Early life and education
Boyfriend grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, where she was raised in the Church of Christ. She attended parochial school before transferring to Hume-Fogg High School in downtown Nashville. She later studied creative writing at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). [3] [4]
In a 2015 interview, she said that her early environment forced her to develop a sense of self. "My personal reality growing up was very much conservative, hetero-normative, white, and Christian. So to do something like be vegetarian, or like girls, or explore another culture or, god forbid, question god... you had to grapple, have a mental reckoning." [5]
After graduating, she worked in television production in Los Angeles on shows like Gossip Girl before moving to New Orleans to pursue arts education. There, she developed the character of Boyfriend, inspired by freestyling with friends. [6]
Career
Early Career
Boyfriend released her first single, "Hunch and Munch," in 2012, followed by a trilogy of EPs titled Love Your Boyfriend (2014–2016). She gained early recognition for her provocative performances and lyrics. [6] [7]
She toured with Big Freedia in the fall of 2015 before the duo collaborated on "Marie Antoinette” (2016). She also wrote 4 songs and co-produced Big Freedia's December 2016 EP, A Very Big Freedia Christmazz. [8]
In spring of 2017, Boyfriend released Next, an EP produced in Laurel Canyon with the help of Pablo Dylan, grandson of Bob Dylan and son of Jesse Dylan and New Orleans musicians Khris Royal, Joe Shirley, and Alvin Ford Jr. The EP includes a track featuring Cindy Wilson of The B-52's. [9]
In December 2017, Boyfriend headlined a party in Tokyo, Japan, for Marc Jacobs at the notorious Ai Honten host club in Kabukicho's Red Light District. The event was held to celebrate the launch of his Spring/Summer 2018 Collection and guests included Yu Yamada and Kiko Mizuhara among other celebrities and influencers. [10]
Debut Album and Major Collaborations
Boyfriend’s debut album, Sugar & Spice (2022), charted on college and non-commercial radio. The album features collaborations with Pussy Riot, Death Valley Girls, and Amanda Lepore. [11]
She has maintained a decade-long creative partnership with Big Freedia, contributing to multiple projects, and featuring on "El Niño" (2023) alongside Lil Wayne. [12]
Songwriting and Film/TV Placements
Boyfriend has written original music for major films including Space Jam: A New Legacy (soundtrack) and Office Christmas Party, as well as secured placements in commercials for Walmart, Amazon, and Apple. Her music has been featured in TV shows across Comedy Central, Netflix, HBO, ABC, and more. She also has an extensive career as a songwriter, contributing to projects by Charli XCX, Troye Sivan, Kesha, Mala Rodríguez, Pom Pom Squad, The Revivalists, Galactic, and Slayyyter, among others. [16]
Musical Theater
Boyfriend is the creator of Hag. a three-act semi-scripted and interactive musical that ran for 4 consecutive years at Preservation Hall and featured the dynamic burlesque/drag duo of Kitten & Lou, rearranged Boyfriend ragtime mixes by composer Joe Shirley and trombone stylings by Preservation Hall's David L. Harris. [17] [18]
In November 2018, Boyfriend released "Wash That", her take on the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" from their musical South Pacific (musical). Premiered by Playbill, the song explores "beauty rituals and hair maintenance," which are some of Boyfriend's favorite themes to explore. She told Playbill that "Wash That" is "in perfect alignment with my ongoing thesis statement about the burden of beautification and the processes we undergo as women to be deemed 'presentable,'" explaining, "So often it's the opposite, where we're plucking and tweezing in order to snag a man, but this taps into the empowerment that is nested inside all of these rituals—wash him off! Put that lipstick on for you!" [19]
In 2025, Boyfriend announced the release of her concept concert album In the Garden, set for release on May 09, 2025. The album reimagines the story of Adam and Eve but through Eve's lens. The project features Boyfriend as Eve alongside Billy Porter (narrator), Jake Shears (Adam), Big Freedia (God), and Peaches (Serpent). [20]
Advocacy and Industry Involvement
Boyfriend serves as a Governor of the Memphis Chapter of the Recording Academy and Co-Chair of the Songwriter and Composers Committee. [21]
An advocate for sustainability, she is a Notable Member of the Plastic Pollution Coalition, serves as a board member for Grounds Krewe -an organization promoting a sustainable Mardi Gras, and as Sustainability Advisor for the Krewe of Freret -the first New Orleans parade to ban plastic beads. [22]
This page is based on this
Wikipedia article Text is available under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
