Congratulations on the release of your latest single “Slowly”!
Tell us more about it, what inspired you to record this new song? What’s the main message you intend to convey through it?
Great question! Well when I started making music, my songs were just a way to express the heartache I had experienced. As time went on and I grew more as an artist (and a person), I started being more open to and appreciative of “the brighter side of life”, so to speak. So a lot of my music began to reflect things like my confidence and the fun aspect of romance. That’s really what I wanted to capture with “Slowly”, the beginning stages of love where it’s fun and light and you don’t want to rush into things.
We’d love to know more about your collaboration with A. Slay and N-amouR. How did you choose these artists? Did you encounter any challenges during the recording process?
No, no challenges whatsoever! I met A.Slay on instagram, actually, and really liked her music and her whole energy as an artist and entrepreneur. I knew I wanted to collaborate with her as soon as we met, but I had to wait for the right song to come along. I sent her a demo with the idea I had, and she sent me a reference back that made the hook 10 times better! So we just went from there. N-amouR is a bit of a different story. He’s not only a DJ, but an engineer who has mixed, mastered, and co-produced a lot of my songs. His part in “Slowly” actually came along because I asked him for references for some background vocals or ad-libs that I could add, but I liked his tone so much that I thought it should be his voice on the track.
Which artists have influenced you the most and why?
Oooo this is a tough one because it’s a long list! But I’ll try to keep it concise haha. First up would have to be Eminem. I don’t think there’s much similarity in our styles or subject matter, but the way he manipulates the English language to make words rhyme has been so influential to me. Next up, I would have to say Linkin Park. Before I came across them, all of my friends would kind of segment people into “rap kids” or “rock kids”. I couldn’t really grasp combining different genres like hip hop and rock. That band really opened my eyes to not being pigeon- holed into one sonic box. Another huge one would be Romeo Santos, former lead singer of bachata group Aventura. Similar to Linkin Park combining genres, Aventura combined cultures in a way I hadn’t heard before. My life was very much divided between my Dominican upbringing and my American social circle. Once I heard Aventura fuse both I was mind-blown! All these different influences made me realize there’s a space to express all aspects of who I am. Or at least, if there wasn’t a space, they gave me the confidence to make one.
We’ve noticed that you enjoy mixing up vibes in your music, how would you define your own sonic aesthetics?
I’ll be honest, describing or defining my sound is something I’ve had a problem with since I started haha. Some people consider me a rapper or a singer, depending on the song. I don’t really consider myself a singer though. Like Hoodie Allen said, “I just rap pretty”. But if I had to settle on ONE sentence, it would be something like “bilingual artist who blends hip hop, rock, and latin rhythms into a cohesive sound”. Yeah, I think that sums it up!
What’s next for Frandie?
My main focus right now is the Deluxe Edition of my project “Twosday”. I released multiple volumes of “Twosday” during the pandemic, and I thought it would be a great idea to put them all in one place, along with some remixes and re-imaginings of songs my fans already enjoy. It’ll be a fun way to push my sound even further, so I’m looking forward to people hearing some of the ideas I have up my sleeve. I also love developing the concepts for my music videos, so folks should definitely be on the lookout for more visuals coming out of the “Twosday” collection.
Thank You!
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