Kam Franklin

A leading voice for justice and equity in the music industry and beyond, Kam Franklin is an interdisciplinary artist and activist whose work transcends genre and medium to speak to the core of our shared humanity. Though she’s perhaps most widely recognized as the powerhouse singer and songwriter at the helm of acclaimed Gulf Coast soul band The Suffers, Franklin has also established herself as a prolific writer, orator, model, actress, visual artist, and entrepreneur over the course of the last decade, utilizing her platform to champion more equitable environments for Black, queer, femme, and non-binary artists around the world.

Since joining The Suffers in 2011, Franklin has appeared with the band on Letterman, Colbert, Kimmel, NPR’s Tiny Desk, All Things Considered, and The Daily Show in addition to performing at a diverse array of festivals from Newport Folk and Byron Bay Blues to Monterey Jazz and Afropunk.

After winning a grant from The Houston Arts Alliance in 2022, Franklin launched her latest project, the Bayou City Comeback Chorus, which brought together singers of all ages, backgrounds, and skill levels to harmonize together in a unique blend of psychedelic funk and traditional choral music. The group’s debut EP, which was released on Franklin’s own Homegirl Island Records label, helped Franklin earn The Houston Artist Commissioning Project’s New/Now award, enabling her to stage a second volume with the Chorus at Houston’s Wortham Center in 2024.