FrankHaveMercy Releases 'Endless Summer' EP: Interview
FrankHaveMercy has released his newest EP Endless Summer. The project features Wurld, Tdot Illdude, and Bjrnck who all compliment the North Carolina native’s sultry and vibrant vocals. Endless Summer takes you on a ride touching on the good and bad times of a summer romance, unforgettable nights with your closest friends, and the eventual heartbreak when the sun sets for the last time. The seven-track EP will leave fans yearning for more from the rising R&B star.
The Fayetteville native began his musical journey in the church where he participated in the choir and served on the usher board. After enlisting in the U.S. Army shortly after graduating high school he picked up a camera in order to find a creative outlet during the devastation.
FrankHaveMercy
The soldier-turned-artist began creative directing for Kendrick Lamar and the late Nipsey Hussle. The rising star who grew up listening to R&B icons Sade and Luther Vandross which he pulls his own musical aspirations is ready to solidify his spot in the industry with this new project.
Endless Summer follows his 2020 LP Electric Heaven. Take a look at part of our conversation with FrankHaveMercy about his new release Endless Summer below:
AH: So tell me a little about yourself, how did you get started singing?
FrankHaveMercy: I grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina the same city as J. Cole, and growing up I was in church a lot. When I went to Afghanistan for the U.S. Army I wanted a hobby so I picked up my camera and started traveling to different states and just linking up with other creatives.
From there, it dawned on me that people make a living doing what they love so I got out the army and moved out to Los Angeles in 2016. So I started working with the engineer for TDE (Top Dawg Entertainment) sessions with Kendrick Lamar, Nipsey Hussle, and SZA and it was just so inspiring. Through that, I was creative directing as well so I decided to try my own stuff in 2018. Originally I wanted to rap but when I got into the booth, everything that came out of me was more vulnerable and spiritual and it turned out that I could sing.
AH: Let’s talk about your new EP ‘Endless Summer’ and your first single from the project, “Yesterday’s Heartache” featuring Bjrnck. How did you feel when this song was released?
FrankHaveMercy: I think every artist is a little nervous of how everyone will perceive it but I love this song so much and I knew it was going to be amazing so I wasn’t as nervous as I have been in the past.
AH: You touch upon a lot of themes in this EP surrounding love, heartbreak, and lust but “Melancholy” also presses on the theme of police brutality against Black women and men. Was this important for you to have this theme on the EP?
FrankHaveMercy: Yeah, I talk about love a lot losing love feeling down but it’s also important to get those emotions that surround our life. The environment that I’m from and the people I lost growing up, it weighs on me when I’m recording.
AH: How was the production process for ‘Endless Summer’?
FrankHaveMercy: For this project, and usually, I only used three to four producers and we’re all really close. We’re going to the gym together, eating every meal together and we just created this routine out in Cabo. I wouldn’t even know how to describe the feeling. It felt like church. It’s just how one of my main producers Ila Orbis said, “It was just like our ancestors speaking through us.”
AH: Where can we stream Endless Summer and follow you to keep up with your music?
FrankHaveMercy: Endless Summer is available on all streaming platforms. You can follow me on Instagram.
Check out the entire interview with FrankHaveMercy below: