Musician and comedian, Farideh (sounds like fair-a-day), brings a unique perspective to the stage with her relatable and humorous take on parenting, motherhood, and introversion. With a background as a musician who toured internationally and received many awards, Farideh has gained a reputation for crafting catchy tunes and delivering high-energy performances. In December 2022, her song Such a Good Dad went viral, generating over 10 million views in just three weeks and solidifying her status as a rising star in the digital creator community. In addition to her music career, Farideh is known for her personal storytelling and engaging
videos that make audiences laugh, nod along in recognition, and even shed a tear.
Farideh has just released her debut musical comedy album The Motherload. From gender inequality in the home to toddler meltdowns and mom-bod anthems, the album promises to continue and strike a chord with parents everywhere. The Motherload features 16 tracks focusing on motherhood and span multiple genres – from metal, hip-hop, and pop to singer-songwriter. We had the pleasure to discuss the project with her.
Farideh, thank you for agreeing to catch up with Occhi Magazine. Congratulations on your career to date. Who were your early influencers and how have they shaped your career in stand-up?
I come from a family of storytellers and joke-tellers. Every Sunday night my extended family would gather at my maternal grandmother’s house. She’d serve her famous burnt chicken (she wasn’t a great cook) and I would hear uncles and older cousins tell half-true stories about their week. I always looked forward to these evenings of laughter. My dad was a musician, so I also had a chance to go to his shows and rehearsals. Many of the groups he played with had elements of humor in their songs and musicality. So, I’ve always seen humor and music as two counterpoints that are important in a musician’s arsenal.
With a successful background as a musician who has toured internationally, you’re comfortable on stage. How does preparing for a comedy gig compare to touring as part of a band?
This last year of my creative life has been about learning the craft of comedy. It’s been a delight to learn where music and comedy are the same and where they are totally different. Comedy and music are both about telling the truth. Comedians will set up pain and relieve it very quickly with a joke, whereas a musician will set up pain and then make you feel that pain for 3 minutes and 30 seconds.
You’re performing with a band, even if the show is bad – you’re in it together. You can look at your bandmate and share a moment of “this is hell, but at least I’m in hell with you”. If you’re doing a bad show and you’re by yourself, it’s just you up there.
With a band, there is more gear, and the show is much longer. I used to load in at 3:30, do a 45min sound check then play 2-45min sets every night. Now I show up with a guitar, I walk on stage, and perform for 7 minutes. It’s beautiful.
As a songwriter, you were told to never write songs about motherhood. However, as time has shown, this has proven to be material for your successful career as a comedian. Can you tell us more about this conversation, your response, and your current view?
When I was early in my songwriting career, I had mentors tell me to “never write songs about motherhood or make it sound like you’re a mother”. This is because motherhood is not attractive. You need to be perceived as available. At the time I wanted to be successful, so I took that note and internalized it, never questioning the inherent misogyny. I was young, so I also thought motherhood was uncool and unattractive. I didn’t question it until a comedy mentor suggested I write about parenting.
Now, I see this large hole in the music, movies, and stories of our time. I see mothers missing from the stories we tell as a society. We’re in a unique time where we can tell the untold stories of motherhood because content is being created and distributed through social media and I find that so exciting.
As a comedian, have you experienced an unresponsive audience and, if so, what did you do to resolve the situation?
I once hired a major performance coach who worked with the likes of artists like Taylor Swift. He told me “No matter what, at least 3% of your audience will not like you”. That wisdom has freed me from thinking that all shows need to be incredible and that everyone needs to like me.
There are going to be warm and cold audiences. Some nights you have to work harder for the laugh because it’s Tuesday and the crowd is tired. I’ve shown up to a show and it’s in a metal club, full of long-haired men in black leather. Since mostly moms like my stuff – I know my work is going to be a harder sell. In this case, I just be myself and do my strongest material. People respect authenticity so if you show up as yourself, even if you aren’t their thing, they’ll still appreciate seeing someone be real.
We’re excited about The Motherload. It features 16 tracks focusing on motherhood and spans multiple genres – from metal, hip-hop, and pop to singer-songwriter. Can you tell us more about the origins of the project and your source of material?
When my song “You are such a good dad” when viral in Dec 2022, it was clear to me that I needed to develop a body of work about contemporary motherhood. I drew upon the inspiration of my own life, my friend’s life and I also asked my Instagram followers what they’d like to hear songs about.
When I’d get stuck on a song, I would ask my Instagram audience for their input on lyrics and themes. I got to learn so much from my audience about what was making them angry, upset, tired, or sad.
What other projects are in the pipeline?
In the new year, I’ll be working on a longer show that I can tour. I’m looking forward to meeting my audience in person and creating that one-of-a-kind event just for moms. I will continue making videos for social media and writing songs.
Where can our readers find out more about you?
https://www.ilovefarideh.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ilovefarideh
https://www.instagram.com/ilovefarideh/
https://www.tiktok.com/@ilovefarideh
https://www.youtube.com/@ilovefarideh
Photography by Crystal Skrupski of Joi Photography
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