Big Freedia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Big Freedia
Big Freedia performing at 2025 Essence Festival
Background information
Birth name	Freddie Ross Jr.
Born	(1978-01-28) January 28, 1978 (age 47) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres	Bounce Southern hip hop EDM electro
Occupation(s)	Rapper
Years active	1999–present
Labels	Money Rules A Champion Sound Beat Exchange Asylum Queen Diva East West

Freddie Ross Jr. (born January 28, 1978), known as Big Freedia, is an American rapper, singer, and performer. She is famous for her work in New Orleans hip hop music, especially a style called bounce music. Big Freedia is recognized for helping make bounce music popular. This type of music was mostly known in local areas since it started in the early 1990s.

In 2011, she was named Best Emerging Artist and Best Hip-Hop/Rap Artist. She also received a nomination for the 2011 22nd GLAAD Media Awards. In 2013, she got her own reality show on the Fuse Channel. The show followed her life while on tour and at home. On July 7, 2015, she released her book, God Save the Queen Diva!. In 2018, she released an album called Third Ward Bounce. Big Freedia was set to tour with Kesha in 2020, but it was canceled. This was due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, she released her second studio album, Central City.

Big Freedia has worked with many famous artists. These include Beyoncé, who used her voice in songs like "Formation" and "Break My Soul". She has also collaborated with Kesha, Lizzo, RuPaul, Slayyyter, New Kids on the Block, Jordin Sparks, Naughty by Nature, Boyz II Men, Jake Shears, and Drake. Her work with Drake was on his 2018 hit song "Nice for What".

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Freddie Ross was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. As a child, she learned to play the piano. She also sang in her neighborhood church choir. Music was always a big part of her life. Freddie's mother introduced her to artists like Patti LaBelle. She was also inspired by disco singer Sylvester, Michael Jackson, and Salt-N-Pepa.

Ross went to Walter L. Cohen High School. There, she continued to sing in the choir and became the choir director. This experience helped her realize she could write and produce music. Big Freedia has said that she used to be shy about performing. She had to encourage herself to go on stage until she felt comfortable.

In 1998, another artist named Katey Red performed bounce music at a club. This club was near the area where Ross grew up. Ross began performing as a backup dancer and singer in Katey Red's shows. In 1999, Katey Red released an album called Melpomene Block Party. Big Freedia got her stage name after a friend called her "Freedia." She wanted a catchy name that rhymed. Her mother had a club called Diva, and Big Freedia worked there. She called herself the "queen of diva," which led to her stage name, Big Freedia Queen Diva.

Music Career

Starting Out

In 1999, Big Freedia started her professional music career. She released her first song, "An Ha, Oh Yeah." She began performing often in clubs and other places in New Orleans. Other popular local songs included "Rock Around the Clock" and "Gin 'N My System." The song "Gin 'N My System" was later mentioned by local rapper Lil Wayne. She released her first studio album, Queen Diva, in 2003.

Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005. Big Freedia and other bounce artists had to leave the city. Big Freedia stayed in Texas for several months. There, she started performing bounce shows for local people. This helped spread awareness of bounce music. She moved back to New Orleans as soon as she could. The first club to reopen in New Orleans called her to perform regularly. They started "FEMA Fridays." It was the only club open, and many people had money from disaster relief. The joy in that club was very special.

She performed six to ten shows a week. These were at block parties, nightclubs, and other places as the city recovered. Big Freedia was one of the first artists to return after the storm. She worked very hard, and soon everyone in the city knew who she was.

Becoming Widely Known

Big Freedia started to get national attention in 2009. She performed at the Voodoo Experience music festival. On January 18, 2010, she released the album Big Freedia Hitz Vol. 1. This album was a collection of songs she had performed from 1999 to 2010.

In March 2010, she was booked for a show at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin. She signed with the Windish Agency and planned a summer tour. She also appeared on the May 2010 album Ya-ka-may by the funk band Galactic. She joined the band for some shows. The album reached No. 161 on the US Billboard Chart.

In May 2010, Freedia began touring with DJ Rusty Lazer and a team of dancers. She performed at Hoodstock in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. She was then featured in the Village Voice. She performed for art events in Miami and at New York's MoMa. When she returned to New Orleans, a New York journalist wrote about her. She was featured in The New York Times on July 22, 2010. She continued to tour across the United States. In Fall 2010, she made her first national television appearance on Last Call with Carson Daly. In October 2010, the New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper called her an "overnight sensation."

In 2011, Big Freedia was named Best Emerging Artist and Best Hip-Hop/Rap Artist. Her album Big Freedia Hitz Vol. 1 was nominated for an award in 2011. She also won an MTV 0 Award in 2012. She appeared on HBO's Treme, a show about New Orleans after Katrina. She performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on January 25, 2012. Her performance at South by Southwest (SXSW) in 2012 was highly praised by Rolling Stone magazine.

Big Freedia toured with The Postal Service in 2013. She opened for the band at many shows in July and August.

In 2013, the music television channel Fuse aired the first season of Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce. This reality show followed Big Freedia's growing fame and her life in New Orleans. During promotions for the show, Big Freedia led a large group in New York City. They set a Guinness World Record for a dance event. The second season of the show aired in 2014. It showed her mother's battle with cancer. Her mother passed away on April 1, 2014. Big Freedia immediately returned to New Orleans and planned a jazz funeral. The show has aired for six seasons and is now called Big Freedia Bounces Back.

