Big Freedia appeared on CBS Mornings today (July 29) to speak about her appearance on Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul,” which samples Freedia’s 2014 song “Explode” and appears on Beyoncé’s new album Renaissance. Freedia spoke about going to Los Angeles to hear the song in the studio (where she met Beyoncé in person), how the sample came to be, the influence of bounce music, and more. Check out the full interview below.
Host Gayle King asked Freedia if it mattered how the song was going to be used. “Not at all! It’s Beyoncé. You can use whatever you need, honey,” she said. King also asked if Freedia wanted to re-record the “Explode” vocals for “Break My Soul.” “Of course,” she said. “If I’m there, I can do a whole lot more.” She also spoke about the origin of “Explode”: “At the time when I wrote ‘Explode,’ I was thinking about all of those things I wanted to release, and the things I do release when I get onstage. All those things, I try to forget about those things and get into my zone. Sometimes you want to explode, all the things that you’re going through. So I wanted to release all those things.”
Next month, Big Freedia will perform as part of the Pitchfork Presents concert series, kicking off at Knockdown Center in Queens on Sunday, August 21. Dawn Richard, Hurray for the Riff Raff, billy woods, and Mega Bog will also take the stage. Advance tickets for Pitchfork Presents are available on DICE.