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.
