serpentwithfeet is a rare kind of musician, the type who stirs emotion with a single note. From his early days as an ethereal, art-pop provocateur, the singer rendered audiences into astonishment with his singular take on alt-R&B. 2016’s debut EP blisters introduced us to serpent’s distinct sound, a quavering, melismatic falsetto bouncing across sparse instrumentation. The songs were ones of queer liberation imbued with a gospel sensibility, and established the musician as a potent force on a global music scene. The follow-up, 2018’s soil, built on the same sound but upped the ante, exploring a foreboding sense of turmoil to a much further extent.

Today, when I speak to serpent over Zoom, the musician reflects on his musical past, and the sonic world he’s travelled that lead him to the present day. “I was interested in exploring what a sweeter album might sound like”, he tells me, when he compares his most recent studio album, 2021’s Deacon, to those that came before. The tender collection of songs was concerned with embracing the softer side of queer love, and, while not saccharine or overly optimistic, conveyed a sense of ease and contentment often missing from modern queer storytelling.

Since then, serpent has continued to steadily release music, most recently the standalone single “Gonna Go”. On the track, serpent is enamoured with his lover (“of course the dick is bomb”) but laments their inability to commit (“I've become a shell of the man I used to be/Just want someone that wants me”). Although sonically still in the tradition of Deacon, the track is somewhat of a lyrical shift, instead focusing on the emotional grey area of fleeting situationships, rather than the gentle warmth of wholesome connection. Either way, serpentwithfeet will always be an artist concerned with the all-consuming experience of love.

Below, we chat to serpent about this reputation as a sensitive soul, along with his love for the UK capital, making music that feels like a doughnut, and TikTok’s main character-of-the moment, Terri Joe.

Hi serpent! It’s great to speak with you ahead of Meltdown this weekend. Was there anything specific that made you want to play the festival?

serpentwithfeet: One of the main things is I’ve always loved performing in London. It’s one of my favourite cities. It was a really easy choice.

What is it about London that you love?

serpentwithfeet: The audience is always wonderful. For every artist that’s always the biggest request, to have a great dynamic. The folks that are there at the show really transform the experience. I have friends here as well who have shown me around and it’s always a really great time. Great reviews for London, for sure.

What is it about British people in particular that you vibe with?

serpentwithfeet: I enjoy how the people are just so wondrous and vibrant, and there’s so much life. The people bring so much light to the city, and I find that incredibly invigorating and nourishing. I just love the community that is there, and I love the Black community that is there. There’s a lot of spirit, and every time I go I feel recharged.

For your Meltdown set, will you be performing songs off your 2021 album Deacon, or new music?

serpentwithfeet: They’ll be some songs off Deacon, some singles that weren’t on any particular larger project. So they’ll be a little constellation of things.

But there is new music on the way?

serpentwithfeet: I’m always working on music, so we’ll see how that manifests. I feel like I do a pretty good job at putting stuff out. In the past year I’ve done a few collaborations, one with Moby, one with Daniel Caesar. Thankfully, I get to do what I want! I just collaborate with people that I love, and obviously with folks that want me to work with them. It has to be a symbiotic thing. I’m thankful that all the collaborations I’ve done I’m incredibly proud of.

I’ve noticed from your socials that you’re spending more time doing choreographed dances on TikTok – so, are you in your pop star era?

serpentwithfeet: [Laughs] I love dancing in general. [When it comes to] learning all the routines I don’t want to let everybody else have all the fun. I want to join in! People often talk about how everybody’s ‘stuck on their phones’ – the thing that people say to dismiss the internet – whereas I’m like ‘people are really dancing in the street’. Yes, we might be on our phones, but folks are still moving. I don’t think people are just playing video games all day. I think it’s actually really beautiful seeing that TikTok has given permission for people to be youthful. To be able to dance in the grocery store, or in the middle of the street, I think it’s incredible.

What’s on your For You Page then? Mostly dances?

serpentwithfeet: It’s a medley of things. It’s dances, it’s politics, it’s a lot of comedy.

