Singer. Songwriter. Producer. Remixer. Beatboxer. Label exec. Far East Movement 'hook boy.' Who exactly is Frankmusik? While the rest of the world continues to scratch its head, Frankmusik himself has got much bigger things to worry about. Like the imminent release of his sophomore album, Do it in the AM, which, if the online buzz is anything to go by, has a lot to answer to.
Frankmusik, born Vincent Turner, first started out as a beatboxer before getting signed to Island Records in 2007. He released his first EP back then, and his debut album, Complete Me, in 2009. For a while, things were looking good for the electro-pop crooner. His single, “Better Off as Two,” was climbing up the charts and he was opening for some of the biggest acts this side of the Atlantic, such as Keane and the Pet Shop Boys. A mere 3 months later, and Frank was nowhere to be seen. What went wrong?
When it all came down to it, Frankmusik had all the right ingredients for mainstream success. He was undeniably talented in several areas (aside from his phenomenal voice, he’s also a great songwriter/producer,) he had quite the material to go along with it (his underrated debut album still remains quite exceptional to this day,) and he was extremely marketable. But, as proven time and time again, the road to success isn’t as easy as it might seem. It’s actually anything but, no matter how talented you may be, and Frankmusik is, unfortunately, a testament to that.
The reasons behind his misfortunes aren’t very clear, but all signs point to mismanagement and questionable marketing on his label’s behalf. After Complete Me failed to make a proper impact, Island scrambled to find an alternative, which saw the release of Completely Me. The acoustic re-introduction to Frankmusik was, although born out of questionable motives, an absolute gem. Accompanied by a simple, yet effective piano backdrop, Frank’s voice finally had the opportunity to shine in it’s own right. But once again, shady label politics managed to overshadow sheer talent, and this release went mostly unnoticed. Despite this, Completely Me managed to reveal another side to Frankmusik. While Complete Me was full of brash, catchy hooks that only hinted at underlying emotional traumas, the acoustic spin on the album highlighted them, showing there’s much more to him than meets the eye.
Desperately looking for a fresh start, Frank made a risky move to Los Angeles, where he ended up getting signed to Cherrytree Records. Arguably the most prominent up-and-coming label to hit the scene, it was the perfect fit for Frankmusik, providing him with the utmost freedom to produce and write the music he saw fit. The move to LA also provided him with the opportunity to work with a multitude of talented musicians, such as Joe Jonas and label mate Colette Carr.
After a few months of recording and writing in La-La Land, Frank finally ended up with an album; Do it in the AM. Filled to the brim with infectious pop hooks balanced out with punchy, retrospective lyrics, AM seems like the record that will finally propel Frankmusik to the top. From the gritty, catchy buzz single, “The Fear Inside,” to the bounce-y, ‘80s inspired synth-pop of “No I.D,” to the emotional, pensive “Cut Me Down,” Do it in the AM is sure to cement Frankmusik’s status as one of the most innovative leading musicians of our time.
I recently had the opportunity to speak to Frankmusik on everything from his debut album, Complete Me, to his experiences working alongside everyone from Erasure to Joe Jonas to up-and-coming pop princess, Sky Ferreira. Check out the interview:
Free-Wired: Hey Frank! How are you?
Frankmusik: I’m good! I’m really good! What’s up?
Free-Wired: This and that! You’ve been a busy guy lately. You were recently on tour with Far East Movement?
Frankmusik: Yeah, it was in Germany. We went to Hamburg and Frankfurt. We did a couple of club nights for a couple of radio stations. It was fuckin’ awesome. Being on the road with those guys is always really good fun. We just do the gig and then we get drunk, and then we do it –
Free-Wired: In the AM? (laughs)
Frankmusik: (laughs) Do it in the AM, son!
Free-Wired: So, I gotta say, one thing I've constantly enjoyed about you is that you've been doing electro-pop since 2007, back when urban and rock were dominating the charts. Now, everyone and their mother is doing it, but it just bothers me that artists of your caliber aren't getting any credit.
