For over ten years, Freida Nipples has entertained audiences by mixing clever concepts, fun fashion and strong stage presence, most recently with her ingenious Chocolate Orange costume which went viral on social media. Within her first year of performing she won Best Newcomer at Berlin Burlesque Week, and went on to headline at shows across Europe. Freida also produces shows regularly in her hometown of York, UK.
Here’s her 21.
1. How would you define yourself in three words?
Playful, creative, fun-loving.
2. Who would play you in a movie about your life?
Lord Farquad in drag.
3. What is your biggest strength?
Serving face and audience engagement. I have spent a lot of my life feeling a bit of an outsider, so to be able to pull people in with a wink and a smile, and nonverbally say ‘I see you – you’re good here’, is a really nice feeling.
4. What is your biggest weakness?
It’s cliché, but definitely overthinking.
5. When are you most happy and inspired?
When I’ve had a mix of lovely stage moments with showpals and nourishing experiences off stage with loved ones. That’s when the equilibrium is balanced and my brain feels settled and ready to go!
6. What is your favourite on-screen burlesque moment from film or TV?
It’s not necessarily Burlesque, but I love the Two Little Girls From Little Rock number in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes so much; the energy, costumes and lyrics would definitely fit the bill at a show.
7. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
I guess I didn’t directly receive it, but I always come back to ‘Have faith in your own bad taste’ – John Waters.
8. If you could switch lives with one person for a day, who would it be?
I would love to experience being able to dance incredibly well and how it feels to express yourself like that – I always think ballerinas or Latin and ballroom dancers look like they are moving the closest thing to flying. I would pirouette and leap everywhere for the day, preferably with four metres of chiffon behind me (à la Singing in the Rain).
9. What’s the biggest myth or misconception about burlesque?
Maybe not the biggest, but the misconception that all acts are Burlesque the movie vibes: corset, stockings and feathers. People don’t realise many of us are out here doing bizarre things like stripping as a giant chocolate orange or spinning loofas off our tits. I wish people knew the breadth and scope of creativity that this artform contains.
10. If you could only perform to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Cliché again but I would say Highway to Hell by AC/DC. I use it for my nun act at the moment, but it would work for classic and a lot of other Neo stories. Something about the pacing of the track and the way it connects to audiences is electric.
11. What surprisingly useful things do you have in your show case?
Safety pins forever! I doubt that’s very surprising, though. However I will take this moment to say if you are a showperson who hasn’t tried the 24 hour Maybelline lip stain then please just thank me later. If I could be on commission for that lipstick I would be a millionaire. Oh and it won’t come off on your gloves!
12. Do you have a backstage ritual?
Not really, beyond having a little stretch and always applying more blusher because more is more, and listening to my track. I love to spritz some perfume and say a few encouraging words to myself – just the usual really!
13. What advice would you give to new performers starting out today?
It’s cheesy but you really can’t compare your journey to another person’s as we all have such different starting points. I had never had any dance or theatre training when I started except for the burlesque classes I took, and I had no real idea how to express myself in the way I wanted on stage. It took me a lot of trial and error to get to where I am now. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, or rhinestones and feathers perhaps, but totally worth it in the end.
14. What is your proudest achievement?
Helping to create a ‘scene’ in my hometown. Looking around the room at an event I’ve produced seeing people enjoying themselves. Also creating acts that I love – it took me a really long time to find my voice and I had to make a lot of acts that I wasn’t proud of before getting to this point. I really relate to the Miles Davis quote ‘Sometimes it takes you a long time to sound like yourself’, and I am so enjoying having found my voice after such a long journey finding it!
15. What is your biggest regret?
Not learning how to sew!
16. What is the biggest challenge facing today’s burlesque scene?
Cost of Living. Not only for people being able to buy tickets but also the expense of costumes now versus when I started. My burly group chat were just this morning discussing the cost of feathers now – it is really wild. As well as people being able to afford workshops and venues being able to afford to take the risk on unique events.
17. If you could go back and tell yourself one thing when you started out in burlesque, what would it be?
Trust your taste and don’t try to fit in. Don’t do stuff because it’s ‘burlesque’ and you’re trying to do that – do your taste, and because you’re doing burlesque it will automatically become that!
18. What is a cause or issue that’s very important to you?
As a producer, it’s really important to me to treat artists as fairly as possible as well as ensuring show audiences get treated with respect. This, to me, includes making the line up interesting and diverse in so many different ways, so that both performers and attendees have the best experience possible and the artform continues to grow and get better. I absolutely don’t always get it right, but I try to keep learning and stay engaged with conversations around what I can be doing to improve my shows for everyone. It’s definitely a big responsibility producing shows and one I don’t take lightly!
19. What are you currently reading, watching, and listening to?
I have just got back into reading this year and am loving it so much! I bought a book recently that is literally just called Slags purely based on the title – I have no clue what the story is but I had to buy it. As Autumn draws in I am about to dive into The Sopranos for the second time, and I’m rediscovering my love of 50s jazz and big band standards.
20. If you could share a dressing room with one performer for the rest of your career, who would it be?
Lady Wildflower – the person who taught me it all! She really is an icon in the UK scene and it’s for a good reason. On top of being a fountain of knowledge on Burlesque, she’s funny, kind and supportive. And she takes amazing photos – what more do you want from a backstage pal?!
21. What would you like your life and career to look like in 10 years time?
Just to be happy! I never really think that far ahead. I’d love to be doing performances in different and exciting venues and have some new gag-worthy costumes that make me feel like a superstar putting them on. But thinking that far ahead makes me feel a bit dizzy; you never know what’s around the corner!
Follow Frieda Nipples on Instagram.