HAUTE & FREDDY (& ME)
HAUTE & FREDDY (& ME)
You know this all far better than me, so I’ll hit the highlights.
Being an artist in 2026 is a lot like being a brand. People don’t simply release music. They create a moment or an era. In other words, a 360 campaign.
There’s ample evidence that fans want to be engaged. They love mystery. They love participating.
An obvious example is Charli xcx‘s “brat” album. It transcended a traditional release and became it’s own season, infiltrating fashion and even politics.
On a smaller scale, Lady Gaga teased the release of “Disease” by capitalizing each of those letters in some of her existing tracks on Spotify. Fans noticed immediately and rushed to solve the puzzle.
Coachella billboards leading up to the festival have become an unofficial marketing contest.
I’ll confess, I never made it past high school band, so I am hardly a musician. But suddenly your world and mine aren’t just merely intersecting. They are overlapping.
But you already know all of that. Not simply because you’re polished pros with years of industry experience. Because you’re already doing it to great success.
Here are some of the things that impress me the most (in no particular order):
The Haute & Freddy Identity. I love their origin story. And I love all of the looks and visuals that accompany who they are. Not only is it identifiable, it’s such fertile territory to build on (see next point).
The Royal Court. Every fanbase cherishes being named by their favorite artist. And the Royal Court has all of the whimsy of the Haute & Freddy brand. You’re making us feel like we’re part of the journey.
The Dress Codes. You’ve taken the behavior of dressing up for concerts and given people permission to embrace it without inhibition. We feel united. We feel included in the performance. And there’s built-in buzz about “what your night’s dress code was,” much like the kind of chatter you’d get around what “surprise song” a performer sang.
“Carrie.” I had the pleasure of seeing “Carrie” at TIFF. Naturally, I immediately recognized your music. But more importantly, I smiled at the genius of your worlds colliding. I can’t think of many iconic character who would be a better fit for a song like “Shy Girl.” And it’s an unbelievable platform to introduce future fans to these tracks.
Clown Inclusion. There’s a simple brilliance to choosing clowns to be your opening act. It’s unexpected. It’s very ownable to your brand. And it immediately tells us so much about the headliners to come.
Restating the“BIG DISCLAIMER” above. Not exhaustive. Purely speculative. But hopefully enough to pique your interest.
Lords & Ladies. You’ve dubbed your fans “the Royal Court.” It’s only right you take the next step and make it “official.” Scottish law states that any landowners in the country should be referred to as “lord” or “lady.” So the next time you release an album, you could give fans a 1 sq ft plot of Scottish land along with their purchase of their record——making them a lord or lady. (Partnering with people already selling the land would be easiest).
Following Sophie. Promoting this track presents such a simple (and completely free) opportunity. Unfollow anyone not named “Sophie” from the Haute & Freddy Instagram account, then begin to follow fans named “Sophie” and only “Sophie.” People will absolutely start to speculate.
Virtually in Versailles. The Palace of Versailles receives almost 10 million visitors each year. And we could (digitally) introduce them all to “Fields of Versailles.” You could create a business within Google Maps and pin it alongside the other cafes in an around the palace. When someone clicks on the pin, they can easily be linked to the track.
Analog Only Release. Keeping with your “Anti-Superstar” spirit, you could release your next single only in a (relatively) retired format, like a cassette. Alternatively, you could make orders for the new album only available through fax machine. The small challenge for fans to get their hands on it could prove to be a fun hunt with a lot of talk value.
Burger King. Yes, they’re my former clients. But the fit is obvious. A collab with the King makes perfect sense with the Haute & Freddy “Royal Court.” But there’s something equally fun about unofficially using it as a backdrop for a photoshoot. People have used Taco Bell in much the same way for years.
Clown School Scholarships. People may clown on clown school, But Haute & Freddy would surely usher in the new era of clowns. So why not give out a scholarship or two to “The Clown School” in Los Angeles? Or you could attending yourselves, capturing a bit of fun social content for fans to see your committment to the craft.
Clown Emoji. Sometimes you have to insert yourself into a conversation, even if you aren’t the subject of it. Turn the clown emoji 🤡 into your excuse to pop in. You can code a Haute & Freddy Bot that responds to posts on X using that emoji with a link to your music.
Animated Origins. The Haute & Freddy backstory is worth telling in more detail. Partner with an animater to create 2-min segments of their misadventures, similar to Bleacher Report’s weekly “Gridiron Heights.”
Film Noir. A simple way to spark curiosity would be to archive all of your Instagram posts, then re-upload them all in greyscale. You can take it to the next level by debuting the music video at an indie theater (like the IFC in NYC) or by doing a pop-up drive-in. Even cooler would be to partner with one of the few iconic American Noir actresses still with us, like Jacqueline White or Lee Grant.
Hot-N-Ready. Little Caeser’s is known for two things: audacious advertising and their Hot-N-Ready pizza. Which feels like the perfect opportunity for a partnership. Enter the Haute-N-Freddy pizza, with you both behind the counter at Little Caesar’s creating some unexpected moments to share on social.
Doctor’s Note. Going to a Haute & Freddy show is also medicinal——because we’re going to “Dance The Pain Away.” By that logic, fans should also be able to get a doctor’s note, should they miss work to attend your concert. So you could always “make one” (in a very tongue-in-cheek way) so any fan can send it to their manager.
Medieval Times. Gen Z are showing up to dine there in droves and posts from their nights out are going (dare I say the word) viral. Performing a “One Night Only” spectacular alongside jousters in that venue would be very audacious and on brand.
The Royal Court of Thorns and Roses. There is possibly no bigger TikTok topic than “romantasy fiction,” particularly the “ACOTAR” series. The novels feature “courts” from different realms, which seems like the ideal moment to leverage your court—the royal court. Two new highly anticipated books are being released on October 27 and January 12. Create a bespoke playlist to accompany their reading, and you could get interest for a passionate fanbase.
Watching y’all ride a rocketship to Mars is a treat, both as a fan of your music and as someone who has immense respect for the brand you’re building.
And that’s really what it is. Your authenticity. Your artistry. That’s what makes people show up.
I’ve spent a decade selling consumer goods, from Budweiser and Coors Light to Tinder and Goldfish. It would be an absolute thrill——truly a career pinnacle——to bring that knowledge to a “brand” like Haute & Freddy.
Candidly, I don’t know exactly what form that takes. This doesn’t seem like the kind of work you apply for on LinkedIn. But I’d be over-the-moon to talk about it more, now or in the future.