Frankmusik: Well, I appreciate that. Now, you see, what everyone is doing is cool, you know? But I’d rather be doing this – just making my way up slowly than just going ‘boom!’ Which is the ‘in thing’ right now, but a year down the line, you’d be like “Who the fuck is this?” You know? But I had the luxury of producing Erasure’s new album, Vince Clarke, the pioneer, almost like one of the demigods of electronic pop music. I mean, I’m 25, and I’m producing this guy’s record. It’s crazy. But then, you get people saying “What happened to Frankmusik? What’s he doing?” I’ve been damn busy, that’s what I’ve been doing. I’m doing stuff that might not look like I’m furthering the Frankmusik brand, but I’m doing so many things in the background that are just tiding me over slowly, and comfortably, and steady. People don’t really look for the long term, and I’m trying to look for the long term.
Free-Wired: You’ve really been busy! You've been collaborating with Joe Jonas, Ellie Goulding, Simon Curtis. A lot of different artists, a lot of different sounds. How has that been like for you?
Frankmusik: It’s great! I love the fact that I’ve managed to be able to work with new, young, original artists and to see them fly the coop and go their own direction. It’s just been really, really great to be able to do lots of different things. I don’t limit myself with genre. I don’t limit myself in style of lyrics or arrangement. The more original, the better. That’s pretty much the best way I work; is when I’m doing my own project, then balancing it with working and producing and writing for other people as well.
Free-Wired: So how was it like working with Joe Jonas?
Frankmusik: Great guy! I wish I could work with him some more, but he’s a very busy, busy, busy chap, and so am I. He’s got great character, one of my favorite people that I’ve worked with in the studio. Very, very good nature, and great voice, great songwriter. So hopefully, you’ll be hearing his record real soon, and I’m really excited about it.
Free-Wired: It does sound exciting! So I gotta say, “American Dream” is Sky Ferreira’s best song. It’s just a very emotional record, even the production. It was just crazy.
Frankmusik: It was a moment captured in time. We wrote the song pretty quickly. We did that when we were in London, it was the only song we managed to get done while we were there. But I’m glad it could be that song. I’m just really glad to see her doing so well now.
Free-Wired: So let’s switch gears back to you. When can we expect to hear your single and album?
Frankmusik: Well, I mean, we are going to Germany right now. We’re gonna try and get me a release in Germany, just to mix it up a bit. I’d like to release it in England real soon, get that all moving forward. I’m open to suggestions as to where we release this, but I think you’re gonna hear stuff very soon, and seeing the video probably in the next month or so. I don’t know where, but with the Internet, it’ll be up in no time.
Free-Wired: Looking forward to that! So speaking of the different markets, something that really intrigues me is that you see all these American artists doing electro music, who aren't getting any success whatsoever in their home country, migrating to England, where, arguably, the music scene is much more acceptive of that kind of music. But you, you completely did the opposite, migrating to the lucrative American market, and I'd like to commend you on that. That was absolutely courageous on your end.
Frankmusik: Thank you, man. I appreciate that! I’m just a regular boy from Croydon, a little town in South London that’s pretty rubbish. I didn’t wanna, like, bury my life or anything. I just needed to have a fresh start, just to keep creative. Keep the story interesting, you know? Just move on. LA was a great place to start, and I’ve enjoyed my time there, some times I haven’t enjoyed so much. But I got plenty of work done there. I got an album out of it, I’m signed to Cherrytree Records/Interscope Recordings now. Things couldn’t really be much better for now.
Free-Wired: That’s great! So, on the topic of the album, it’s just you and Martin [Kierszenbaum] on production and writing duties, right?
Frankmusik: Yeah, that’s right. Cherry Cherry Boom Boom [Martin Kierszenbaum's stage name] all the way!
Free-Wired: So where do you find the inspiration to write and produce all these incredible records?
Frankmusik: I don’t like to just make songs up. I mean, most of my ex girlfriends hate me for using them as inspiration, but I gotta get something out of relationship, you know? ‘Cause it never works out, I’m always single in the end! So it’s my way of gaining something out of the situation. You know, every song that I’ve written is about one dumb bitch or another, and it’s just been great to exploit that. As much as they’ve hurt me, I can capture that, put it in a polaroid in the form of an mp3 for your pleasure.
Free-Wired: “Hate Your Love” is pretty much a prime example of that whole scenario.
