Kamerra Franklin (born June 7, 1987), known professionally as Kam Franklin, is an American singer-songwriter, performance artist, activist, writer and orator. She is the known as the lead singer for the Houston

Soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

group,

The Suffers The Suffers are an American soul, funk, and R&B group from Houston, Texas. The band consists of Kam Franklin (lead vocals), Juliet Terrill (bass guitar), Kevin Bernier (guitar), Jon Durbin (trumpet), Michael Razo (trombone), Jose Luna (percus ...

. She began her career as a backing vocalist and dancer, and has toured with

Jim James James Edward Olliges Jr. (born April 27, 1978), professionally known as Jim James or Yim Yames, is an American vocalist, guitarist, producer, and primary songwriter of the rock band My Morning Jacket. He has also released several solo albums. ...

and the Very Best.

Background

Franklin is known for her soulful

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

vocals, as well as her collaborations with artists of many different genres, including Houston rappers

Z-Ro Joseph Wayne McVey IV (born January 19, 1977), better known by his stage names Z-Ro and the Mo City Don, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He was named one of America's most underrated rappers by ''The New York Times'' in 2007. Early li ...

and

Fat Tony (rapper) Anthony Lawson Jude Ifeanyichukwu Obiawunaotu or Anthony Lawson Obi (born March 24, 1988), better known by his stage name Fat Tony, is a Nigerian-American rapper. He has been recognized in '' URB''s "Next 1000", a list of emerging new artists a ...

, Americana-rocker Matthew Logan Vasquez of Delta Spirit , and famed drummer

Chris Tsagakis Christopher Tsagakis (born July 27, 1979) is one of the founding members and current drummer for the band Rx Bandits. He is also a member of The Sound of Animals Fighting, with former bandmate Rich Balling, and has an electronic side project ent ...

RX Bandits Rx Bandits are an American four-piece band based in Seal Beach, California, United States. The band formed in 1995 in Orange County, California. They have appeared on the Vans Warped Tour, at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valle ...

and The Sound of Animals Fighting.

Career

2008–2017: Background career

Franklin was nominated for the 2008, 2009, and 2011 Houston Press Music Award for Best Female Vocalist. Franklin finally won the award in 2012, and again in 2014. Her band, The Suffers, took home The 2012 Houston Press music award for "Best New Act" and Best

Reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

Ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

/ Dub. Franklin won 2014 and 2015 Houston Press Music Award for Local Musician of the Year. Franklin was featured in a national advertising campaign for ModCloth and has been featured in a

BuzzFeed BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. Ken ...

article on fashion for plus-sized women. Franklin was in Houston when

Hurricane Harvey Hurricane Harvey was a devastating Category 4 hurricane that made landfall on Texas and Louisiana in August 2017, causing catastrophic flooding and more than 100 deaths. It is tied with 2005's Hurricane Katrina as the costliest t ...

hit in 2017 and gave an account of it to the Texas Monthly newspaper.

Influences

Her primary musical influences are drawn from

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

, and reggae music.

Appearances

On August 28, 2016, she performed lead vocals on "

I Against I ''I Against I'' is the third studio album by the American rock band Bad Brains. It was released on November 21, 1986 through SST Records with the catalog number SST 065. The best-selling album in the band's catalog, ''I Against I'' finds the b ...

" during the 2016

Afropunk Afro-punk (sometimes spelled Afro-Punk, Afropunk or AfroPunk) refers to the participation of African Americans and other Black people in punk and alternative subcultures, especially in the United States. History The term originated from the 200 ...

Festival Power Jam alongside Bad Brains,

Living Colour Living Colour is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. The band currently consists of guitarist Vernon Reid, lead vocalist Corey Glover, drummer Will Calhoun and bassist Doug Wimbish (who replaced Muzz Skillings in 1992). S ...

, and Fishbone. She has performed with the Suffers on the

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...

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and

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...

. She sang the

National Anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...

before a

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

game at

Minute Maid Park Minute Maid Park is a retractable roof stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. It opened in 2000 as the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Houston Astros. It has a seating capacity of 41,168, which includes 5,197 club seats and 63 ...

in August 2017.

