Kam Franklin – Land Of The Neon Sun
Today, The Suffers frontwoman Kam Franklin has announced her debut solo album Land of the Neon Sun, due out August 28.
Co-produced by Franklin with Margo Price and featuring collaborations with Kevin Morby and Jackie Venson, Land of the Neon Sun is a 12-song joyride that embraces experimentation, individuality and vulnerability. Along with the news, Franklin shares her new single “I Got a Lover,” which unapologetically celebrates the freedom of surrendering to love and desire.
Franklin on “I Got a Lover”: “This is a song about falling in love (or lust) fast and hard. It’s not for everyone, but I definitely recommend that everyone try it at least once in this life. ‘I Got a Lover’ paints the picture of meeting someone you just click with on the dance floor, and seeing where it all goes. It’s about those rare connections where when you meet a new romantic interest, and you simply can’t get enough of one another. They are your lover, and the chemistry is nothing less than cosmic. The connection is playful, deep, and the makeout sessions, FaceTimes, and phone calls are long. Even if the relationship isn’t forever, that moment in time is.”
With Land of the Neon Sun, Franklin offers a snapshot of an artist who’s learned to lean into her perspective instead of contorting it into what anybody else has in mind. Here, she serves as her own muse, wielding a stubborn conscience that blurs the lines between art and advocacy. “This is my baby––my vision, my colors, truly my sound,” she says. “I decided, okay, let me show people what I can do.”
Track after track, Franklin subverts expectations. She learned to play guitar over the last several years, determined to have her own vehicle for expressing the songs in her head. As a result, country-tinged storytelling is followed by trippy calls to action, then subdued strings and playful electronic fillips. Her voice––a rolling Southern gale that’s a genre unto itself––serves as the project’s reliable anchor as the music moves through a roots smorgasbord of growling guitars, psychedelic gospel and sparse folk.
For this labor of love and creative freedom, Franklin had saved her own money for years, then launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund the record. Reflecting on all the growth and work, she is excited and grateful: “This album is for anyone. I think that love, friendship, and human connection are the things that will allow us to get through. I’m really glad I’ve done this, and I’m really glad I’ve done it this way.”
Later this month, Franklin will be bringing her new music to NYC, Houston and more cities – see below for a full list of dates or visit her website for more information.
As the hard-driving, heart-pounding frontwoman of Houston band The Suffers, Franklin has won over folks like David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel, everywhere from the Newport Folk Festival to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and NPR’s Tiny Desk. Three albums and thousands of shows later, The Suffers are currently at work on their fourth record.
As a solo artist, Franklin’s collaborations have cemented her reputation as an artist’s artist, fearless political activist and invigorating creative partner. She contributed her signature vocals to the 2026 Grammy-winning Clifton Chenier project, A Tribute to the King of Zydeco. In 2022, she founded the Bayou City Comeback Chorus, and went on to release two EPs with the group, which blend psychedelic funk and traditional choral music with gutsy panache. In 2021, she joined Chaka Khan, Brandi Carlile, Price, Yola, and more as part of Allison Russell’s “Once and Future” sounds on the Newport mainstage. In 2018, she released a single with Grammy-winning Tejano legends La Mafia. The previous year, she sang with the Houston Symphony, and in 2016, she performed in the March For Science band alongside Jon Batiste and Stay Human, Questlove, Judith Hill, and Fred Wesley. She is a frequent panelist at festivals and on podcasts, as well as an in-demand author, penning pieces on race, gender, and the arts for outlets including Vice and Forbes.
Kam Franklin Solo Tour Dates:
June 13 – Galveston, TX – 1859 St. Joseph’s Church
June 19 – Greenfield, MA – Green River Festival 2026
June 20 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
July 2 – Houston, TX – Shoeshine Charley’s Big Top Lounge
August 6 – Houston, TX – Shoeshine Charley’s Big Top Lounge
#bamitskam