Frankmusik: Oh, yeah. Totally. That was great, doing that record. Some people like it, some people don’t get it, but it’s just really good to collaborate with DIGIRAATII. They’re part of Killpop Records, which is my independent label I run with a friend of mine.
Free-Wired: I really like what you’re doing with Killpop. It’s just very futuristic, very efficient in the sense that, with all the online stuff you’re doing, that’s just the future of labels in my opinion.
Frankmusik: Yeah, I agree. With the label, I just wanted to gain control, you know? I just wish more people could gain control. I deal with so many fucking singers who are like “Oh, I wish I could produce my own music!” Well, fuckin’ do it, then! Stop talking about it and learn! Get a laptop, buy GarageBand, get busy, you know? Stop talking about it and save me the time.
Free-Wired: That’s very interesting to say, especially considering you’re on Cherrytree. That’s what I like about Martin. He just gives total creative control to his artists.
Frankmusik: Oh, totally. He gets involved, too. He’s got great taste, too. I love him to pieces. He’s the guy that believed in me. He signed me. But Martin can do this thing that not many A&R men can do, which is just get involved in the actual process. That doesn’t make him any better than anyone else, it just gives him a little angle that helps the situation move along quicker, you know?
Free-Wired: Yeah, with his production abilities, definitely. So your deal with Cherrytree just brought on a lot of collaborations with their artists. How’s the stuff with Colette Carr coming along?
Frankmusik: Oh, dude, it’s crazy! We’ve been writing some awesome stuff. I’m really excited about that record. It kind of reminds me of when I produced the Tinchy Stryder record. I’ve been given, like, the utmost freedom to do whatever the fuck I want. No one’s really kind of held me back. Colette’s very open, and yeah, we’ve had fun doing the rap. I’ve got her singing, singing and rapping, ‘rap-singing.’ All the productions are very different. Some tracks are slow, some tracks are dance-y, some tracks are like RedOne, some tracks are like me. It’s all over the place. It’s awesome.
Free-Wired: Sounds incredible! She’s on “No I.D.” off your album, too, right?
Frankmusik: Yeah, that’s right. And that’s the big track on the record. We’ve been working together for about six months now, and it’s just been – you know, freedom! I just love having the fucking freedom to just do what I want, and I’m lucky that I can.
Free-Wired: Aren’t you also producing her first single?
Frankmusik: Yeah, it’s a track called “Primo.” Really cool song that samples Keane, a song called “Somewhere Only We Know.” It’s a really dope song.
Free-Wired: I can’t wait for that! So Natalia Kills is on “No Champagne?”
Frankmusik: Yeah. That’s another big song. That’s the big ballad on the album. It’s kind of a love duet. I wrote the whole thing, but I thought it needed a female touch, and I was like “Well, Natalia’s doing her thing.” And I was using her friend, G., to direct the “Fear Inside” video, so I thought it would be a cool collabo thing, get her on, and just represent the label. Trying to help people out, just as Far East Movement helped me out.
Free-Wired: Do you have a favorite off her record?
Frankmusik: Yeah, “Wonderland.” Without any questions. I don’t know what it is about that record, but I just love it!
Free-Wired: How about on Do it in the AM? Do you have a favorite off Do it in the AM?
Frankmusik: On my record? Probably a track called “Cut Me Down.” The cool thing about that track is it’s – um, I got every woman, every important woman in my life to sing the hook at the end. That’s, like, my little sister, my manager, it’s my mom, it’s, like, all of my manager’s kids. It’s everyone that I knew and loved in my life, I got them to sing the hook and it was awesome.
Free-Wired: Can’t wait for that! My favorite track by you is “The Fear Inside.” Is that still making the album?
Frankmusik: Oh, yeah. That’s a Martin/Cherry Cherry Boom Boom collabo track that we did last year in London. We did that track, and we did another track called “Running,” which is like the sister track – they’re both kind of similar in style. I feel like there’s a lot of ‘twinsies’ kind of tracks on the album. I have, like, this one week of being in this one particular zone, into this one sound, so there’s a lot of tracks that are kind of like grouped.
Free-Wired: Cool! So I know this is a sore topic for you, but can we talk about Complete Me?
Frankmusik: Sure! We can talk about it. I like it. (laughs)
Free-Wired: I gotta say, that record was on a whole other level when it was first released, at least in my opinion.