There’s a lot of funny stuff on there – do you like the _itzpsyiconic_ character Terri Joe?

serpentwithfeet: I do, I do! Terri Joe is hilarious. I’ve definitely spent a lot of time laughing at those videos.

I also saw that funny meme about you that you reposted on Instagram. It said something like ‘serpentwithfeet after the first date’ and a video of two guys in this tender, passionate embrace.

serpentwithfeet: [Laughs] Yes…

I guess you have a reputation for making these tender, emotional love songs. Did you repost that meme because it was a fair representation, or is that only one side of your personality?

serpentwithfeet: I think it’s pretty fair, which is why I thought it was hilarious! It’s pretty accurate. Like everybody else, I’m a full person, but you know how they say you wear your heart on your sleeve? I definitely wear mine on my lapel, or on my cuff, you know? I’m a Cancer sun.

So you’re into astrology then?

serpentwithfeet: I wouldn’t say that I’m an astrology expert, but I know my way around an astrology conversation for sure.

What are your big three?

serpentwithfeet: Well, I won’t say what my big three are! But, yes, I’m a Cancer sun. Even though, with a little bit of research, I’m sure somebody could figure them out, I still keep certain things private. Even though I know it’s maybe not a huge deal for some. But if an expert is neck-deep in astrology, I’m waist-deep.

A lot of the music you make is about relationships, but do you give friends relationship advice IRL?

serpentwithfeet: You know what, I don’t know if I give relationship advice, but if anybody were to ask me I’d probably say ‘don’t accept relationship advice’. I don’t think anybody can tell you what the rules are because I don’t know if there are rules. I do think, however, that you have to trust your instinct, and I do think that you have to do a lot of personal work. Whether that’s watching self-help videos, or going to therapy, or getting some spiritual books, you have to do your own work in order to be a healthy, whole, sound person. But everybody has different needs and desires and wants. So do the heart work and the hard work.

“London has the best jam doughnuts. Maybe there’ll be a day where I want to make music that feels like a jam doughnut” – serpentwithfeet

When you’re making music, do any inspirations come to mind?

serpentwithfeet: For the last album, Deacon, there were quite a few things. Janet Jackson was a huge inspiration, more specifically just her singing voice. I think it’s just so beautiful. There’s such a sweetness to it, so I was interested in exploring what a sweeter album might sound like.

I’m influenced by a lot of music, but I’m also influenced by a lot of things that aren’t music. With Deacon, I was also thinking about a lot of men in my community that end up being the anchors for their community. Just the calmness that the deacons in the church have, the men that I’ve seen growing up that are just super rooted and calm. You’d never hear them raise their voice, you’d never see them walking fast. I just wanted to make a project that felt calm and even.

Your music has also referenced the work of the filmmaker Marlon Riggs and the poet Essex Hemphill.

serpentwithfeet: They’re icons and did so much work so that we could be here. A lot of conversations that they were starting and amplifying, we’re still having now, and still navigating now. It’s important for me as a queer black man to do my research – do it because I need to, but also so that it can inform what I create. But I love poetry, I love novels… I really enjoy life! I like jam doughnuts. I think London has the best jam doughnuts. Maybe there'll be a day where I want to make music that feels like a jam doughnut. I try to let everything make an impression on me.

What would that sound like?

serpentwithfeet: I’ll get back to you on that, but I’m sure it exists…. like fresh, fresh jam. Yeah, it exists. I’m gonna think of it once I get off this call.

And finally, would you curate your own festival, like Christine has with Meltdown?

serpentwithfeet: I’ve never thought about curating a festival before, but I often think about collabs [between other artists] I would love to see, whether that’s recorded or live performances. Somebody asked Chaka Khan about doing a VERZUZ battle a couple years ago. She said that she would do it, but she would want to be paired with one of the newer artists, and said she would love to do it with Jazmine Sullivan. I thought that was so beautiful. I would love to see more of that. The legends pair up with the new roster of artists. I think that would be a lot of fun, to see more of that on stage.

serpentwithfeet takes to the Meltdown Festival stage on June 9. Click here for more info and tickets.

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