Riotous, Radical Blast Of Self-Liberation

There’s a new energy pulsing out of Nashville, and its name is JOSH FR3DA. The boundary-breaking artist’s debut EP Turn Him Loose is a six-track technicolor rebellion—where classic Americana meets queer joy, and sass collides with sincerity.

From the riotous opening moments of “Does My Ass Look Good in These Pants?”—a fearless, funk-flecked empowerment anthem—FR3DA sets the tone: expect the unexpected. This isn’t country. It isn’t rock. It isn’t blues. It’s all of those, and none of them. It’s defiant. And it works.

What’s striking is how natural FR3DA sounds while dancing between genres. One moment he channels the emotional soul of Bonnie Raitt, the next he’s belting hooks with the campy confidence of a glam-rock prince. There’s something unmistakably British in his flair (think Bowie, think Winehouse), even as he stays rooted in the Americana textures of his Nashville collaborators.

But beneath the sparkle lies substance. FR3DA’s lyrics are deeply personal—coming out, body image, self-doubt—and yet never indulgent. His mission is clear: this is music meant to liberate. Not just himself, but anyone who’s ever felt out of place in a genre, a body, or a world that asked them to be quieter.

Turn Him Loose is a thrilling debut that balances storytelling and spectacle with real elegance. It’s loud, yes—but also tender. It invites us to dance, to cry, to rethink the limits of identity in music. And most of all, to strut like no one’s watching.

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