BOUNCE INTO THE NEW YEAR WITH BIG FREEDIA

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.

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

mom, who I lost in 2014, was a part of the film, and my cousin was done wrong by the criminal justice system here in New Orleans. So, the film is very deep, and I am grateful to be able to do it. It was definitely one of the roughest projects I have ever done thus far in my career.

I saw that you talked about losing many people to gun violence, including your brother. Why do you think gun violence is still such a big issue? What more needs to be done?

We really don’t need guns. If there were no guns for people to have, I do not think it would be such a big issue. I only think the military needs guns in order to fight when we go to war. Otherwise, we need to put stronger gun laws in place.

Can you tell us how the film also brought some light to the Black Lives Matter movement?

It was perfect timing because the film was shot a while ago, six months after my brother was killed. It just so happened that the production and timing came out right around when the Black Live Matter movement was happening. All of that was God’s timing. We did not know when the film would be finished. It all worked out so perfectly, and it could not have been a better time for the film to come out.

Trans women of color have specifically been Diva! Why should one read your book, and what do targets of violent crimes. Do you think someone as you hope they take away from it?

mainstream as Elliot Page transitioning will have First and foremost, the book is very inspirational. It tells an impact for trans people? my story from when I was a kid to roughly about 2014 I think each and every day, we are getting a step further. You will still have ignorant people in the world no matter how far we go with the LGBTQ community. There are just some people that will not get it. There are some people who will still not like our family. through 2015. I am excited about the book being rereleased because the book has helped so many people. Whether it was a young, gay boy still trying to find his way or a mom who is still struggling with accepting the fact that her child is gay. I talk about the music side of things, my background in church and how I grew up I think things will continue to get better, and things will there, and the balance going from gospel to bounce continue to get lighter, but we must continue to make music. I talk about all the different transitions in my people aware and bring awareness to what is going on life, as well as about the people that I lost and gained. in the LGBTQ community, especially with trans women. The book is definitely inspirational. It is a great story, We have to put laws in place to protect these trans girls and I think people will enjoy it. It will take you on an and other people of the LGBTQ family. emotional roller coaster of my journey, and you will get I was very excited to learn that you will be involved with the virtual Creating Change Conference at the end of January. What are you looking forward to the most about that? Just being able to have the platform to talk, and hopefully Ihopemylightis shining and giving peopleinspiration. to know me a little bit deeper. You founded a charity called Bounce UP in 2019 that supports local programs to help improve the well-being of children in New Orleans. How has that been going? It has been going very somebody will get the message well. We have still been of what needs to be changed and what needs to be done. working with No Kid Hungry and some of the other Just talking on the panel, and hopefully, there are some organizations here in New Orleans and helping them listeners out there that this can affect. Hopefully, this throughout their everyday hustle to do different things will help them in their everyday life. for the community. Bounce UP is definitely going to What kind of change do you hope you are making? keep on making things bounce up in any direction that I definitely hope that I am continuing to bring love and light to the world. I want people to know that there is hope and that they can dream big. Each day that I wake we can. We are going to keep creating change, creating opportunities, and supporting the less fortunate that need help. up and live my life, I hope my light is shining and giving people inspiration. What more do you hope to accomplish with your platform? I see you have also been busy in the kitchen with your YouTube series, Big Freedia’s Garden Cookout. What can audiences expect in future episodes? I just want to continue to grow, create change, make people happy, spread love and light into the world, and put out great music. They can expect to keep on learning how to cook, for sure. I want to keep coming up with creative, fun things Before we wrap up, are there any other, upcoming projects we should be on the lookout for? that you can do in the kitchen. It’s all about enjoying My new Christmas album dropped on December 11, what you like to cook and enjoying what you like to eat and it is so different from my previous music. I came so and the nourishment that goes into your body. I want hard. It is a whole new Freedia album, and I am excited to continue to give people fun stuff that I like to eat, about it because it gave me an opportunity to keep on what I like to do, and how I like to cook. Hopefully, they show my skills and what I want to do with my career. will learn something from it and take away something It is a fun time! from it and can create their own meals. Follow Big Freedia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Also, congrats on the recent paperback release of YouTube to stay up-to-date with the latest news and your memoir, Big Freedia: God Save the Queen projects, or visit her official website, bigfreedia.com.

The Hostess with SOMETHING EXTRA

Miss Coco Peru Miss Coco Peru

by Denny Patterson

For over 25 years, Miss Coco Peru has been a household name within the LGBTQ community. Starting in the early 90s as a downtown favorite in the cabaret scene of New York City after writing, producing, directing, and starring in her first show, Miss Coco Peru in My Goddamn Cabaret, she has since enjoyed an expansive career ranging intimate stage productions to appearing on film and television. Coco has received worldwide acclaim for her work and has become a viral sensation on media platforms like Instagram and YouTube. She is also known for her long history of passionate activism, support for the LGBTQ community, and fierce dedication to AIDSrelated charities and organizations. OFM had the opportunity to chat one-on-one with Coco and talk about how she has been holding up during quarantine, her hit show Conversations with Coco, appearing in trailblazing TV shows like Will & Grace, and how drag has become a celebrated art.