Marcus Harvey has opened up about the deeply personal meaning behind the title of his new album, Son of Elvis, revealing that the name carries a significance far removed from the obvious association with legendary musician Elvis Presley.
For the South African singer, songwriter and producer, Elvis is the name of his father.
That revelation gives Son of Elvis an entirely different meaning. While the title may initially lead listeners to think about the legacy of Elvis Presley, Harvey says there is a much more intimate story behind the project — one connected to a part of his own family history that he has rarely explored.
“There is a Presley narrative that I want people to perceive, like he’s following his footsteps. But there’s a deeper one. Elvis is my father’s name,” Harvey explained.
A different side of Marcus Harvey
Harvey says the album gave him an opportunity to acknowledge his father’s side of the family, despite not having a close relationship with his father.
Rather than presenting Son of Elvis as an album entirely about his father, Harvey describes the project as a way of touching on a part of his ancestry and identity that has remained largely unexplored.
He reflected on the distance between himself and his father’s family, admitting that he has never even visited that side of his family.
“I never even visited my pops’ side,” he said, describing the album as “a door you’re still open.”
That sense of an open door is central to understanding the project. Son of Elvis is not necessarily about having all the answers. Instead, it appears to be about acknowledging the questions, the history and the parts of Harvey’s identity that remain unknown.
How his upbringing shaped his music
Harvey also connected the album’s themes to the environment in which he was raised.
The artist explained that he grew up largely surrounded by women on his mother’s side of the family. That upbringing, he believes, influenced the music he has created throughout his career.
“I grew up in a house with a lot of women. Yeah. And that’s my mom’s side, you know? And that’s what shaped the catalogue. All the albums that I put out,” he said.
For Harvey, much of his existing catalogue has therefore been shaped by the people and experiences he knew most closely.
Son of Elvis creates an opportunity to look in another direction — towards a family branch he has not experienced in the same way.
It’s not really about Elvis Presley
Interestingly, Harvey was also candid about his relationship with the legendary Elvis Presley.
Despite the title deliberately creating a Presley association, the South African artist admitted that he does not consider himself a major Elvis fan or someone who strongly identifies with the iconic musician.
When asked whether he sees himself in Presley, Harvey simply responded:
“I’m gonna be honest, like, I’m not.”
That honesty makes the title even more intriguing.
The Presley reference may attract immediate attention, but the real story behind Son of Elvis is far more personal. It is about a name, a father and an unexplored side of Harvey’s family history.
‘Son of Elvis’ becomes a journey of discovery
Rather than attempting to rewrite his past, Marcus Harvey appears to be using the album to acknowledge a part of his identity that has remained distant.
The project does not claim to provide a complete picture of his father’s side of the family. Instead, it opens a conversation around ancestry, absence and the possibility of discovering something that has remained unknown.
That makes Son of Elvis more than simply an album title.
For Harvey, it is an invitation to open a door — even if he is still figuring out what lies on the other side.
And while listeners may initially hear Son of Elvis and think of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Harvey’s explanation makes the title unmistakably his own.
Elvis is not just a legendary surname in this story. It is his father’s name.
