James Franco Adds ‘Musician’ To His Resume With Motown-Inspired EP
Actor James Franco is releasing his debut EP with his new band, Daddy.
Franco’s EP will be titled MotorCity, and was reportedly inspired by Motown-era soul music. Franco was, well, frank about his debut EP in an interview with Rolling Stone. He’s already and accomplished actor, director, writer, and artist, but admits that he’s expecting some criticism as he tries to add “musician” to that list.
“I’ll tell you this: it’s always weird to talk about a new thing,” says Franco. “I know I do a lot of things. I’m very aware of that. I’m sure there are a lot of skeptical people, hearing about me doing music . . . To me, it all comes from a similar place. It’s like using different tools to express things in different ways.”
For the EP, Franco teamed up with friend Tom O’Keefe during the filming of Oz: The Great and Powerful earlier this year. Franco directed the duo’s first video, Love in the Old Days, called “a meditation on romance in the 1960s,” by RTE.
Daddy’s first single from the EP will see release on September 25. One of the tracks, “Crime” adds a touch of authenticity by featuring guest vocals by Motown legend Smokey Robinson.
“We were pulling into the gate, and I woke up, and there was this man standing over me saying ‘Hey, I just want you to know I’m a big fan of your work,'” Franco recalls. “His eyes were so striking. I had just watched a documentary about the history of Motown on the drive to the airport, and there he was.”
The cover art of Franco’s EP features his Spring Breakers co-stars Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson and Rachel Korine sporting fake Daddy tattoos.