Critical reception

Franklin is often praised for her "massive voice". The

Edmonton Journal The ''Edmonton Journal'' is a daily newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta. It is part of the Postmedia Network. History The ''Journal'' was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunningham — as ...

applauded her "vibrant grooves and emphatic vocal declarations", while ''303 Magazine'' referred to her "highly personal style". The Seattle Weekly called her "the epitome of a powerhouse vocalist". The Idaho Statesman called her the band's "powerhouse singer". JamBase said that Franklin and her band had become " WXPN Fan darlings". Jewelry designer Jessie Dugan said that Franklin is the "contemporary vision of rockstar royalty in a world where women reign".

Houston Public Media KUHT (channel 8) is a PBS member television station in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Owned by the University of Houston System, it is sister station, sister to NPR member station KUHF (88.7 FM). The two stations share studios and offic ...

stated that "the Suffers are fantastic, and everybody wants lead singer Kam Franklin to be their big sis/best friend". The Houstonia magazine called her a "burgeoning Houston style icon" with "engaging, high-energy style". CultureMap.com said "While rocketing to fame, Franklin has become the band's style icon by pairing colorful dresses with hip cowboy boots and funky jewelry". In a live concert review, the Houston Press said "The crowd roared with Franklin extra wispy, almost ready to let her arms and joints do all the talking for her". Describing a duet with Clay Melton, Broadway World said: "Kam's soulful, sexy tones embellish the more raspy masculine voice of Clay Melton and together they lay down a track that begs a closer listen." The New Orleans' Times-Picayune said "Singer Kam Franklin has enough soul to melt away the decades between the band's source material and today." The

San Diego Reader The ''San Diego Reader'' is an alternative press newspaper in the county of San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a ...

talked about her "sonic gravity". The

Austin American-Statesman The ''Austin American-Statesman'' is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is owned by Gannett. The paper prints Associated Press, ''New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', and ''Los Angeles Times'' internation ...

wrote: ''"Houston’s diversity and internationalism is reflected in my favorite H-Town bands. The Suffers, fronted by vocal powerhouse Kam Franklin, blend reggae, Mexican influences and hints of bayou Cajun sounds into a mix they call Gulf Coast soul. Khruangbin mixes surf pop and psychedelic sounds with Thai funk of the 1960s."''

Discography

Solo Studio albums

*(2008) – Bamitskam (EP) *(2018) – Nu Metals (EP)

The Suffers

*(2013) "Slow it Down" b/w "Step Aside" (single) *(2014) "Make Some Room" (EP) *(2016) ''The Suffers'' (album) *(2018) "Everything Here" (album)

Other appearances

*2009 – Nick Gaitan and The Umbrella Man – Self Titled *2010 – RABDARGAB –

("Not Now") *2010 – Horse shoes and Hand Grenades – Nosaprise *2011 – SCREWDARGAB Chopped-Up, Not Slopped Up by OG RON C –

("Not Now") *2011 – Disaster –

*2011 – Revelator – Sideshow Tramps ("Revelator") *2012 – 24KT GOLD – DIRTY AND NASTY Featuring Hollywood Floss *2016 – Tomorrow Never Comes – Funk in the Trunk Featuring Neko *2017 – Matthew Logan Vasquez – "Same" *2017 - "Once Upon A Time" - with Scarface (rapper) and Starlito *2018 –

Z-ro Joseph Wayne McVey IV (born January 19, 1977), better known by his stage names Z-Ro and the Mo City Don, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He was named one of America's most underrated rappers by ''The New York Times'' in 2007. Early li ...

– "Hi Hater" *2018 – La Mafia – "Enamorada" *2021 - Har Mar Superstar - "Another Century"

Filmography

Award references

References

External links

Kam Franklin Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, Kam 1987 births American mezzo-sopranos Songwriters from Texas Southern hip hop musicians Texas Southern University alumni Living people 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers