If anyone understands the mother’s plight, it’s comedian and viral internet sensation Farideh (sounds like “fair-a-day”). Farideh has cemented herself as a musical comedian to watch, crafting catchy, humorous tunes that all moms can relate to. After spending almost a decade with Rosie & the Riveters, a band she founded, Farideh pivoted to musical comedy. Her song “Such a Good Dad” went viral in December 2022.
Recently, I had the privilege of chatting with Farideh about her debut musical comedy album, The Motherload, what listeners can expect, her musical inspirations and more.
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This interview is condensed for length and clarity.
Melody McCune: Let’s get started. We at GGA love a good origin story. What’s your origin story? How did you get into comedy and music?
Farideh: I grew up in a musical family. My dad was a musician. That was always my dream — to be a musician. And I did that for 20 years. But then I had my daughter. I came to a place where I was nearing 40 and was like, “The music industry is difficult. It’s very youth-oriented.” I didn’t want to leave my kid on the road anymore; I felt I was missing out on her life.
So, I left the band I had been in for nearly a decade and was ready to begin anew. Then, two weeks later, COVID-19 started, and suddenly, I was single-parenting at home. The only thing I could think of was to do what I did onstage: crack jokes and make people laugh (and cry, too). I thought, “Well, I’m going to try doing that on social media.”

I started making videos online, and it was going well, but it wasn’t great. After two years, I was frustrated. It didn’t even occur to me to write funny songs. I took a class out of LA. It was online, and I realized the people doing well in the class were bringing in their acting experience and impressions. And I was leaving my music at the door. I didn’t think that that was something people wanted.
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When you walk away from something you love, and you walk away from a career, you’re not ready. You’re like, “Okay, this is the end of my dream.” Everything changed once I started putting comedy and music together, especially when I started writing about motherhood.
In the class, they told me to write about being a parent. At first, I was resistant because, as a musician, you’re told not to write about parenting. But once I did, I realized I had so much to say, and that’s how we got here. Now, I’m writing about motherhood every day.
MM: Let’s talk about your album, The Motherload. What was the inspiration for writing it?
Farideh: I was thinking about what’s difficult about motherhood. What’s annoying about motherhood? It seemed like women were excited to hear someone say out loud the feelings they had and that they weren’t the only ones feeling this way.
A lot of mothers are at home taking care of their kids. Maybe they talk to a few friends, but they’re not seeing movies representing them that much. They’re not hearing that many songs.
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So, I wanted a place where I could put all of these because it felt like a body of work. It felt like not just singles, but it told the story of a mom’s rage and frustration, whether at her husband, with the expectations around her body or that her daughter doesn’t want to eat anymore. She only wants to eat chicken nuggets for six weeks straight. Those kind of things. These are all the things that weigh heavily on a mom’s shoulder.
MM: What can fans expect when they listen to the album?
Farideh: They can expect to laugh at their life — to find the humor, frustration and the challenges [of motherhood]. I have so many people who, when they hear the songs, they say, “I feel seen.” I hope people listen to insights they haven’t heard of regarding what mothers go through and their challenges. Then, for the mothers who listen, I hope they feel that somebody saw them and that they’re not alone.

MM: Do you have a favorite track?
Farideh: I have a song called “Make a List,” but I haven’t made a video for it. It’s a pretty fun song to sing and perform. It is inspired by people’s advice when tackling the division of labor in a home. Just make him a list. But actually, that’s not that helpful.
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MM: Describe The Motherload using three words.
Farideh: Fun. Screaming. Sick beat. (We’ll count that last one as one word.)
MM: Do you have any musical influences as an artist? And will listeners hear those in the album?
Farideh: I was a folk musician. Growing up, my dad played in a bluegrass band, so that’s where most of my musical repertoire is. You’ll hear that in a lot of the guitar and vocal songs.
I really pushed myself; I was listening to musical comedy artists like The Lonely Island or Bo Burnham and how they were experimenting with other genres. I enjoyed leaping outside my usual background to try metal, pop music and hip-hop. You’ll see those folks and the other bits as I’m stretching and having fun.
MM: Do you have a specific songwriting process?
Farideh: When I wrote songs, it was about sitting down and writing for my feelings. So, writing comedy is very different than writing comedy songs or regular songs. Completely different experience. A lot of times, I’m coming in with an idea.
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So, I’m thinking, “Okay, I’ll ask my audience what songs they want to hear.” And they’re like, “Please write about laundry. I don’t like laundry. I need a song for my hatred of laundry.” Then, I ask my Instagram followers, “What specifically do you hate about laundry?” It’s like I’m co-writing by asking my Instagram followers, and they’re DMing me, which is a different way of songwriting than I’ve ever done.
Then, I’m approaching the song with an idea. I play guitar or listen to a beat rhythm and see what happens in that part. You leap with your inspiration and hope something comes out. Sometimes, you fall on your face, and the song doesn’t quite work. However, other times, it works out. You’re lucky, and you feel great about the song you wrote.
MM: What do you hope moms take away from this album?
Farideh: I hope they come away with words for feelings they didn’t know they had. Some therapists will message me and tell me that my song was brought to a therapy session that day. To me, that feels like a career highlight.
The songs about marriage, I know a lot of women are sending it to their partners and being like, “This is how I feel.” That feels like winning. It feels exciting if people find words and can take action and describe what’s going on. Therefore, that hope leads to a better relationship with themselves and a better relationship with their partners.
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MM: Where can folks listen to The Motherload?
Farideh: They can listen anywhere on TV platforms. So, Spotify, Apple, Amazon, etc. They can also follow me on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or Facebook. Then, they can watch the videos that go along with those songs.
MM: What else is on the horizon for you?
Farideh: I’m hoping to develop a live show and tour at some point. I just feel like putting some moms in a room together. Then, I’m looking at live performances for comedy festivals and television. Discovering how to take this off social media and into other formats is exciting.
MM: Farideh, thank you so much for chatting with me!
Farideh: Thank you, Melody!
The Motherload releases on Tuesday, October 24, 2023. Learn more about Farideh here.
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