Shelley FKA DRAM, Flooding the Streets with Love and Grease [Interview]

Big Baby DRAM is no longer new to the music industry, nor does he identify with the moniker DRAM. The man who sits before us wishes only to be referred to as Shelley, his birth name. It seems apt, really. After his young, colourful rocket ride to success back in the mid-2010s, Shelley appears to have landed on a cloud. With multiple chart-toppers in his old roster, including joints with Playboi Carti, Young Thug and the internationally acclaimed Broccoli with Lil Yachty, it may have been tempting for our happy protagonist to sit back, and ease into what he labels ‘the dust’.

Shelley sweeps back into the musical ballroom, though, dressed to the nines in the most sparkling of demeanours and accompanied by the most wonderful of dancing partners. His new project, Shelley FKA DRAM, includes vocal moments from a star-studded cast: Erykah Badu, Summer Walker and H.E.R to name a few. It’s important to note that the album stands as an antithesis to the hegemonic, toxically male, proverbial RnB record of acclaim that has partially propped up the norm for decades. Shelley FKA DRAM is love from both sides of the coin, and the rim to boot. The project moves kaleidoscopically, hope folds into doubt and gentleness takes passion into the courtroom. We chat to Shelley over Zoom, the day before the release of this fresh body of work, ‘the first of many more offerings to come’. There’s excitement. He speaks with a musicality and moves in tandem with his thoughts. He may have the most infectious smile I’ve ever seen, and a rainy day in London soon becomes a Virginia Summer; bright, saturated and breezy. Shelley doesn’t speak his thoughts; they shine, disperse, gather, and glow.

Photo by Alex Harper.

NW: Hi Shelley! You good? What have you been up to?

All the good things. Planning on executing everything that needs to be executed. Sounds great. You look so happy and healthy in this new birth and your music appears to be reflecting that! It’s so wonderful to see. How do you feel as Shelley, at this point in your life/ career? What prompted the name change? I feel like I get a chance at succeeding. Shelley just reflects the growth- I’m moving into having a stage name that’s unadulteratedly me. DRAM stood for ‘Does Real Ass Music’, which was me, but even just dropping that brought me closer to myself. It’s just a journey closer to what I feel is most true. Well, your truth is radiating right now. Congratulations on the album, It seems like a coming-of-age project. I sense that it moves from documenting a young, vulnerable love, to a more measured, grown, self-assured love. What’s the importance of learning to love yourself in this way? Ah, man, first of all, thank you so much. I feel that it does reflect where I’m at in life. I fell in love, I mean, me and my lady just celebrated our second anniversary. Since the Big Baby DRAM era, so much has happened, man. It’s more so a situation where I’m just channelling different moments, or where I’m at in life. Congratulations on the anniversary! Thank you, man.

Let me get into it. I feel like the opening track contains so much of what the project is about sonically. The production moves from gooey and plucky and sounding like the waiting room in a hospital on Mars, to an anime theme-song on a cyberpunk highway in a distant future. How much do you use the instrumental and production in shaping the way you sing? What’s the relationship there?

Again, thank you! Well, I like to make everything from scratch. It’s more-so a true collaboration because I’m basically a conductor, or a composer. I can’t play but I can tell you how to play, or what to play. I mean, when you work with me, you’re bringing your knowledge as a musician, and I’m bringing mine, and we can meet halfway. We can come together, and we build this beautiful piece of music, and during the whole process I have a lil’ scat mike and I’m just singing the ideas that come into my head. That’s how most of the hooks and the major lines happen. That’s why they feel natural. They come from a place where I’m truly engulfed in the creative process.

Sounds like real spontaneity.

THAT’s what I was going for!

But it still feels so well composed. There are some incredibly filmic songs on the project, like the end moments of 'Something About Us', or 'The Lay Down', where strings and open space take centre stage. It feels like the score for a movie. If you had to make music for a genre of film, what would it be? Espionage. That genre has the widest range of sounds! I mean, think about it like this. They’ve gotta have the hot double-agent moment, so you need that mood. When you’re saving the day, when you’re triumphing, you need these moments too. When you lose, or it’s heartfelt and sorrowful, that’s the resolution- like a true ‘James Bond’-esque range of emotions.

