Over the past month, thousands of people have been dancing their hearts out to “Break My Soul” and “Formation” in stadiums as part of Beyoncé's Renaissance tour. As many of you know, they sample songs from none other than Big Freedia.
eight-episode
After captivating millions with those Beyoncé collabs, Big Freedia is now on our screens and she’s here to tell us “she means business” with her brand new eight-episode show. Titled award-winning the award-winningZoom musician explores various ventures. One of them is Hotel Freedia.
Talking to BuzzFeed over Zoom, she called all her start-up ideas “near and dear to her”. “But if I had to choose one, I'm super excited about the hotel, Hotel Freedia, which will be a staple here in New Orleans,” said Big Freedia, “And I'm excited about, you know, people all around the world being able to come to be able to eat and sleep and listen to great music and have a great time.”
The reality series was filmed over the course of two months and follows Big Freedia around while she plans her hotel, an eyewear collection, beauty products, and a cannabis line. She said that during that time, some memorable moments for her were planning every little detail of the hotel; such as the fabrics, meeting architects and actually going to see where it would be built.
Big Freedia said she gets her inspiration for her business from those around her – mostly her late mother, Vera Ross, who died in 2014 after a battle with cancer. “They really helped me to develop, you know, some great business skills as well,” she said.
This isn’t Big Freedia’s first reality TV series, in 2013 she debuted Big Freedia: Queen Of Bounce which was on air for six seasons. She hopes her new series will inspire people to start their ventures and enter the business world. “They can say well if Freedia did it, I can do it as well,” she said.
Aside from the show, Big Freedia has been busy with her upcoming album, Central City, which is dropping on June 23rd. In April she released the song, "$100 Bill", which is a collaboration with Ciara.
Her collaborations with Beyoncé have resonated with so many and people have gotten to enjoy them in person. But the icon herself has yet to see it in person. Big Freedia told BuzzFeed that she has been watching concert videos coming from the Beyhive on social media. “I will hopefully be going soon,” she said. The Renaissance tour is set to end in New Orleans at the end of September, which just happens to be the very location Hotel Freedia will be in. So who knows, maybe the tour will end with a surprise.
Big Freedia Means Business is out now on WOW Presents Plus!
View this video on YouTube
Looking for more ways to get involved? Check out all of BuzzFeed's posts celebrating Pride 2023.