Frankmusik: Thanks, man! It was me not knowing what the fuck I was doing. It was me figuring out who I was as an artist, who I was as a person. Figuring out what it was to be on a major record deal. Figuring out everything. I was heartbroken, completely torn to pieces, by someone at the time. I was wrapped up in guilt and pain, and wanting to be creative, and wanting to be famous, and all that dumb shit. And Complete Me was kind of like an unrestrained [makes an explosive gesture] of my fucked up mind. It was actually really fun to just get it all done on record and no one really said “Stop!” So what you got was me and Stuart Price just kind of going nuts in his studio, and you’re left with the result which was kind of very unruly but super creative, and super – Well, we thought it was original. I wasn’t a developed enough singer back then but I thought the songs were quirky, the production was original. We had our ups and downs, but we got there in the end.
Free-Wired: I definitely think you did! I do prefer some of the demos to the final mixes though.
Frankmusik: I agree. They’re more simple. There was, like, magic in the Frankisum EP that was missing, I feel, in a lot of the record. It was a great record – I love it, I’m proud of it - but I know what you mean. There was some energy that got taken away in those final versions. There was something nuts about the original versions which I kept. I know what you mean by that, definitely.
Free-Wired: Coming off of that, I was very, very excited when you released the Completely Me acoustic record. As much as I love the original record, these acoustic mixes just really made me appreciate the substance of the record – like, the lyrics – all the more. It just made me see how good of a songwriter you really are. Like, the “In Step” lyrics were absolutely mental. You couldn’t really make out some of them in the original form because of the immense synths and bass.
Frankmusik: Well, that was all about me predicting my future. I wrote the song about myself, which is always a weird thing to do, like, talking about yourself in a song. It was basically predicting my failure in the music career, instead of predicting any success. It was all just talking about how I was “try this,” and it probably wouldn’t work, and then I’d be, like, the guy bragging about how I used to have a record deal, but everyone else has moved on. I don’t give a shit anymore, but I’m still doing my thing. Slowly but surely, we’re making our ways to the top.
Free-Wired: That’s intense. I’ve never seen anyone write those type of songs before.
Frankmusik: No, and you probably won’t again. Not like that, anyways. I just – I get down on myself a lot, like, I’m my worst critic. I mean, what can I say? I don’t expect anything to come from this. I just do it ‘cause I love it. If people buy my music and they like it, then good job! The longer I can do this, the better. But it was all an accident, dude. I didn’t expect to be doing pop music. This was just something that was a hobby, so that tells you enough.
Free-Wired: So I’ve seen you live once – way back in 2009 at the HMV Milton Keynes. I vividly – strangely – remember the “Confusion Girl” acoustic performance you did there. I just remember that performance stayed with me after the show. There was so much emotion in that performance, in the lyrics.
Frankmusik: I didn’t have any songwriters on that album. I didn’t have anyone to help me. That was all unbridled emotion. It was just me venting, you know? I didn’t know what else to do. And the record label didn’t put me up with anyone. I said that I didn’t wanna write with anyone, this record was gonna be me. And that was it. If you didn’t want it to be me, then fuckin’ sign someone who is, like, some ‘doesn’t fuckin’ do anything’ band. Whatever. But I see Island Records as kind of a unique, iconic record label that signs iconic music rather than just regurgitated shite, so I felt proud to be part of that uniqueness.
Free-Wired: A fan favorite off the Free Frankmusik EPs is “Warrior.” Is there a chance of it, in full production form, making the album?
Frankmusik: We’ve spoken about it. But everything that got leaked on Free Frankmusik won’t be going on the album, because those tracks are, like, okay to me, the middle standard for me. I didn’t put anything amazing out there. “Warrior’s” a cool track. I actually did it with Martin, Cherry Cherry Boom Boom. He was kind of surprised that I just put his song out there for free, but he was cool about it, thank goodness. I mean, it’s a good track, but I don’t think I can get myself around to fully producing it. It’s got quite a weird context, though. “She love me like a warrior.” I just don’t really imagine a woman loving me like a warrior. (laughs)
Free-Wired: (laughs) That’s what makes it so good, though! It’s unconventional. So I hear you’ve cut a few demos for Nelly Furtado.
