In celebration of her recently fulfilled Kickstarter campaign, we'd like you to meet Kam Franklin, the leading vocalist and front-woman of the Houston-based band, The Suffers.

Kam has been making her name in the Texas music industry for years now, and the hard work is paying off. The 10-piece group successfully raised $59,654 to produce their next album, and that LP will be available some time next spring.

Although not from Austin, we want to shine a light on this Gulf Coast soul band and the efforts they have made to make Texas a premier destination for discovering new talent.

You can preorder their album here, and read our interview with Kam below:

Q: What inspired you to start working in music? Obviously, making it in this business requires a lot more than vocal talent alone! Did you have any role models or learn from someone, in particular?

A: I've been singing my entire life, but I didn't start performing live shows until I was in high school. A close group of friends asked me to join their band, and the rest is history. I was always inspired by the gospel singers at my church, but I would say my biggest vocal inspiration came from Yolanda Adams and Dolly Parton. I'd actively listen to their techniques and vocal delivery. They both still blow my mind to this day.

Q: Do you have any tidbits of advice for people with passions, in general?

A: Do them, and don't ever stop doing them. Even if it never hits the level of achievement you want to reach, actively doing what you love is good for the soul. Doing something that brings you that much joy can't be taken away.

Q: What have been your favorite moments of creativity?

A: When I first started presenting my lyric ideas to the band, they were nothing but encouraging toward me. I'd never really been surrounded by musicians that listened to me the way they did before. When I suggested adding "Do you want a sandwich?" in our song "Make Some Room," they encouraged me to keep going and get weird with it. From that day on, I looked forward to every opportunity to create. Even now, I get super excited when it comes time to share new lyrics with them.

Q: What have been your most challenging moments in your career, thus far?

A: There's always a new challenge, but the toughest part is ignoring the haters. Everyone thinks they're an expert in this industry. We have gone out of our way to keep going even when other people told us we'd fail. It always feels good when we prove the haters wrong, but the road to success is paved with many people that expect you to fail.

Q: What was your day job, before The Suffers became what it is now?

A: I used to work as a gas and power trade contract analyst for an investment bank. I loved working there, but I'd say this gig is a lot more fun.

Q: When you're discouraged, what do you run to or away from?

A: I run to other music. Sometimes it's gospel. Sometimes it's metal. It just depends on my mood that day. Music always seems to rescue me from my toughest moments.

Your favorite band at the moment: My favorite band at the moment is Local Natives.

Your favorite book at the moment: My favorite book at the moment is The Death of Bunny Munro by Nick Cave.

Your local Austin gem: I love Easy Tiger!

Your social media handles: You can find Kam on Instagram and Twitter.

Check out The Suffers on their website, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and pre-order their album here.

One of the Babes: Kam Franklin

✸ Future Front is a 501c3 arts and culture nonprofit, homegrown in Texas. ✸