Big Freedia emerged after Katrina as one of New Orleans’ most dynamic performers, specializing in the energetic hip hop variant known as bounce music. The Third Ward native caught stardom by the tail, and now has a string of hit collaborations, their own reality show, and a Ben and Jerry’s ice cream flavor.

Born Freddy Ross, Freedia began performing in the late ‘90’s, backing up neighbor and fellow drag queen Katey Red. They adopted the name Big Freeda-Queen Diva and went on their own in 1999 with the single, “An Ha Oh Yeah,” and their first CD, “Queen Diva,” in 2003.

A breakout performance at the 2009 Voodoo Festival exposed them to a national audience, and soon afterwards they guested on Galactic’s hit record, “Ya-Ka-May” and began touring. Positive reviews in Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and other major publications followed, as did television appearances on Last Call with Carson Daly and Live with Jimmy Kimmel.

In 2013 they began starring in a reality show on Fuse TV, “Big Freedia Bounces Back,” which ran for six seasons and gained them a world-wide following and the attention of some of pop music’s biggest stars. They can be heard on Drake’s “Nice For What” and Beyonce’s Grammy-winning “Formation,” as well as a host of other hip-hop releases.

Capping off a meteoric decade, Big Freedia released “3rd Ward Bounce” in 2018, featuring rising star Lizzo. In the summer of 2019 Ben and Jerry’s ice cream issued “Big Freedia’s Bouncin’ Beignets” limited edition flavor, and they published a memoir, “God Save the Queen Diva!”

Big Freedia flourished despite the pandemic, collaborating with Beyonce on her 2022 hit “Break My Soul,” with stars ranging from Drake to New Kids on the Block, and releasing a 2023 album, Central City.