I see a future there for you! Speaking of film, track 4 is almost orchestral in its arrangement. There’s a harp and a flute working together so effortlessly. What’s the intended effect of such lavish layering? To me it sounds how love feels. I feel like what it did was fulfilled the role of an unrealised sequel to ‘Sweet Virginia Breeze’, which was one of those records that you just couldn’t emulate- that once it was made you couldn’t make it again- so you had to keep it near to the heart. I mean whilst that process was going on I just kept saying I want it to sound lovely. That was the word.

"I mean, when I was in the room the music was assisting my breathing. Almost like calm, but fuller. Taking calmness beyond calmness. You know what I mean?"

Absolutely, it’s so effortless. Your vocal performance is at its peak! Your falsetto is dangerous. It’s always been there, but I feel it’s really stepping up. How’s the process been leaning into it a little more? I feel like it’s always been there, but I never really got the point across the way that I think it should’ve been. The only way that I think people really took me in wholly is when I collected, or gained, fans on the road. People are coming to these live shows thinking they’re gonna get some ‘Brocolli’s’ or ‘Cash Machine’s’ and that barely scratches the surface of what I bring to the table. So, I needed to find a way to bring the stage atmosphere into the recording process, into the booth. Once I concentrated on that, I really doubled down on the teabags, extra honey, you feel me?

Instead of doing that free, whimsical sound…it evolved. You know? I never learned it. I always sang. No, I hear you! I was recently listening to your first recorded live performances, and you’ve always been a ridiculously intuitive singer. But now it feels so much more controlled, right?

Exactly, that’s right, I wanted to use more control, to sound more sure.

Well there are also some stunning musical performances elsewhere, from Summer Walker, Erykah Badu, H.E.R and watts. I feel like you resist a lot of RnB ideas about sex and love coming from only one perspective- there’s such a beautiful balance between masculine and feminine energies on the project. How did the women featuring on the project enrich the body of work?

Man, bro, working with women is like the most beautiful combination when it comes to an RnB song, or just records in general. I mean let alone the freedom and comfortability in working together and taking queues and ideas from each other… as I said I’m really a conductor or composer, so if I have the mind for it, I’m always appreciative of writing it out with them, to a point where it fits well with the record and just comes together so beautifully.

"Love is a two-way street. That’s why I love those back-and-forth moments with other musicians. I feel like that message has got lost in the sauce somewhere and I’m trying to allow myself to be vulnerable so that you can relate… but vulnerable in my own way, y’know?"

In an authentic sense to yourself. That two-way street really becomes a main road on ‘The Lay Down’, where lyrics centre around the importance of in-person communication: ‘My services belong to you, the signal’s strong…can’t blow my high on airplane mode’- Do you see technology and social media as the enemy to a true connection with someone? Yes. It’s that simple?

Yes and no. Speak to me. Yes…because there’s this kind of energy that undoubtedly exists… if it ain’t on social media it ain’t real. And following that if you’re not interacting in a certain way, or doing this that n’ the third, it’s not enough. There are so many expectations for things to appear in so many warped perspectives. If this person isn’t right in front of you then you can’t see whether you like this person for who they truly are, you know what I’m saying? Think about how much social media skews your perception because of the amount of activity, followers, clout… a ‘power couple’ if you will… Right.

But then again, there’ll be those moments that you’ll see the person you’re pining for looking their best. Radiating their joy, their temporary joy in the moment. And you’ll be like damn, this person is beautiful… which’ll give you the notion to hit them up personally, reach out to someone on their end and give them a call on a landline… girl, how are you? I’ve seen you. So, it’s a yes and a no. it’s a double-edged sword and you gotta know how to wield it.

And what happens later down the line, when miscommunication occurs? What’s Shelley’s advice for resolving issues with a partner?

Give each other time to cool off, then evaluate how much time it took y’all to cool off, and if it took too long… maybe you need to go back to the drawing board, and that’s ok.

We’ll definitely take that one on board. I feel like you provide such a three-dimensional perspective of love and relationships on this joint. I’ve never heard a track solely dedicated to the feelings of shame and secrecy behind the act of cheating- how important is it for you to evoke EVERY aspect of relationships, including the more difficult situations?

