Get To Know: Josh Fr3da

Blazing onto the scene with all the swagger of a rockstar and the soul of a truth-teller, JOSH FR3DA makes a bold first impression with his debut EP Turn Him Loose. This fearless, genre-hopping collection kicks the door down with unapologetic flair—anchored by the fiery, focus track “Does My Ass Look Good in These Pants?”, a cheeky and empowering anthem already turning heads. Fusing the drama of Queen, the honesty of Bonnie Raitt, and the twang-pop sass of Shania Twain, FR3DA delivers more than just music—he delivers a message. We caught up with the rising star to talk about his journey from vocal lessons to Nashville sessions, the inspiration behind his infectious debut, and why Turn Him Loose is as much about self-love as it is about letting go.

Welcome to Curious For Music! Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your latest release?

As an artist, I’m deeply inspired by 90s country music, 70s stadium rock, old-style blues, the best of soul, a little alternative edge, and a touch of pop flamboyance, and I wanted Turn Him Loose to reflect those influences. I describe my sound as Queen meets Shania Twain, and Turn Him Loose is no different. I combine personal stories with big vocals and bigger sounds to hit my audience in the heart (or gut, depending on the mood I’m going for). It’s all about feeling. As a result, Turn Him Loose is an autobiographical battlecry for self-love and swagger. I sing about coming out as gay, physical insecurities, coping with depression, coming into my own, and finding my sexy. Throughout the record, I juxtapose deeper lyrics with brighter or more powerful music to activate my listeners so I can connect with them on a deeper level. I wanted Turn Him Loose to be a record you could listen to for fun, for feels, or for “fuck it, Imma do me” energy.

What was the creative process like for this project?

Each song has its own origin story. I started writing Does My Ass Look Good in These Pants? in 2020. I remember thinking, “why don’t men ever talk about their physical insecurities?” And, “we,” the proverbial modern society, “would never see a man ask his wife or girlfriend if his ass looked good in a pair of pants.” All because men are supposed to act a certain way. And if they don’t, they’re “gay,” which is code for “less than.” I wanted to tackle that dynamic without being preachy, so I thought of a slightly outrageous hook and a catchy melody, and I wrote lyrics that put my insecurities and “shortcomings” as a man on blast. I figured, if put myself out there and sang over high energy music, my listeners would get out of their heads, into their bodies, and connect with the deeper meaning of the track (i.e., you’re a bad bitch, so strut). After Pants, the other songs began to take shape too. Turn Him Loose (the title track), Best We Can, and My Dogs are all based on my life. Turn Him Loose chronicles my coming out story and the things I felt as a kid when I was in the closet. Best We Can talks about the vices I relied on when I was dealing with serious depression. And My Dogs is about my dogs haha. I adopted two incredible beagles when I was with my ex. After we split, we shared custody of them for a little while. I got upset every time I had to drop them off at his place. Initially, the lyrics make you think I’m all torn up over him, but I couldn’t care less about homeboy. I just missed my dogs! Eventually he bowed out and the dogs were with me full time, which was always the plan. I just didn’t want to be the bad guy, so I tried in earnest to make joint custody work. I workshopped these songs with Nashville songwriter Tom Worth. He helped me develop chord progressions and he challenged me to sharpen my lyrics so each song delivered a powerful message in a concise manner. He also gave me one of his songs: Completely Gone. Originally, Tom wrote Completely Gone for Aerosmith. He even pitched it to Steven Tyler. But the band didn't end up cutting it, so I jumped on the chance to take it. Finally, I cowrote Openly Open and Tell Me About Last Night with Brian Maher and my producer, Matt Wilder, in Nashville. Brian came to our first writing session with Openly Open in mind. He pitched it as a call-to-action for those that might not be so keen on having a gay country artist come into the mix. I saw it as an opportunity to say something evocative; to speak to our better angels while still pushing the envelope. Openly Open is my “Come Together.” On the flip side, Tell Me About Last Night is my “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” “Tell Me…” is a straight up party song. It’s total gay debauchery wrapped in glitter, rail liquor, and bad (good?) decisions. It’s not about anything serious, and that’s the point. After Tom, Brian, Matt, and I workshopped the songs, I went back home, took a few weeks to figure out vocal arrangements, and came back down to record. Matt brought the best musicians in Nashville together to play on my record: Lonnie Wilson (drums), Gary Lunn (Bass), Jerry McPherson (guitar), Jerry Kimbrough (guitar), and Jenee Fleenor (fiddle). We tracked at Lonnie’s studio in Franklin, and afterwards, I found out I was the first openly gay artist to record there! Then I laid vocals at Matt’s home studio. Nashville vocal coach Moe Loughran directed me while I was recording. She helped me bring out the best in my voice and deliver the vocals each song needed. Once we got the raw tracks, Matt and I discussed production vibe,s and he worked his magic on each track. Slowly but surely, we brought my creative vision to life. And now, we have Turn Him Loose. 

How does this new release differ from your previous work?

Turn Him Loose is my first release. It’s the culmination of years of work and I couldn’t be prouder of it.

Were there any particular challenges you faced while making this music?

