The Moment Nobody Saw Coming
If you told anyone that Lloyd — the R&B heartthrob who defined mid-2000s slow jams — would headline something called the National Fried Chicken Festival, they’d probably laugh, scroll, and assume you were joking. But that’s exactly what happened on October 4, when the New Orleans-born, Atlanta-bred singer turned the New Orleans Lakefront into a live R&B time capsule, leaving fans swooning and social media in disbelief.
The 39-year-old crooner, best known for hits like “You,” “Southside,” and “Lay It Down,” closed out Day 1 of the city’s most unapologetically Southern food event — a two-day celebration of everything fried, seasoned, and soul-nourishing. The festival drew over 50,000 attendees, featuring more than 40 vendors dishing out global spins on fried chicken — from Nashville hot to Korean honey-glazed to Jamaican jerk.
Captured by videographer Kortlynn Jenae, Lloyd’s set was pure electricity. The viral 1:55 clip showed him commanding the stage in a gray tracksuit and Braves cap, gliding through a medley of hits while the crowd sang every word back at him. Purple and blue lights pulsed against the night sky, the smell of grease and spices hung in the air, and somewhere between the bassline and the breeze, Lloyd reminded the world why his name still hits like comfort food for the soul…