The People Crave Whimsy, and Haute & Freddy’s “Touch Touch” Is Here to Deliver (Exclusive)

Joseph Wasilewski / Atlantic RecordsMichelle Buzz and Lance Shipp are not your typical pop stars. After cranking out hits and landing songwriting credits for artists like Britney Spears, Katy Perry, and Kylie Minogue, the pressure forced the couple and creative partners to nearly give up on their dreams of releasing their own music. That is, until they found a release from writing songs for the sake of playful creation. They found insatiable joy in their new songs; thus, their onstage Renaissance-era circus runaway personas, Haute & Freddy, were born.In an industry plagued by up-and-comers who feel they must evoke a certain gravitas to move up in the machine, it’s incredibly refreshing to see two artistes, at their core, bring a necessary whimsy back to the pop landscape. After years of melancholy piano ballads—which will always have a place in this writer’s heart—Haute & Freddy’s sonic universe isn’t afraid to be too loud or take up space.Joseph WasilewskiOf course, their colorful candor and commitment to the bit shouldn’t be mistaken for frivolity. The duo has always been devoted to their art, whether they were penning hits for pop powerhouses or building their ’80s-meets-18th-century fantasy on their debut album, Big Disgrace.Since then, famous fans like Hayley Kiyoko and Melanie Martinez, whom they recently supported on tour, have joined Haute & Freddy’s Royal Court. After debuting their latest track, “Touch Touch,” at Lollapalooza earlier this summer, they released it as their first song since dropping their album. The pair brought Cosmopolitan behind the scenes to their music video for the track and chatted all about their festival run, what happens when whimsy takes over, and how Lady Gaga recently came to them in a dream.Your Lollapalooza set was so electric, and I was incredibly impressed by you guys coming up with songs on the fly. How does it feel to bring Big Disgrace to bigger stages?Haute: It feels right, because it’s a big disgrace, baby! But it’s intimidating because we have to fill the emptiness on these big stages, space-wise. I really love having the painted cart facade because we want to take attention away from LED screens and bring that old theater vibe back. But I’m running around, and I can’t stop it. I always tell Lance (Freddy) I’m going to move less, or I’m going to pass out. On those bigger stages, it’s constant because I want it to feel like a small theater so bad.Freddy: We have a lot more space to run around. There’s a song after “Symphony for a Queen” where we do this theatrical heavy breathing, and that’s campy, but it’s also needed in the moment.Haute: My body’s like, “Oh, you’re finally breathing right. Thanks!”Joseph WasilewskiYou guys also debuted “Touch Touch” during Lolla, and now it’s finally out. The song is shameless about its escapism, which seems to be a throughline for your artistic identities. What inspired you to capture that feeling through this song in particular?H: “Touch Touch” was just the right sound that Freddy was playing with the right positioning of the stars. I was thrown into nights at Akbar when I heard it. It’s fun to surround yourself with strangers, not really knowing who you’re around, but feeling that sharedness. It’s healing to see everybody losing themselves in the music when you might have had a hard time getting out of your own way.F: There’s comfort in knowing other people are going through something similar to you, and if you are surrounded by that completely, you’re not alone. We’re sharing this human existence, and you can take a breath for a second with everybody.It’s healing to see everybody losing themselves in the music when you might have had a hard time getting out of your own way.— Michelle Buzz of Haute & FreddyIn those moments, it’s like “Get me out of here, but I’m one with myself.”H: Of course. I like the drama of just trying to exist.You’ve previously said that you guys were “kooky” people pretending to be normal before you became more playful in your creations. What’s been the biggest challenge of rejecting normalcy?F: If you reject normalcy, you have to adjust your mindset, like, “I have to be myself and not give a fuck about what anybody thinks,” because people are going to come at you like, “Oh, you're weird.” You have to go, "I don’t care at all. This is who I am.”H: By the time I made peace with myself, I was never confronted with that. It’s more that you think people will do that, and that’s what prevents you from being yourself. We moved out to L.A. when we were in our early 20s, so I was so desperate to prove everything. That is a vulnerable place for self-esteem to be, looking for guidance and validation.Joseph WasilewskiThere’s clearly a hunger for whimsy right now, and your music has become a really joyful outlet for it. Why do you think that is, and what do you think Haute & Freddy gives people permission to do?F: When situations were tense in my household, I would be silly to lighten the mood. I would take that to school, and I would be silly so other people could come out of their shells. It gives people permission to be themselves. When they see us being silly, they can be whoever they are.H: There’s much to life that feels like we’re in rigid systems. That can get frustrating and overwhelming, and right now, people are over the way things are done. Whimsy and improv are craved, but I really didn’t anticipate that at all. We allowed ourselves to fully exist, and people like that. It’s a huge dream come true to hear you say that’s the feeling you get from our music.It gives people permission to be themselves. When they see us being silly, they can be whoever they are.— Lance Shipp of Haute & FreddyI’m curious, because your personas are circus runaways who escaped to do things on their terms, and that seems like a beautiful allegory for how you both found this version of yourselves as artists. As Haute & Freddy evolves, how do you make sure you’re still giving yourselves the freedom to surprise yourselves?H: I know myself better at this stage in life, and I know what keeps me playful or when things are getting too busy. I’ll take a day off, drive two hours to a smaller town, and look around an antique shop, or go to the art supply store and buy brushes, even if I don’t know what I’m going to paint. I need those kinds of things that don't have a mission for my creativity to stay happy and healthy, or else it will feel like I have to instantly please people.F: Listening to each other and continuing to be open. I find the most surprises in trying things we don’t know will work, but we do it anyway. There’s a lot of beauty behind the I don’t know.Joseph WasilewskiWere there any artists, characters, or public figures on your moodboard while conceptualizing Haute & Freddy?H: When we started making music with “Scantily Clad,” I was finding my voice because I’d been singing differently for a while. As a songwriter, I was trying to sound like other people because that was how you got a song placed with a multitude of female artists.But when we took label meetings as Haute & Freddy, they would tell us, “Have you heard Siouxsie and the Banshees or Lene Lovich? You remind us of that.” I hadn’t, which is really embarrassing. I went down a rabbit hole of these amazing alt ’80s women, and I had only heard two Kate Bush songs at that time—shameful existence. They inspired me to go all the way.F: I wouldn’t say it’s embarrassing. It’s interesting that you channeled that without hearing those songs.H: That’s what I find really strange and magical.Speaking of other artists, you both have been incredibly vocal about what Lady Gaga’s support means to you after she posted “Shy Girl” on her birthday. H: I had a dream about her last night.F: I did, too!Joseph WasilewskiSay more!H: She came to me, and we were on a slide together talking about music at a water park. We were both on inner tubes, like, “Yeah, what if we did this with the bridge?”F: I don’t know if it was a couple of nights ago or last night, but she was sitting in a chair somewhere, and I happened to be there.Next thing you know, we’ll hear that you came to her in a dream, too. Have you guys stayed in touch with her or anyone else as this whirlwind continues?H: She’s been visiting me in dreams, and the last we heard of her was her flowing dress of “Freaks” and her beautiful speckling of comments.F: We’re bound to mother in the celestial fate.H: Two comments and two mentions, and we’re best friends.Photos by Joseph Wasilewski