Turn Him Loose took years to make. When I was starting out, I didn’t have the confidence to be an artist; not publicly anyway. I liked singing and I wasn’t afraid to perform, but owning the title of “artist,” and putting myself out there as that and only that, scared me. I was also dealing with serious depression and professional expectations that I’d built up over time. I’m a lawyer by day, though I’ve totally shifted my mindset as to my place in the law and my calling in music. Initially, I thought music would be a creative outlet while I worked a good job, made good money, and did the things I was “supposed” to do. Then I hit rock bottom. I was commuting to work one day and I just started to cry. It wasn’t the first time, but I decided that day that it would be the last. I called my mom, she got me in with a psychiatrist, he diagnosed with major depression, and we worked to get me back to solid ground. A few months later, the clouds cleared, and for the first time (maybe ever) I embraced myself as an artist. I was ready to put myself out there. I was ready to chase the biggest version of my music dreams. So I did. I auditioned for showcases, performed, caught the attention of the Nashville folks I mentioned above, and cut a record. Every time I put myself out there and asked, I got something great in return. I just needed to believe I could. Money is always a limiting factor. As an indie artist, I have to front the costs of making and promoting a record, which isn’t cheap. I dipped into my savings and took out a loan to make Turn Him Loose (about $20,000 in total). I also paid the songwriters and vocal coaches I collaborated with, and I paid for my travel to and lodging in Nashville. And now I’m funding a PR campaign with Decent Music PR. Making art is (can be) expensive, but I believe in the dream, and I believe in myself. I want to make art and share it with the world for a living, so I’ll do whatever I need to do to make this dream my reality. Finally, juggling work, the dogs, life, rehearsal, and making the record is a lot. I balance a legal career with my music career. I also teach yoga part time and I parent two incredible beagles. To be honest, I haven’t had a social or sex life in a while lol. But that’s ok. I’m chasing the dream. And now that I’ve got a band, we’re gearing up for live shows to promote the record. I can’t wait for us to find our fans. There’s so much in the works right now, so my spirit is happy. 

Did you collaborate with any other artists or producers on this project?

Yes, please see above for full details. My collaborators include:

Matt Wilder (producer)

Tom Worth (songwriter)

Brian Maher (songwriter)

Maddy Morris (long time vocal coach)

Moe Loughran (vocal coach)

Lonnie Wilson (drums)

Gary Lunn (bass)

Jerry McPherson (guitar)

Jerry Kimbrough (guitar)

Jenee Fleenor (fiddle)

What message or emotion do you hope listeners take away from this release?

Turn Him Loose is an autobiographical battle cry for self-love and swagger. I want my fans to know you are enough, you belong, you’ve got everything it takes, and you’re welcome here, so strut. Show the world who and how you are. Raise your freak flag and wave it proudly. I’ll be waving mine right next to you. 

Is there a story or concept that ties the songs together?

Finding myself, building confidence along the way, and owning the fact that I am a bad bitch. It’s taken a long time to get here, but I’m more secure in myself and I’m more confident in my ability to make things happen because I struggled. Without the struggle, I wouldn’t have stories to tell. I wouldn’t be the artist I am. I wouldn’t be as full a person. I’m fortunate to have an incredible family, good friends, resources, and opportunities, and I know not everyone can say the same, but if you can, reach out to your family, reconnect with your friends, lean on someone, leverage what you’ve got, deal with your shit, and come back stronger because you (the real you) has so much to offer the world. Do the work so you can “turn him loose.” 

How has your sound or style evolved on this release compared to your earlier work?

Turn Him Loose is my first release, but earlier in my career, I was exploring other genres with my longtime vocal coach, Maddy Morris. I experimented with hard rock, grunge, alternative, R&B, pop, country, and soul before ultimately settling into country rock for this record. I’m still evolving, though! The core of my band is blues rock, and we’re ebbing into classic rock, hard rock, country, and soul too.  I’m the type of artist who makes art based on how I feel at the time, so I expect my style will evolve. But my core will always be rooted in making others feel good, even when the songs are sad or touch on difficult subject matter. Hope is my ultimate throughline. I can’t escape it. 

Is there a track in your music discography that feels especially meaningful to you? What makes it stand out?

My Dog is my favourite song on the record. Though it’s coded as a breakup song, My Dogs is actually about my dogs, Katie and Raynor. I adopted them with my ex, and after we broke up, we tried to share custody, but I’d cry every time I dropped them off at his place. The verses and pre-choruses tell that story, but the hooks act like a bait and switch because instead of being all said about the breakup, I’m just sad I’m not with my dogs. Screw the e,x haha! I just missed babies! I lost Katie on November 3, 2023, and I’m still not right about it. I was a zombie for three months after she passed, and I still can’t look at pictures or videos of her because they make me cry. But Katie led me (and Raynor) to Aspen, whom I adopted in January 2024. We’d always been a trio, and we needed to be a trio again. Aspen was the shot of lightning Raynor and I needed. She’s a little spitfire with endless energy and plenty of bellowing howls to match. I see Katie in her when she digs into the couch or gives me side eye. I know Katie led us to Aspen to help us heal. To honour Katie, I knew I had to write about her. My God, was she special. Raynor and Aspen are, too. When My Dogs went in for mixing, my producer extracted audio from a video of Katie howling and mixed it into the track. Now, my baby is immortal. Gives me chills just thinking about it. 

How do you plan to share this release with your audience? Are there any upcoming performances, videos, or special projects in the works?

Fans can listen to Turn Him Loose on all streaming and social media platforms. Fans can also check out my website, joshfredamusic.com, if they’d like to download the record. All they have to do is sign up for my email list. I also have merchandise for sale on my website and I will be rolling out new items very soon. As for shows, the band and I are deep into rehearsals and we plan to gig in the D.C. metro area this fall. I will share all show dates on my website and social media accounts (@joshfredamusic), so stayed tuned! Finally, I’m working on a line dance challenge and a pole dance-inspired music video to promote Does My Ass Look Good in These Pants?, and a series of in-person yoga classes at Northern Virginia yoga studios to promote the entire Turn Him Loose record. Finished products and details to come! 

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