Well, because it's everyday life. In this, I was moving on from a post-rap light, you know what I mean? Life got to a point where it almost felt surreal at times, I think about the top of 2017/2018, and that’s the album cycle done, boom, boom, boom, it’s time to move on. But then that stuff slows down. And when that pace begins to change, the vices accompanying that stuff don’t slow down if you’re not ready for them to slow down. And when I say ‘sleeping with a married woman’ on the album, I’m not necessarily talking about a woman that’s married. What do you say when that’s your girl, or guy? That’s wifey, that’s hubby. What happens when you get tipped out? I’ve been tipped out on. I just wanna show both sides of the grass. You can be in a relationship for ten years and with this project you’ve got the tools to reflect, like damn man if I could go back... or the opposite! I’m really happy with what I got!

I just want to represent the reality. It can fall out and you live in a town that’s a 20-mile radius and there’s only 4 functions that you can go to… so you’re gonna run into your problems sooner or later.

For sure, the project has such a wide array of perspectives on love, but it still feels cohesive. I mean, I’m hearing so many different views and slices of sound on here, I just need to know what you’ve been listening to.

Well, I’ve always felt like my brain is a music encyclopaedia. I retain so many mundane things. I don’t know if over there you had the Time Life commercials over there?

Doesn't ring any bells.

They had rock ballads, soul joints…I can still remember the music so vividly. I don’t know why I remember that stuff! Music from movies… I’ll be watching a movie and I’ll hear a beautiful two-second loop in isolation, but then they take it somewhere else. I’ll record that little loop, and I’ll be determined to make something from that. It’s so many influences, man. It’s all the things that make you say…yeah. You know what I mean? And bro, the number one inspiration is George Clinton… captain of the mothership, a real funkateer. There’s always the freedom to move, but when it’s time to take it more seriously he executes just as effortlessly as when he’s having fun, getting loose. That’s how I move, too. And so many people who I take inspiration from are inspired by him. Your view of music, your view of what is pleasing to the ear, moves beyond the traditional sense, right? Your ear listens across genre, across fashion, across oceans. Thank you. Yeah. Imma keep it a band, I’m tryna finish my next project over there in London. I’m so grateful that my project is even being handled and having good care taken over there. It makes a lotta sense, man. I love your musical approach, whenever I hear anything that’s outta this world, a lot of times it’s from over there, and it’s like…well, of course.

I’m flattered, we’d love you back! You’ve got a place here. Do you feel like you’ve found your place within music, though? From traditionally chart-based hits to a more niche sound, is this a comfortable place for you? Does it matter? I see it as a new day and age. If the music is great and relatable and people connect to it… that’s the central point. I’m starting out as a brand-new artist, I’m leaving DRAM out on the table, with the only thing remaining being people’s memories of that era, you know. I try to be transparent. The fact that people supported DRAM, but those same people

can also turn around and say ‘I mess with this even more’ is a beautiful thing.

I’m coming out anew. I’m not going back into the dust…that was cute and all, but it’s really time to man up. I’m grown.

Well before you go be great, I’ve gotta talk about the final track, 'Rich and Famous'. There’s such a strong feeling of resolution. It feels like a cyber-funk power anthem simultaneously from both the years 3000 and 1980. It's an apt crescendo, shedding doubt on so many aspects of life, love and the music industry. How do you find hope in, what seems to be, an increasingly love-less world? I feel like I guarded myself with more awareness… not even guarded myself, armoured myself. I had to really change a lotta things that I was doing because it was really a blur…I mean the campaign in 2017 was crazy. I was caught up in all the other things, sometimes neglecting what really mattered…

It’s a beautiful thing to find focus. I’m thinking straight and more focused. I feel like whilst everything is going crazy right now, I’ve given myself the chance to be more focused. Well we’re very focused on Shelley right now here in London. This is your year. Thank you man, that’s love bro.

If you've ever felt any feeling adjacent to love, we, at New Wave, urge you to go and listen to Shelley FKA DRAM, out now on all major streaming platforms.