D’Angelo Documentary ‘Devil’s Pie’ explores his 14-year music hiatus

R&B icon D’Angelo, born Michael Eugene Archer, is reportedly busy in the studio working on his fourth album, according to the director of Devil’s Pie: D’Angelo, the forthcoming documentary about the elusive singer that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival over the weekend.

The first trailer for the project debuted today (April 30) but a release date for the doc has been announced yet, Spin reports. Devil’s Pie combines never-before-seen footage and interviews with the singer’s management and collaborators such as Questlove, who offer insight into D’Angelo’s personal and professional life. The doc will also explore what caused him to take a break from the industry for over a decade following the release of his critically acclaimed album Voodoo in 2000.

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In a Q&A following the documentary premiere, director Carine Bijlsma said the “Brown Sugar” singer has been hard at work in the studio these past weeks, noting that D’Angelo “has big plans for the future, so you’ll definitely be seeing more of him.”

The Dutch filmmaker got the idea for Devil’s Pie back in 2010, while wondering what happened to the artist Pitchfork reports. She eventually made contact with his collaborator Kendra Foster and pitched the project. Bijlsma was then invited to document D’Angelo’s 2015 Second Coming tour and continued to film footage herself over the course of two years as he hit the road in support of Black Messiah, his third studio album.

Devil’s Pie is named after a track from his second LP, Voodoo. The album’s lead single, “Untitled (How Does It Feel),” won a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal and Voodoo won for Best R&B Album. The documentary will also touch on D’Angelo’s personal struggles including alcoholism and life during his 14-year musical hiatus.

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The Philadelphia-born songwriter, vocalist and piano player is considered the Godfather of Neo-Soul, ushering in a new genre of music that included Angie Stone, Erykah Badu and Maxwell. His debut studio album “Brown Sugar,” released on EMI in 1995 was certified double Platinum having sold over 2 million albums.

In October, D’Angelo released a new song, “Unshaken,” that was included in the Rockstars Games video, set 1899 about the wild west, called Red Dead Redemption 2.

 

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