2016 marked Lloyd’s official return when the crooner came through with his honest “Tru” single and accompanying EP of the same name. At the time, it was Lloyd in his purest form as the singer came off a five-year hiatus and ushered in a new era of transparency in his artistry. Likewise, the Tru EP cover art was nothing more than a naked Lloyd perched atop a small waterfall. In the photo, his sitting position made sure that anything explicit was covered up and offered a symbolic representation of his open approach. Now, two years later, the southern singer has announced the arrival of a follow-up in the form of a Tru LP, scheduled for later on in the summer.
With the announcement, EMPIRE has unveiled the artwork attached to the project, and this time around, Lloyd has taken things up a notch. Keeping things tune with the elements of nudity, mother nature, and all that good stuff, the Tru LP artwork features a photo of Lloyd standing up this time with a guitar strategically placed against his bottom half, and the Internet isn’t quite sure how to feel about it.
Back in 2016 when discussing the idea of the artwork for the EP, Lloyd expressed his concern with how receptive the general public would be.
“I hope people don’t see it and think that I’m trying to sell or degrade myself,” he explained. “I wanted to make it as tasteful as possible. Unfortunately, a naked body is seen as exploitative or nasty. I think that it’s beautiful, because that’s the way you come in. You can be with a person, even with your lover, and they want to turn the lights off and make love to you because they don’t want you to examine them under the microscope. People try to hide their flaws, but I think the flaws make them a beautiful person. And that’s what Tru is all about.”
Well, it seems that he’s moved well past those inhibitions. The Tru LP arrives on August 31st