“Who leaves the scene for 14 years and comes back? Who does that?” That’s the question legendary R&B singer D’Angelo asks in the trailer for his upcoming documentary, Devil’s Pie.
In the nearly 2-minute clip, fans get a behind the scenes look at the Black Messiah artist recording and rehearsing material along with footage of his electrifying performances on stage. The candid trailer also teases insight into what caused the singer’s extensive hiatus from the music industry following the massive success of his 2000 album, Voodoo.
The film, which debuted at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, will explore D’Angelo’s substance abuse and the horrific car crash that left him “ejected from the vehicle,” but “miraculously” unscathed. “He has angels looking over him, definitely,” an unidentified voice says in the clip. The documentary also features commentary from longtime collaborator QuestLove.
In December 2014, D’Angelo made a grand comeback with his third studio album, Black Messiah. The LP debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard charts selling over 117,000 units in its first week. The album was also met with widespread critical acclaim.
The Virginia native made a name for himself with his first two albums, Brown Sugar and Voodoo, released in 1995 and 2000, respectively. The former received four Grammy nominations while the latter went on to debut at No. 1 selling 320,000 copies in its first week. Voodoo also produced D’Angelo’s most recognizable single, “Untitled (How Does It Feel).”
The music video, which featured the singer in the nude and lip-synching to the track, caused controversy and garnered much attention at the time. In June 2012, D’Angelo (real name Michael Eugene Archer) opened up about rejecting his sex-symbol status. “I think that’s the thing that got me in a lot of trouble: me trying to just be Michael, the regular old me from back in the day, and me fighting that whole sex-symbol thing,” he told GQ.
In March 2018, D’Angelo reportedly postponed a concert in order to work on new material. No word yet on if a new album is planned to be released in conjunction with the documentary, but our fingers are crossed. Check out the full trailer for Devil’s Pie ahead.