[Cover photo credit to Jonathan Burgos]
The Suffers‘ frontwoman Kam Franklin has shared her new single “Didn’t I” featuring Kevin Morby. It serves as the next preview of her upcoming debut solo album, Land of the Neon Sun, which is co-produced with Margo Price and out August 28, 2026. Arriving with a behind-the-scenes music video with Franklin and Morby in the studio, “Didn’t I” is an “ode to unconditional friendship.”
Franklin says on the new single:
I met Kevin Morby at the Newport Folk Festival, and we became quick friends. When I told him I was working on a solo album, he was quick to send me some demos. I instantly fell in love with the song, and I was thrilled when Kevin made the trip out to Nashville to help me record it. To me, this is a song about good old-fashioned friendship. What does it mean to have someone who sees you for everything you are, but instead of running away, they choose you and everything that comes with you? My friend and frequent collaborator, Sara Van Buskirk, helped me develop what would eventually become the bridge, and I’m really proud of how this song turned out.
Land of the Neon Sun is an album where Franklin “subverts expectations” in genre and tone.
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. As the hard-driving frontwoman of Houston band The Suffers, she has played on shows with David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel, the Newport Folk Festival, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and more. The Suffers are currently at work on their fourth record.
As a solo artist, Franklin’s collaborations have been wide-ranging as a political activist and creative partner. She contributed her 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. 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.
Tour Dates:
8/28 – Houston, TX – Cactus Records
10/1 – Los Angeles, CA – The Mint
10/4 – San Francisco, CA – Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival
