Concerts

Hear the words of the ‘DEACON’ when serpentwithfeet lands in Somerville

The musically blessed R&B singer will enrapture a Crystal Ballroom congregation on Oct. 20.

Photo by Braylen Dion

2 minutes to read

Born Jonathan Josiah Wise in Baltimore to a Christian bookstore-owner father and choir-director mother, the artist currently known as serpentwithfeet grew up singing in his church choir, the Maryland State Boys Choir, and the Baltimore City College Choir before enrolling at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts to study classical voice.

Armed with gospel and classical training, Wise worked in Paris and Philly before settling in New York City in 2013. The following year, he released his first single, “Curiosity of Other Men,” which included a sample from the Tchaikovsky opera “Eugene Onegin.”

“Curiosity of Other Men” grabbed the ears of the right folks at the UK-based label Tri Angle, which released his 2016 EP “blisters.”

Over the next two years, Wise toured as an opening act for the indie rock group Grizzly Bear, cowrote and sang on a track from rap sextet BROCKHAMPTON’s #1 album “iridescence,” recorded with Björk on a remix of her song “Blissing Me,” and signed to Secretly Canadian for his debut LP, “soil.”

This album – which came out on June 8, 2018 – appeared on the year-end best-of lists by The Atlantic, BrooklynVegan, The Guardian, The New York Times, NPR Music, PopMatters, Spin, and several others.

Between 2019 and 2021, Wise toured with Rosalía, served as a guest vocalist on Ellie Goulding’s UK chart-topping album “Brightest Blue,” collaborated on two projects with Ty Dolla $ign, and added the EP “Apparition” (2020) and the LP “DEACON” (2021) to his discography.

The press release describes “DEACON” as “delving into Black, gay love and the tenderness present in the best companionships, romantic or otherwise.” Wise – who recently shifted his base from NYC to LA – is himself quoted as saying, “I wanted to make my version of a ‘grown and sexy’ album.”

The admirable degree to which he succeeded is apparent on the singles “Fellowship” (featuring Mercury Prize-winning English singer-songwriter/producer Sampha), “Same Size Shoe,” and “Heart Storm” (which features GRAMMY-nominated English singer-songwriter/producer NAO).

In August, serpentwithfeet conspired with Moby on two songs: his own “I’m Pressed” and the latter’s “On Air.”

The 34-year-old will demonstrate why he is so widely sought-after before a live audience in Davis Square on Oct. 20.