dr Martens famously boasts of having “jumping soles.” So it makes perfect sense that the popular iconoclastic footwear brand would team up with her Great Freedia, the New Orleans superstar dubbed the “Queen of Bounce.” Freedia attended the dr Marten’s gifts free concert series, rockin’ Brooklyn Made in November, the latest of the concerts where Dr. Martens connects with groundbreaking artists. “I think exactly that,” says Freedia HollywoodLife when we talk about the “Docs” thing about her. “I created my own lane in hip-hop,” she says.
“When the mainstream wasn’t trying to hear Big Freedia and other queer artists here in New Orleans, we started our own brand,” she tells HL. Back then it was called Sissy Bounce, now it’s just called Bounce.” Similarly, Freedia points to Dr. Martens’ “punk rock spirit” as the “Big Freedia” aspect. After all, like punk, Freedia has built a legacy and empire without the help of big labels, independently wealthy parents or the like.
Diamonds like Big Freedia rarely stay hidden in the rough for long. Freedia first caught the mainstream ear in the early 2010s, landing her own Fuse TV series. Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce. 2016, beyonce‘s Formation sampled some of Freedia’s speech. The two queens would team up during Bey’s formation tour, and Freedia’s voice commanded you, “Let the wobble go” on Bey’s latest hit single, “Break My Soul.”
“Beyonce is a household name, so of course if she was on her record it meant millions of fans would know who Big Freedia is!” Freedia recounts HL when asked if “Break My Soul” has attracted a new wave of fans. Freedia says these new fans also like “Just Be Free”, “3approx Ward Bounce” and “BDE” to get a better idea of who she is as an artist beyond “Break My Soul”.
When asked about the song, which received four nominations at the 65th Grammy Awards, Freedia says she was “completely shocked” by the news. “I had heard the song before it came out, and of course it’s Beyonce, but I had no idea it was going to come alive like it did!”
There could be a lot of gold in this life, and if Big Freedia is available for the Grammys (February 5th in the Crypto.com arena), she’ll need a good outfit – and a decent pair of shoes. Here comes Dr. Martens come into play. “I remember my first pair – I think I bought them in the late ’90s,” she says HL. “But my favorite are the current ones that I wear all the time on stage. They are mid-calf, black. They have yellow laces and large Freedia patches at the top and bottom. You are fire!”
How would a dr. Martens x Big Freedia shoe look like? “Mine would be (obviously) unisex, black leather center with gold tongue, Swaroski crystals and graffiti,” she says HL. “I think the sole would have the Big Freedia logo so you can see it when you let go of your wobble!”
Freedia is releasing more than just a Wiggle in 2023. “I have a new album out,” she says HL, “A new season of my reality TV show, Big Freedia means businesson Fuse TV, and I’m opening a hotel in New Orleans.”
And if in 2023 her hypothetical Dr. Martens comes to life, it could mean that she goes from the “Queen of Bounce” to the “Queen of Bouncing Soles”. “Thanks for the idea,” she says HL about this new potential title or changing the shoe’s iconic brand name for this partnership. “I will bring this to the attention of my publicist as soon as possible.”
More information on upcoming dr Marten’s gifts Shows, including performances by The Linda Lindas, Blush, Shamir, and more, click here.