Musical trailblazers Big Freedia and the late SOPHIE have dropped their first official collab “Blaze That Ass,” a cut off a forthcoming EP set to drop June 19.
The duo have been architects of the music world for years, and “Blaze That Ass” sews together Freedia’s charisma and skills on the mic and SOPHIE’s otherworldly composing and production skills.
“Recording with SOPHIE is something I hold even closer to my heart now, especially after her passing,” said Freedia. “She was an artist who showed the world that living boldly is your greatest power. With this EP, I want to show the world how loved she was and still is!”
The forthcoming EP began generating buzz immediately upon announcement with coverage in Pitchfork, Stereogum, The Fader, SPIN and more. The three-song EP was written by Big Freedia and SOPHIE, with the latter handling production duties, and birthed from a recording session at SOPHIE’s Los Angeles home studio in 2016, mostly completed in a single afternoon.
Transporting Freedia and her unparalleled NOLA-born bounce to SOPHIE’s hyperspace world of ever-morphing avant-garde pop has created something so singular it refines what is possible within the electronic music dancescape.
“This collaboration was exciting to Sophie right from the start,” said SOPHIE’s family. “Freedia’s energy and vocal power, a perfect match for her production. Their connection gave us these songs, all of them Sophie loved to play out, and we can’t wait to hear them in the club again.”
Following today’s release, and Big Freedia’s critically acclaimed 2025 gospel album Pressing Onward (“a vibrant and unabashedly queer take on worship music” — Pitchfork), Freedia will set out on the road for her BIG FREEDOM tour in June. One dollar per ticket for headline shows goes to support the Center for Working Families Fund.
Over Memorial Day weekend, Charli XCX took to her Instagram Stories to shout out the single. (Charli XCX, born Charlotte Aitchison, and SOPHIE were close friends and longtime creative collaborators who became deeply connected through the experimental pop and PC Music scenes in the mid-2010s. SOPHIE produced her song, “Vroom Vroom.”)
