Sound Up! Big Freedia

First came “Raising Hell,” then came “Chasing Rainbows.” The duo Big Freedia and Kesha are making musical magic together, yet again, and we are here for it.

Starting the video for “Chasing Rainbows” by creating a love potion, Big Freedia takes us on a journey of self-acceptance with the new hip-hop bounce track. Encouraging folks to come out of hiding and embrace their authentic selves, the matchup of Kesha and Big Freedia is divinely queer-tastic.

Big Freedia is known for bringing attention to the underground New Orleans genre of hip hop called bounce music. While Big Freedia doesn’t identify as trans, she also doesn’t subscribe to gender norms regarding clothing and makeup, and her preferred pronouns are she/her. However, she has said multiple times she’s comfortable with fans using either male or female pronouns to refer to her.

Related article: Sound Up! Queer Musicians of Color

Breaking free from enemies, we see Big Freedia and Kesha dancing among the rainbows and unicorns and discarding labels that are anything other than fabulous. Taking on a spiritual approach to self-love, they are spreading an ethereal and unconditional kind of love all through the city.

Giving queerness from the South visibility since the beginning of her career in the late 90s, NPR has credited her for amplifying New Orleans history “by insisting on being her sui generis self, a gay, black man with a feminine stage name and fluid pronouns.”

Be nothing less than you who are. Big Freedia is a prime example of putting those words into action. The contagiously catchy track “Chasing Rainbows,” with its lively, matched music video, pushes us all to love who we are and spread that love throughout the world.

Big Freedia will hit the road with Kesha this April for the High Road tour as her opening act and will be making a pit stop right here in Denver at the Mission Ballroom on May 11.