The Charlotte artist is subverting all expectations with his upcoming EP.

Praise. can’t be confined to any label, and he doesn’t want you to be either.

The Charlotte-raised artist is feeling optimistic after the release of his newest single, “guess you were right.” He is confident that this is the best song he has ever made, and he credits frequent collaborator Lizzy Cameron for bringing the track to life. “She’s amazing,” he says. “It was so cool being able to work with another artist so closely. I love collaborating and writing with people, and her music is insane.”

Praise recently performed on the stripped-back Medium Sized Backyard. “That was an awesome experience. Those are the homies over there,” he says. The sixteen-minute set included three of his newest singles along with older cuts such as “last time.” and his most popular release to date “you still wear my clothes.”

He has been living in Los Angeles temporarily while recording an upcoming project. “I love being out here, but it can be overwhelming,” he says. “When I’m in L.A. I’m the artist praise., but when I’m home I’m Praise McNealy and people respect that.” He assures that he will be back in North Carolina for a few weeks before heading to New York as he finalizes an EP that is poised to be his most ambitious work yet.

Photos by Isaiah Pate (@isaiahpate)

Praise’s upcoming EP is called LOST, which is punctuated with a comma instead of the usual periods he ends his titles with. “LOST, is a statement as much as it is the title of the project,” he says. “There’s no period because the statement won’t be finished until the next album comes out. It’s hind-sighted feelings, really.”

He asserts that the EP is a concentrated effort to prove his versatility as an artist, comparing it to “Bombs Over Baghdad” by the hip-hop duo Outkast. “I don’t ever have to limit myself,” he says. “I can do the R&B shit. I can do the alternative shit. I can do the hyperpop shit. I’m everything and LOST, is everything.”

“Once the album comes out it won’t even be a fucking question of what I am.”

The concept for LOST, is ambitious. “It lives in an abandoned reality. It’s up there in the world and you can’t fuck with it,” he says. “You can be completely aware but still be lost. It’s what happens after the crash-out. It’s what happens after you’re depleted and drained. Look at me, I crashed out and shaved the dreads off.”

His approach to promoting the project has been as unconventional as its concept. Praise has posted countless random photos of his friends and various objects with text reading “LOST” superimposed onto them. “I love tagging culture and it is heavily inspired by that,” he says. “I’m drawing it in the sand. It lives forever.”

Photos by Isaiah Pate (@isaiahpate)

Praise has already released two other singles that are poised to be on the project. “We were going to release something else instead of ‘pilot.’ That song has been around since last year and was damn near in contention for the last album,” he says. “I posted it on TikTok, and it went fucking insane. I had to drop it after that.”

He is proud to admit that he freestyled the entire song. “I made it on live with my producer, Milo. We got on there and made the beat. I went crazy on it,” he says.

The second single to be released from LOST, is titled “angel.” It’s just as energetic and different from Praise’s usual sound as everything else from the rollout has been. “This project is like my sample stand. I’m just smelling and tasting everything I can because this may be the last time I get to dip into these genres.”

Praise is just really excited to do things differently this time, especially on the visual side of things. “My rollouts have been very film oriented in the past. It was hard for me not to do that this time, but it’s not supposed to look like anything I’ve ever done before. I wanted to keep the visuals simple for LOST, because there is a bigger story that won’t be fully realized until the next album comes out,” he says.

Photos by Isaiah Pate (@isaiahpate)

He teases that there is a LOST, tour in the works that is poised to hit a couple of cities and bring out fans from all over. Aside from the music, he mentioned an upcoming short series and film project that he is more than excited about. “I just can’t wait for all of this,” he says. “Everything you hear and see is intentional. There are no accidents. Everything is how I truly feel.”

“I’m never making music in hopes of where I was or where I’m going to be. I want to focus on where I’m at,” he says. “Don’t be scared to try new things and expand your palette. We shun people for trying new things and then shun them for never changing. Just keep it real and keep listening to the music.”

LOST, releases on September 19.