Blending old school Funk, Disco and even R’n’B into her music, Yorkshire singer Franky creates refreshing and catchy pop music, that you just can’t resist singing along to. Hailed as the next Charli XCX, she’s recently released her second single Follow My Lead, so we caught up with her to talk about the story behind it, what’s coming up this year and how a Spice Girls song and a £10 piano helped launch her career as the next big thing in pop…
Hi Franky! Can you tell us what inspired you to become a singer songwriter?
I’ve just always loved it so much when I was around five years old I entered myself for a talent comp on a family holiday, I performed Stop Right Now by the Spice Girls with a full dance routine and won! My parents didn’t even know I knew the words or anything! So I just always loved to perform, but then when I was around 14 I bought my first piano from eBay for £10! Haha, it had seen better days but that’s when I started to learn the fun of creating melodies and lyrics too!
Growing up who were your musical influences?
This is such a hard question because I’ve been through so many musical stages like when I was tiny I loved Aqua and Spice Girls so very, very non serious pop! Then as I got older I went through an R’n’B stage where I loved Destiny’s Child and Cassie etc. and then went through a stage of liking Wheatus, Avril Lavigne and Nelly Furtado and then through a stage of loving rave music – so genuinely the biggest mix of genres ever! However, through it all my parents have always played 80’s music in the house, or at family parties it’s always been 80’s, 90’s and disco and that’s actually what’s sub consciously ended up inspiring my music the most!
You’re not just a singer and songwriter but also a DJ, how do you channel your creativity into both and does your work as a DJ ever influencer your song writing?
I play disco influenced house in my DJ sets and I find it so useful to see what makes a crowd tick, so I can use that as much as possible on the music I write in the studio too! It’s nice they both have old school elements whether it’s in the studio or on the decks, but one with a house twist and one with a pop. They both help expand what I know and actually inspire each other, plus I love doing them both so much!
Your music beautifully blends a mix of genres, but how would you describe your style?
I would describe the production as 80’s/ disco influenced yet the toplines are inspired by anthemic pop hooks. I love to write music that crowds can sing and dance along to, so mixing these two styles has helped me achieve just that!
You recently released your debut single Follow My Lead (which we love BTW) what’s the story behind the song?
Whilst working towards music I’ve done every job thinkable and along the way have come across so many people, who either want to get away from the job they are in, but never dared take the chance, or always had some reason why they didn’t do something else. Then there’s been other people like me with big dreams trying to make them happen even if they seemed “unrealistic”, whilst working in a job they don’t particularly like, in the meantime to be able to fund themselves! So [the line] “this one’s for us” is a shout out to those people grinding and working so hard, bending the rules to do something different and not being afraid of taking a risk even though it’s a struggle, cause if that risk pays off it will be glorious!! I also hope the song might inspire some people to get out there and go for what they want if they’ve been scared to before. The best quote I ever heard was “You have your whole life to do a job you hate, so you might as well take a chance on doing something you love” and I just believe that so much!
Listen for Follow My Lead:
If you had to give young women one piece of advice what would it be?
Be kind, but don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself. Work hard, but make sure you take care of yourself. Don’t keep toxic people or situations in your life. Do what makes you happy and if something doesn’t feel right it usually isn’t, so trust your gut. Learn as much as you can and be the person you aspire to be and make the most of everyday!
When can we expect to hear more music from you? Is there an album on the horizon?
So far there’s no plan of an album, however I do have new music lined up ready to go that I’m super excited about! So expect more singles in the horizon and collabs!
What does the rest of 2020 look like for you?
So far it’s an uncertain time for everyone, so I can’t even see what the next month is gonna be like but hopefully when we all come through this pandemic together it’s full of happy memories for everyone! For me, personally I have amazing collabs, singles and DJ sets to look forward to and I can’t wait for you to hear them all!
