Big Freedia has long been known for his eclectic musical style and dedication to his roots. Often referred to as the "Queen of Bounce," Freedia has been instrumental in making New Orleans bounce music and Southern queer culture globally recognized.
The artist born Freddie Rose has captivated audiences with his signature up-tempo hip-hop and R&B-infused grooves since the late '90s. He first emerged in 1998 as a backup dancer and singer for Katy Red, a popular bounce artist and emcee also from New Orleans. By 2009, Big Freedia began gaining wider notoriety; his first national television appearance aired in 2010, and by 2011, he was named Best Emerging Artist and Best Hip-Hop/Rap Artist in the Best of the Beat Awards. Two years later, he landed "Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce," his own reality series that aired on Fuse, chronicling his growing journey into mainstream.
In the years since, Big Freedaia has dominated the charts with songs like "Rent," "Stupid Boy," and "Karaoke" featuring Lizzo. He's been featured on several chart-topping hits, including Beyoncé's GRAMMY-winning single "Break My Soul" and Drake's "In My Feelings" — the former a rallying cry for resilience, the latter sparking a viral dance challenge.
Now, he’s stepping into new musical territory with Pressing Onward, a gospel album centered on healing, empowerment, and spiritual strength.
Freedia has long relied on his spirituality to ground him through the good times and carry him through the painful ones as well. The album, Freedia's third studio release, is a return to the faith that shaped his early years.
"Pressing Onward is the name of the Baptist church I grew up in. So it just connects back to just my childhood, my upbringing, where I started in music, being a choir director at this church, singing with many choirs around New Orleans," Freedia say, adding that he was his high school's choir director and sang with the Gospel Soul Children of New Orleans and the Gospel Music Workshop of America. "[The album is] taking it back to the roots of where I started, the seed that I planted a long time ago, and it's finally blossoming even more."
After recently losing his partner of two decades to complications from diabetes, the project became a deeply personal journey of grief, the will to continue and renewal. Through powerful lyrics and uplifting melodies, Pressing Onward is both a tribute to enduring love and a testament to the sustaining power of faith.
"I'm using this album as my healing, as bringing joy into my life. And that allows me to share it with the world. It means more than ever to me now that I have to press onward. And so the title hits harder at home right now and resonates really hard," Freedia says.
The 14-track album is a testament to resilience, faith, and the knowledge that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Staying true to his authentic sound and creative spirit, Pressing Onward blends Big Freedia's NoLa bounce with gospel-infused rhythms, creating an emotional and spiritual journey. Lead single "Take My Hand," along with "Church," "Holy Shuffle," "Sunday Best," and "Highway to Heaven" offer moments of praise, power and deeply-rooted personal reflection.
With features from heavy hitters Billy Porter (with whom Freedia recently performed at New York City's SummerStage), K. Michelle, and Tamar Braxton, the album doesn’t just uplift — it grabs you and doesn’t let go from the moment you hit play. Their voices, layered with his one-of-a-kind energy, make Pressing Onward a celebration of survival, community and transformation.
Big Freedia the Queen Diva has also made headlines for his business moves outside of the industry. "I'm working on all kinds of stuff, from cannabis to a hotel. The Wobble, that's my new [cannibos-] infused drink that has been running off the shelf here in New Orleans." With an infectious laugh, he continues, "And baby, when I tell you it is giving the girls a nice little buzz and making them wobble to the dance floor."
Enjoying a nice little buzz on the dance floor is one of New Orleans' many charms. But as celebrations lit up the city to ring in the 2025 new year, tragedy took over the Big Easy when a driver plunged onto the sidewalk along Bourbon Street, killing 14 and injuring at least 57 others.
It’s during moments like these — when joy turns to sorrow — that life puts things in perspective. For Big Freedia, it reaffirmed his belief in the power of faith and community and with his newest album, he hopes to do more than sing and entertain. "I want to get people closer to God," he says. "We have to get our house in order. We’re living in some very tough times."
Through Pressing Onward, a safe space has been created — a space for reflection, release, and reconnection. It's Freedia's offering of peace amid the chaos and tension; a spiritual retreat for anyone craving to silence the noise of the world and tend to their inner world, their soul within.
Music has long been a form of resistance for Black artists, serving as a way to express identity, challenge systemic oppression, and instill a sense of cultural pride.And just like the musical pioneers before him who used their voices to shape culture and ignite movements, Big Freedia is carrying that torch, using his platform and his gospel roots to inspire, uplift and push the conversation forward.
According to the Radio Advertising Bureau roughly 20 million Americans tune in weekly to Christian or religious radio stations that feature both music and talk programming. The impact of this genre is far-reaching — especially within Black communities, where it has long served as a catalyst for historic movements, from the civil rights and Black power eras to the more recent calls for justice in the Black Lives Matter movement. In times like these — when the world feels uncertain, and hope is hard to come by — Big Freedia insists that gospel becomes more than music; it becomes a lifeline.
His lifeline can be found within the lyrics of "All I Need," especially as a kid growing up queer in the South. It's the one track he says his younger self would be most proud of and his reasoning is quite simple: "Because all I need is God. I don't need validation from anyone or anybody."
When asked about his legacy, he says, "There's so much more work to be done, and I just want to leave my legacy to people out there that's like me, that can say, if he did it, I can do it. And that's what it's about for me. It's about passing the torch because I won't be here forever."
With much reflection and sincerity in his voice, he adds, "But also just letting people know that through music, we can reach all kinds of avenues. Music is powerful. It heals the soul, it touches the soul, it brings joy, it brings healing, it brings sadness, depending on what the songs and the message are. And so that's what it's about for me, just bringing joy."