The Suffers – It Starts With Love

By starrymag | August 27, 2023

By: Alejandra Gil M.

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) We call our sound Gulf Coast Soul. It is a blend of our personal influences and the sounds of Houston, TX.  We blend traditional soul, jazz, reggae, funk, rock n’ roll and everything in between.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) My influences are all over the place, and I feel like they’re constantly expanding. Some of earliest influences include Prince, Tina Turner,  Luther Vandross, Erykah Badu, Yolanda Adams, Destiny’s Child, Portishead, and Dolly Parton. Some of my more recent influences include Little Dragon, Raury, Grizzly Bear, SZA, Allison Russell, Joy Oladokun, Noname, Summer Walker and Emily King.

 

Q) Your Deluxe Edition of  It Starts With Love is out now. What was the songwriting process like? Do you need music before you can come up with the lyrics?

 

A) It was a long one. We recorded a large part of the album during the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020 and 2021. We did some recording as a full band shortly before the pandemic started, but we finished it remotely, with some songs being recorded part by party over the span of a few weeks. When we finally finished recording, we reached out to our friend Adrian Quesada (Black Pumas/Electric Deluxe/ Prince) to wrap up the mixing process. 

I don’t need music before I come up with the lyrics. Sometimes the lyrics show up before the music. Sometimes we get help from a collaborator. On this last album our co-writer list included many people we’ve dreamed about working with like Diane Warren, Son Little, Jackie Venson, Brycethethird, Sugar Joiko, The Vapor Caves,  Moorea Masa and Steve Watkins.

 

Q) Arriving almost exactly one year after the original’s release, the new deluxe edition features two remixes and three newly recorded live performances, including the infectious “Be You (The Vapor Caves Remix),” which was also released with an official video. How involved were you in the concept behind it?

 

A) The concept of the deluxe album was a group effort alongside our management team and label partner at Missing Piece. This is our first deluxe, and they really helped us bring the vision to  life. The “Be You” remix music  video was directed by me, and it features some of our favorite dancers from all over the world.

 

Q) There are twenty tracks here including “Don’t Bother Me,” “Take Me to The Good Times,” “808,” “Call Someone Else”and, a personal favorite, “Could This Be Love.” Do you have a personal favorite track from this album?

 

A) My answer changes from day to day, but my answer, right now, is “Take Me To The Good Times.” I have vacation on my mind, so that song is ringing true right now.

 

Q) Was there a song that was more emotional for you to record or maybe challenging for you in some way?

 

A) “How Do We Heal,” “Nunya,” and “I’m Not Afraid” were all hard to finish because of the emotional toll they took on me.  “How Do We Heal” centered around the discussion of so many black people being murdered by the police. The other two dealt with self-doubt and overcoming the hurdles of the music industry. I grew up a lot making this album, and I’m grateful for every part of the creative process.

 

Q) You are big fans of The Vapor Caves. Since they specialize in a style of electro-funk and dance music and you both are inspired by the sounds and percussive instruments heard in a lot of South America, what was it like for you to work with them on the song “Be You?”

 

A) It was a dream. They are so talented, and we love their approach to creating music. I went to Austin in 2019 to workshop some ideas for the band with them, and “Be You” is one of the songs that naturally came together. We wrote it in an afternoon, and the band knocked it out of the park a few weeks later when we recorded it with Matt Pence.

 

Q) It Starts With Love (Deluxe) takes listeners on an unforgettable journey of empowerment. What do you hope people take away from it?

 

A) We hope that they finish the album knowing that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. To the artists that listen, we hope they are reminded that there is space in the industry for them. It’s hard out here, and we want to do our part to encourage the next generation of creators.

 

Q) It Starts With Love was featured by NPR Music Critic Ann Powers on her Top Albums of 2022 year-end list and received widespread acclaim from NPR’s All Things Considered, SPIN, Entertainment Tonight, Consequence, BrooklynVegan, NPR Music, The Bluegrass Situation and more. Rolling Stone included you all in their June print issue. What does it mean to be getting more and more recognition of your music?

 

A) We are grateful for all the love, and we appreciate the writers that took time to cover our new album in the press. There are tons of albums they could have chosen, but they picked us, and we are grateful for that.

 

Q) You will be going on tour through Houston, Mount Solon, New York, Ardmore and Westport. Which song(s) do you still enjoy playing live?

 

A) All of them. We don’t take any of this for granted, and we appreciate every opportunity to share our music with the world. We play songs from all three of our albums, but we try to mix it up with every tour.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) I would love to collaborate with Mon Laferte, Brittany Howard or Little Dragon.

 

Q) What musician/artist are you currently listening to and why do you like it?

 

A) I’m listening to a lot of Unknown Mortal Orchestra right now. Their tones, voices and arrangements are so beautiful. 

 

Q) What would you like to say to fans and supporters of you and your music?

 

A) Thank you for listening, and thank you for continuing to support us. It’s been twelve years of hard work, and we couldn’t do any of this without them.

 

 

 

All Questions Answered By Frontwoman Kam Franklin