challenges you've faced? I lost a cousin right before COVID hit hard, and I had COVID myself. It was tough. It had to try and figure out different things for me and my team. We needed to survive through this pandemic. It was very tough for me, and I tried to focus on restructuring my life and rebranding myself. It was hard. On the other hand, what was something positive that happened in 2020 that you are thankful for? I am still here and still alive. That is most important. I am still able to make things happen, and I am just grateful to be here. You are known as the Queen of Bounce. For those who are unfamiliar, how would you describe bounce music, and how does it differ from other kinds of hip-hop? Bounce music is up-tempo, heavy bass, call-andresponse type music. It is New Orleans-based, and it is a subgenre of hip-hop. It is party music and has to do a lot with ass shaking. When you put on a bounce song, you definitely get the party twerking. It has been around in New Orleans for so many years, and now you can see that it is happening all over the world. 3 0 OFM J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 1
How did you get your start in music, and has this always been your passion? I started in gospel music when I was a kid. I sang in choirs for many years; I was a choir director for my church and high school, and I had my own choir. So, I have been musically inclined since I was a little kid. When I started with bounce music, I started backgrounding for Katey Red in 1998 and helping her with some of her projects. Around 2000, I came out with my own solo project, and things just started to take off from there. You have worked and collaborated with the likes of Beyonce, Lizzo, Drake, and Kesha. What do you take away from these experiences? The most important thing is just to be grateful, gracious, and humble throughout all the experiences of collaboration that I have had, and just be appreciative to even be able to collaborate with all these different artists. I have worked with some very amazing artists thus far, and I hope to continue to work with some more great artists. I am grateful for the relationship and the bonds that we have. One of your biggest projects from last year was releasing your documentary, Freedia Got a Gun. The film focuses on your New Orleans upbringing and the issues of gun violence. How has the film been received, and why did you want to do it? Everybody loved the film. The film is very deep and informative on a lot of things going on in New Orleans that people do not see. Gun violence is a big epidemic for the city of New Orleans, and the kids of New Orleans, especially Black, young men. It is important to get the message out there that these kids need help. Not just on a local level, but on a national level. We need our government officials to step in and help with some of these situations because some of the things that are happening now were happening when I was kid. It is worse now. I want to see these children have a future and be able to be kids. Enjoy their lives like they should when they are kids. It was very tough to do this film because I had to revisit losing my brother, my
