Big Freedia had a fangirl moment meeting “very humble” and “sweet” Beyoncé.
The 44-year-old Queen of Bounce, who was previously sampled on Beyoncé’s 2016 song “Formation,” met Queen Bey during their latest collaboration on new hit “Break My Soul.”
Freedia tells Vidak For Congress exclusively that she was “grateful,” “humiliated” and “thrilled” when the Grammy winner’s team reached out to her about using her vocals from her 2014 song “Explode,” but was “blown away.” was when she finished it two weeks ago in Bey’s recording studio in Los Angeles.
“I mean, the speakers were like jumping at me. The bass came out so loud from the speakers. I was just there shaking and feeling excited and overwhelmed,” she recalls.
The New Orleans resident says she was “getting ready to leave the studio” when one of Beyoncé’s liaisons approached her and said, “Would you like to talk to the Queen? She’s here.”
“I was like, ‘Holy crap. You know I want to talk to her!'” Freedia tells us, explaining that she “went over to her” and the two “cuddled” and “had a conversation.”
“She thanked me for being on her path. And I’m like, ‘No, thank you’ you to have me as a guest on the track!'” she shares, adding that the former Destiny’s Child singer, 40, is “very humble”, “so sweet” and “laidback”.
“She Only Turns In” [her stage persona] ‘Sasha Fierce’ as she takes the stage.”
But the surprises didn’t stop there. Freedia says she didn’t have heads up. “Break My Soul” was set to release on June 20 as the debut single on Beyoncé’s forthcoming seventh solo studio album, “Renaissance.”
“I didn’t know it would come out. I didn’t know I was the first single. I found out the same day you guys did,” she explains, saying she heard the news when Beyoncé “announced the name of the song” on her social media platforms a few hours before it was released.
While the song — a catchy dance song — is drastically different from what the BeyHive is used to, Freedia believes they’ve made “the hottest song of the summer.”
“I mean, this is something we all need. This is the summer song. It’s something that will bring us all back together on the dance floor,” she says. “It’s powerful. It’s inspiration. It’s motivation. There will be people… dancing in clubs. There will be people dancing in training rooms. At the gym. I mean, everywhere.”
Beyoncé feels the same about “Renaissance” as a whole, writing in part to her Instagram followers on Thursday: “I hope you find joy in this music. I hope it inspires you to let go of the wobble. Ha! And to to feel as unique, strong and sexy as you are.”
In addition to pursuing her musical dreams, Freedia also prioritizes her academic dreams.
She, along with seven other stars – including NeNe Leakes, Ray J, Lamar Odom, Stacey Dash, Slim Thug, India Love and Dreamdoll – decided to go back to school for BET+’s original series, “College Hill: Celebrity Edition”.
Freedia tells us she stayed at the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” alum for the rewarding experience; however, her cameo on season 12 – the first without Leakes – was not mentioned.