Q&A with Big Freedia

Big Freedia is a bona fide professional in booty shaking. Funny as that sounds, it’s no joke – a ten-year veteran of New Orleans’s bounce music scene, Big Freedia has taken the art of the twerk to international audiences and is currently gearing up for a major label debut, a national tour and several film releases.

Staff writer Jay Prevatt spoke with Freedia about her upcoming projects, the hierarchy of Divas and what to expect from her Cat’s Cradle show on Jan. 22.

BIG FREEDIA SHOW
Time: 8 p.m Tuesday, $15, Dance Lessons included!
Location: Cat’s Cradle, 300 E. Main St., Carrboro
Info: www.catscradle.com

Diversions: You just got back from Switzerland, how was the trip?

Big Freedia: It was amazing, had a blast.

Dive: I saw that you were going to be screening a new documentary?

BF: Yeah.

Dive: Could you tell me a little bit about that project?

BF: Yeah, it was a little bit about my life and, you know, the moves I’ve made in my life and some of the career changes. It was really good, it was a piece that my manager put together for
the screening over there, and I performed over there twice, did two dance classes, a lot of networking. It was fun.

Dive: You have another film project coming out, Big Freedia Presents: Twerk, Bounce and Pop.

BF: Yeah, that’s coming soon too. I got a lot of things coming out. The documentary with Pitchfork just came out this week. Yeah, I have a lot of documentaries coming out and my actual film will
be finished real soon, so we’re pushing for a lot.

Dive: You’ve taken bounce music all over the world, you just got back from Switzerland, have you noticed different reactions from different places when you do the live shows?

BF: You know, like, at first sometimes, you know, kinda just standing back trying to see what they’re going to see, and then, like, something just comes over them, they can’t fight it, it just gets into them. That’s how it went down in Switzerland. They were ready though.

Dive: Are you interested in any dances that aren’t booty-centric, or is the ass an essential part of your dance philosophy?

BF: Oh yeah, it’s definitely a part of my dance philosophy. It’s a chemistry all the way into it.

Dive: Well, you’re coming out with an instructional dance DVD and you’re going to have some dance lessons at the show on the 22nd, do you have any dance tips to share?

BF: Yeah, I’m just loosening everybody up, getting prepared for the show, featuring a few moves so they can come and rock with me and have fun and feel like they have the moves. Some people
will get it, some people will be close to getting it. Some people will be more natural than others. It’s all about how people move and, yeah, I’ll be coming to do my thing and hopefully they come
to learn.

Dive: You have a debut coming out, Da Idol.

BF: Yes.

Dive: That’s going to be the first national bounce CD, are you excited about that?

BF: I’m totally excited about that, you know I am! I’m overexcited.

Dive: Are there any particular songs…

BF: I’m excited about a lot of them, because I turned it up a whole lot. One of them is called “Turn the Beat Up.” Yeah, I’m excited about a lot of them, because I did a lot of variations with a lot of the different songs and changed it up a little bit and made a lot more big originals, so yeah, I’m really excited about the whole project.

Dive: I saw you did a song with Matt and Kim?

BF: Oh yeah, definitely.

Dive: Is that for the new album?

BF: No, that’s actually on theirs.

Dive: Is there any reason that your dancers are known as “Divas?”

BF: Because they are divas! They’re always on point, they keep it together. Yeah, they’re divas; they work really hard, like me. That’s why I’m the Queen Diva. They really work hard. Anybody
that I hire, their job is just as complicated as mine, ‘cause they have to lock when I lock, they have to have the Diva in them to do what I do.

Dive: You’re performing constantly, you’re always on tour – you must be in great shape. Do you have any health tips?

BF: If you bounce every day, you definitely will be in good shape!

Dive: I saw you at Bonnaroo last year and that was fantastic.

BF: It was fun.

Dive: How are the club shows like Cat’s Cradle different from the bigger shows, like Bonnaroo?

BF: I just convert it into, you know, like I’m at the club, or just about any same venue, you know, it’s still fun. You know, you try to bring a little bit more to the festivals and stuff because sometimes it’s daylight sometimes it’s nighttime, but I try to bring the party to wherever I’m at, festivals, clubs, block parties, weddings, wherever I be, I just bring that Freedia beat.