Q&A: Haute & Freddy Cordially Invite You to Portola 2025
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY FAITH LUEVANOS ☆
Photo By Christina Posztos - @forhysterics
ALT-POP DUO HAUTE & FREDDY MADE THEIR PORTOLA DEBUT – this past Sunday, September 21, and brought the energy and moxie that we’re still feeling coursing through our veins. Constantly garnished in vibrant colors and looks that could kill, Portola couldn’t have picked a better team to join the lineup. Haute & Freddy was born from the minds of Michelle Buzz and Lance Shipp, two creative visionaries who are turning the music industry upside down.
Known for their love for the weird and wonderful, the LA-based duo has gained a massive cult following this past year since the release of their debut single, “Scantily Clad,” in 2024. Through their effortless ability to blend genres and their own love for music and the art of performing, the duo is an unstoppable force that demands your attention.
Their latest single, “Freaks,” centers on what Buzz describes as “Haute & Freddy meets Rocky Horror.” The track explores another sound on the extensive spectrum that the two create on, one that leans into dark synths and 80s-sounding beats. From loud peacocks to creaky cabins, every sound is built with intention.
We received the opportunity to chat with Haute & Freddy after their set on Sunday, in which we discussed their new single “Freaks,” what inspires their branding, their upcoming tour, and more. Read the full interview below.
Photo Credit: Portola Music Festival
LUNA: Thank you for stopping by to chat with Luna! There are so many fun words that are associated with your music, words like “carnival-pop” and “baroque.” How would you describe your sound personally?
BUZZ: It's like fabulous opera meets underground tragedy, electronics, synths, and fun.
LUNA: Today’s set marks the start of your Tiny Grand Tour. Based on your performance today, did you experience anything that may have influenced any changes for the upcoming shows or inspired any new ideas?
BUZZ: This was our shortest set on the run, so, if anything, it just made me very excited for the hour-long slots we have coming up.
SHIPP: It goes by so quickly when we play, so the full hour will be magical.
BUZZ: Magical. We’ll get to engage more, so I’m really amped.
LUNA: Your new single “Freaks” is officially out in the world! There were a lot of cool sonic elements I connected to, so I wanted to ask about the backstory behind the song and how you created that. What does this song represent for you?
BUZZ: We had recently rewatched Rocky Horror. We were at a writing retreat, and we had purposefully removed ourselves from LA and had gone into the little forest. There was a really feral peacock that started doing his mating call that day. We started recording the song [with our] friend Askjell, who’s a Norwegian producer that we collab with a lot. We were just grabbing sounds that the creaky little cabin was making, and I was like, “I want something that feels like Haute & Freddy meets Rocky Horror.” You know, like, what is this like when you walk into a place and you’re a little afraid to maybe fully express yourself? And all at once, you're confronted with a lot of bold, beautiful characters, and what does that do to you? And then you end up getting swept away, too. Every sound was like, “How do we get that feeling?”
SHIPP: That iPhone recording of a peacock in the beginning of the intro? We just heard a sound from outside, and I was like, “What is going on? What could that possibly be out there?” So I took my iPhone and I put it on the table, and I had to capture whatever this is. I didn't know what it was. It was raining, so I was a little apprehensive about putting my phone outside, but I set it down on the table and hit record. We came back in and were making the song, then I heard it, and I got it, I captured it. And then, moments later, there was this beautiful peacock on the roof of the buildings, just walking across, being a peacock.
LUNA: Can I ask what area this was that seemingly just has wild peacocks running around?
SHIPP: Topanga. I don’t know if they know, I don’t know what’s going on, but it made a great intro.
LUNA: From your first release to “Freaks,” how do you feel like your music has evolved, and maybe even you guys as people, within this past year? Happy almost anniversary by the way!
BUZZ: Thank you! What we’re inspired by hasn’t changed; we're still chasing the same thing as we were with “Scantily Clad.” We're still always going after that special feeling of rebellion meets brilliance. But I think from the start, we were very excited to go deeper. We had no idea ever that fans would even come for “Scantily Clad,” so I'm so glad that we have fans now, and I think the royal court has empowered us, because they have been so receptive to the whole world and such a huge part of it. It's just so fun to be like, “Oh, wow, we can be even weirder. These are our people.”
SHIPP: We’ll be evolving more into what our people want. The plot thickens.
LUNA: What was the original source of inspiration for your branding as an artist?
BUZZ: We are the humble jesters, and our fans are royalty.
From the jump, we were like, “‘Scantily Clad’ has this cute little narrative, we’re just gonna lean into that,” but in our minds, that character, that scantily clad woman and man, is literally the person that crashes the party and is so unapologetic and not supposed to be there, but then finds their weirdos along the way. That’s us.
SHIPP: [The fans] deserve to be on the highest pedestal. They’re the reason we do everything.
BUZZ: They get crowns for the shows, they get special roles, and we make sure there’s some dinner theater elements.
LUNA: Do you have any final messages for your fans and our readers?
BUZZ: An album cometh. Stay vigilant out thy peepholes.
