Shelley FKA DRAM announced on Twitter this week that he would be moving the release date of his album to honor his late mother who passed away last year.
“As some of you may know my mom passed away last year,” Shelley tweeted. “Before she passed I played her my upcoming album and I begged her promise she wouldn’t play it for anyone else. She held her promise and took the music with her beyond this life. Her birthday is April 29th.”
Shelley explained that, to keep his promise to her, he would be moving the release date to be on her birthday.
Shelley’s mother was one of his biggest supporters growing up. In an interview with SSENSE, he explained that he learned a lot from her and that she was a big inspiration for him.
“It was me and my mother for a very long time,” he explained. “She’s my mother and my father and she’s a real strong woman. Very assertive, persuasive, and straightforward about everything. I got a lot from her.”
A few days earlier, Shelley also delivered an emotional, soothing performance of his song “Exposure” on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Watch the set down below and look for his self-titled album, Shelley FKA DRAM, due out April 30.