On July 31, 2014, Big Freedia was the main performer at the "4th Year Anniversary of Bounce" event. She also headlined the event the next year.

Her book, Big Freedia: God Save the Queen Diva!, was released in July 2015.

On February 6, 2016, Beyoncé released a surprise song, "Formation." The music video was filmed in New Orleans. It included speech samples from Big Freedia. You can hear Big Freedia's voice in the music video.

Beyoncé also uses Big Freedia's voice to start her 2016 "Formation" World Tour. Big Freedia's voice says, "Oh Miss Bey, I know you came to slay! Give them what they came to see. Baby, when I tell you, I'm back by popular demand. I did not come to play with you. I came to slay! Oh yes, you best believe it, I always slay. You know I don't play!" For the show in New Orleans, Beyoncé brought Big Freedia on stage.

Some people have commented that artists like Beyoncé and Drake used Big Freedia's voice but did not show her in their videos. However, in a 2018 interview, Big Freedia explained she was out of the country for a show. This is why she could not be in the "Formation" video with Beyoncé. Big Freedia has performed on stage with Beyoncé at least once during her Formation Tour. In 2021, she contributed a song called "Goin' Looney" to the Space Jam: A New Legacy movie soundtrack.

Recent Work

In August 2016, The Fader magazine released "Marie Antoinette feat. Big Freedia." This was a song by New Orleans artist Boyfriend. In December 2016, Big Freedia released A Very Big Freedia Christmazz. She worked with Boyfriend on this album too.

In September 2017, Big Freedia released the song "Dive." It featured rapper Mannie Fresh, also from New Orleans. They decided to work together after Fresh appeared on her show. The song was going to be on a joint album, but it was not released.

Her song "Make It Jingle" is part of the game Just Dance 2018. It was also included on the Office Christmas Party movie soundtrack.

In April 2018, Drake's hit song "Nice for What" featured Big Freedia's voice in the introduction.

After signing her first major record deal, Big Freedia released her album Third Ward Bounce in June 2018. It featured artists like Lizzo. The song, "Rent," also had a music video.

On October 24, 2019, Freedia was featured on Kesha's song "Raising Hell." This was the first song from Kesha's album High Road. They promoted the song together at the 2019 AMA's and on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

In 2020, Big Freedia released a documentary film. It was about her childhood in New Orleans and the problem of gun violence. The film, Freedia Got a Gun, was made after her brother's murder in 2018. It explores her experiences with gun violence in her community.

In April 2020, Big Freedia worked with New Kids on the Block, Jordin Sparks, Naughty by Nature, and Boyz II Men. They created the song "House Party" during the COVID-19 pandemic. The video for "House Party" was filmed using cell phones.

On February 10, 2021, a new version of Rebecca Black's song "Friday" was released. It featured Big Freedia along with Dorian Electra and 3OH!3.

Big Freedia was a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season 6 in June 2021.

On September 15, 2021, she appeared as a guest judge on Nailed It! season 6.

In April 2022, Big Freedia was named Artist Ambassador for US Independent Venue Week. In June 2022, Freedia appeared on Beyoncé's song "Break My Soul".

In March 2025, it was announced that Freedia is featured on In the Garden. This is a concept album and musical by the artist Boyfriend. It was released on May 09, 2025. The album tells the story of Adam and Eve from Eve's point of view. The project features Boyfriend as Eve, Billy Porter as the narrator, Jake Shears as Adam, Freedia as God, and Peaches as the Serpent. Big Freedia released the album on her label, Queen Diva.

Personal Life

Big Freedia and Devon Hurst were partners for 20 years. In May 2025, Hurst passed away due to health problems.

Big Freedia also runs a business that designs interiors. Her clients have included the administration of Ray Nagin, who was the mayor of New Orleans.

Gender Identity

Big Freedia has spoken about her gender identity. She has said that she is comfortable with people using either "he" or "she" pronouns for her. She was born male and identifies as a gay man. She considers herself gender fluid and nonbinary. This means she doesn't feel limited to traditional gender categories. She has stated that she doesn't feel pressured to define her gender in a specific way. She believes that what matters most is knowing who she is.

In a 2013 interview, Big Freedia said, "Whatever makes my fans comfortable—to be able to call me 'he' or 'she,'—I'll allow. I let them have the freedom to choose either one." She added, "I'm confident in who I am, and I know what I stand for. When they say either/or, I'm not affected by either/or because, like I said, I know who I am." In 2015, she stated, "I wear women's hair and carry a purse, but I am a man." She also said, "I'm a straight-UP gay man. I love my feminine side. She is the diva in me. I think gender identity is on a spectrum and that means there's lots of grey area!" By 2018 and 2020, Big Freedia expressed that she doesn't have a strong preference for any particular pronoun. In 2020, when asked if she felt pressured to gender herself, she replied, "Yeah, definitely. But they can't put me in a box, child. I don't let 'em. I get this question every interview: 'What is your preferred pronoun?' and all of that. I'm me. That's my preferred pronoun. I tell people all the time, it don't matter if you call me 'he', 'she', 'it', whatever. I know who I am and that's all that matters."

Discography

• Just Be Free (2014)
• Central City (2023)
• Pressing Onward (2025)

Filmography

Awards and Nominations