Big Freedia

Big Freedia blends gospel and bounce, grieving and twerking with equal devotion

Interpolating the frenetic energy of bounce with the devotional cadence of gospel, Big Freedia’s new album “Pressing Onward” channels her church choir beginnings into a project that bridges glitter and grace. Set against the backdrop of personal loss, the album emerges after the death of her partner, folding grief and spirituality into rhythmic testimony.

She asserts that it doesn’t forsake her queer, gender-fluid community—it’s made for them. “God loves us all,” she tells a Nashville Pride crowd, making room for holy spirit and twerking in the same breath.