serpentwithfeet
Operatic gospel vocals meet minimalist electronic R&B. A lush, deeply intimate exploration of queer love and spiritual devotion for quiet, reflective nights.
Operatic gospel vocals meet minimalist electronic R&B. A lush, deeply intimate exploration of queer love and spiritual devotion for quiet, reflective nights.
Serpentwithfeet sounds like a cathedral built from modern synthesizers and heartbeat-steady sub-bass. His voice is the centerpiece: a classically trained, operatic tenor that navigates complex gospel melisma with the precision of a woodwind instrument. It is music that feels both ancient and futuristic, grounding centuries-old liturgical traditions in the digital intimacy of contemporary bedroom pop.
What makes Josiah Wise truly distinctive is how he reclaims the language of the church to celebrate queer romance and domesticity. While his early work leaned into the avant-garde and the theatrical, his more recent output radiates a soft, grounded joy. He uses vocal layering not just for harmony, but to create a sense of a private, internal choir that accompanies his every confession.
Start with the album DEACON for a masterclass in gentle, celebratory soul. It captures a specific kind of soft masculinity and romantic contentment that is rare in R&B. If you want to hear his more experimental, darker roots, dive into the Blisters EP, where the production is more jagged and the stakes feel cosmic.
Jonathan Josiah Wise (born July 9, 1988), known professionally as serpentwithfeet, is an R&B singer based in Brooklyn, New York City. Wise signed with the English record label Tri Angle to release his debut extended play (EP), Blisters (2016). He entered a joint venture with Secretly Canadian to release his debut studio album, soil (2018), which was met with critical acclaim. His second EP, Apparition (2020), and his second and third albums, Deacon (2021) and Grip (2024), were each met with continued critical praise.
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