Artist Development
January 7, 2026
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Photo by @shervinfoto
LA’s all-new jester duo, Haute and Freddy, burst onto the scene in the early Fall of 2024 like time travelers, dressed in frills and lace and setting a raucous medieval scene with their first single, “Scantily Clad,” released October 1st.
“The queen passed out in her balcony when I came out…”
The pair came out of the woodwork swinging wide, drawing eyes and like-minded fans almost immediately. Though the music video did not follow until two months later (taking place inside an old red theater, of course), the music speaks for itself, painting an image of partying and performing folks all clad scantily enough to make Oscar Wilde blush.
But beneath Haute and Freddy are seasoned LA-based songwriters Michelle Buzz and Lance Shipp. Originally from Texas and Michigan respectively, the pair spent years writing songs for other artists (including hits for stars like Britany Spears and Katy Perry) – so many songs, in fact, that they had nearly burnt themselves out of music entirely.
Almost ready to set music on the back burner, the pair instead turned inward, writing and playing music together with all pressures and expectations set aside – creating art they liked, art they had never explored before, and art they hadn’t the time to indulge in before.
In an interview with Spin Magazine, Buzz explains that this project was born, literally, from their collective fairytale.
“From the beginning we were really inspired by these old circus flyers, and this kind of fairytale we were putting together,” Buzz says. “Like okay, we were raised in the circus and we ran away because no one understood us and now we’re causing trouble…”
All those fun little hang-out sessions originally intended to relieve stress and serve as a creative outlet, birthed an entire world. Haute and Freddy are mere alter egos; outlets for expression and freedom.
Not even a month after stepping on stage, Haute and Freddy had begun gathering a small but mighty fanbase, lovingly named the Royal Court, fluent in Ye Olde English and middle-age debauchery. The pair had a clear image and aesthetic from the beginning; they know exactly who they are, and are working to create an environment that allows for everyone else to be exactly who they are too.
Releasing “Scantily Clad” as the first single was not a mere coincidence; it was intentional. It set a precedent, which was only fortified by the next single: “Anti-Superstar.”
“Save it for the next one, save it for the vein, I could care less if anybody else knows my name…”
2025 allowed Haute and Freddy to truly flourish, playing shows that grew in size and cleverly sewing anticipation across platforms for their next releases.
The pair released “Fashion Over Function” at the end of January, but it was not until mid-February that the duo would start truly gaining momentum – all because of this snippet of yet another unreleased track:
After a successful and magical Valentine’s Day performance (“A Runaway Carnie Valentine’s” at El Cid on Sunset Boulevard) came the “Shy Girl” campaign, leading to an exponential rise in listeners for the pair as the world latched onto the song’s whimsical introduction.
“Shy Girl,” more than any other track thus far, perfectly showcases the spectrum of Haute’s siren-voice, especially during the chorus when one voice of hers is layered over another, presenting two voices and two characters: one composed; the other, a wild thing.
Haute and Freddy released “Shy Girl” on April 25, carrying with it a fantastical music video featuring taxidermy creatures and a squiggly-browed Haute with a Mad Hatter look in her eye.
The song is the heart of this project, the reason it exists, the call to action. “Shy Girl” is a message from Haute and Freddy in the future, to Buzz and Lance in the past, insisting they must set themselves free.
Imagery of a white pigeon follows her throughout the video, and multiple times Haute is shown behind beautifully twisted bars of a cage. The video is full of depravity and strangeness, everyone in Baroque layers and corsets. There are bare-chested jesters, contortionists, ballerinas. There is dancing: line dancing, ballroom dancing, freestyle and outright violent shaking as every individual gives in to the call of the song:
“‘Cause it’s staring you in the eyes every night,
You wanna kiss it all goodbye, and just live your life
(Stop pretending you’re a) Shy, shy, shy girl
When you're gonna run the whole wide world…”
We already know how this story goes; Haute and Freddy have run away with the circus, shedding old, shy skin and stepping into truer versions of themselves. The end of the video, of course, features Haute releasing herself from behind bars and running off into the dark with Freddy.
The video has a lovely stream of end credits too, giving direct love to all involved.
Despite just arriving on the scene a little over a year ago, Haute and Freddy’s musical talent and creative endeavors cannot be understated. Their influences are wide yet clear: chameleon David Bowie, shameless Freddie Mercury, whimsical Kate Bush. Their years of experience are skillfully woven through every drum beat, every catchy chorus, every explosive bridge.
And despite being in the game before Haute and Freddy were born, there is no evidence of who they used to write for in this new project; it is entirely new and entirely their own.
“Shy Girl” changed everything, and the release of other popular singles like “Sophie” and “Freaks” has only further solidified their reputation.
The rest of 2025 was full of successes for the new duo: from playing festivals such as Electric Forest, Austin City Limits, Portola, and Corona Capital and kicking off their first ever headlining tour, The Tiny Grand Tour. The pair have featured in magazines ranging from Rolling Stone, TMRW, and Flood Magazine.
Sitting at the doorstep of 2026, Haute and Freddy have over 240k monthly listeners on Spotify – with no full album even released yet, but absolutely on the way.
“Shall it be a song of merriment? A song of rebellion? A song for birds freshly out of cages? A song for post-shy girls?”
The pair will be releasing yet another single on January 9, titled “Dance The Pain Away.” As a mere writer and enjoyer of music, I can’t guarantee an album in the first half of 2026, but I can surely speculate. Haute and Freddy are a pair to keep your eyes on.
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