Frankmusik: Yeah, I did do a few demos for Nelly Furtado. She didn’t like ‘em, but whatever. But I think, like, after I heard the original version of one of the songs I had to re-produce for her, it was like – You know what? She was doing a reggae thing, while I was trying to make her sound like Robyn. So it wasn’t really kind of working.
Free-Wired. It’s her loss.
Frankmusik: I’m cool! I’m chill with it. I pitch a lot of things, and a lot of the times, it’s too out there, or it’s not the right look, or blah blah blah. So I just like to work with people who really do use my shit to start off with instead of, like, me having to fight to get them to use it. I can’t be fucked with that.
Free-Wired: That makes sense. So I’m particularly excited for the Simon Curtis and Joe Jonas stuff.
Frankmusik: Actually, I don’t know if the Joe Jonas stuff I did is gonna make the album, but we had great fun doing it and it was awesome. Me and Simon need to get back in the studio again at some point. I’d like to work with him again real soon. We just scratched the surface when we worked together. We didn’t really get enough time. Though we did do a really, really cute ballad and we did sort of start a real dance-y number, but I think we need to, like, jump in and – Actually, I wanna do a collaboration with him and Ro Danishei just for the hell of it.
Free-Wired: They’re both really great! So how does Do it in the AM compare to Complete Me, sound-wise?
Frankmusik: It’s a different record, I’ll give you the heads up. I mean, you’re looking at me in a completely different place now, internally and externally. I was in London and I didn’t know what I was doing. I was just starting out and there was a real rawness to that record. This new record has got a bit more finesse to it. It’s got a bit of an American twang to it, ‘cause fuck it; I’m in America. What do you expect? Complete Me had a bit of that London, kind of edgy, alternative feel to it. So I’ve tried to progress; I’ve finessed the songwriting, the songs are a lot more punchy. They’re a bit more concise. So when people are gonna say it isn’t me, “Frankmusik sold out,” I’ll just say “No, Frankmusik got more fucking concise,” and they can suck a dick.
Free-Wired: It’s natural for artists to evolve, though. Both artistically and as a person. It’s a natural progression, you know? One more question for you, I heard you worked with Kate Nash. Any truth to that?
Frankmusik: No. It never happened. I wrote a really cool song for her but we never fucking recorded it. It’s so annoying. She would’ve been awesome on this track that I wrote for her. It was called “Stop Between You,” and it was really fun to write it. Never happened, though.
Free-Wired: Hey Frank! How are you?
Frankmusik: I’m good! I’m really good! What’s up?
Free-Wired: This and that! You’ve been a busy guy lately. You were recently on tour with Far East Movement?
Frankmusik: Yeah, it was in Germany. We went to Hamburg and Frankfurt. We did a couple of club nights for a couple of radio stations. It was fuckin’ awesome. Being on the road with those guys is always really good fun. We just do the gig and then we get drunk, and then we do it –
Free-Wired: In the AM? (laughs)
Frankmusik: (laughs) Do it in the AM, son!
Free-Wired: So, I gotta say, one thing I've constantly enjoyed about you is that you've been doing electro-pop since 2007, back when urban and rock were dominating the charts. Now, everyone and their mother is doing it, but it just bothers me that artists of your caliber aren't getting any credit.
Frankmusik: Well, I appreciate that. Now, you see, what everyone is doing is cool, you know? But I’d rather be doing this – just making my way up slowly than just going ‘boom!’ Which is the ‘in thing’ right now, but a year down the line, you’d be like “Who the fuck is this?” You know? But I had the luxury of producing Erasure’s new album, Vince Clarke, the pioneer, almost like one of the demigods of electronic pop music. I mean, I’m 25, and I’m producing this guy’s record. It’s crazy. But then, you get people saying “What happened to Frankmusik? What’s he doing?” I’ve been damn busy, that’s what I’ve been doing. I’m doing stuff that might not look like I’m furthering the Frankmusik brand, but I’m doing so many things in the background that are just tiding me over slowly, and comfortably, and steady. People don’t really look for the long term, and I’m trying to look for the long term.
Free-Wired: You’ve really been busy! You've been collaborating with Joe Jonas, Ellie Goulding, Simon Curtis. A lot of different artists, a lot of different sounds. How has that been like for you?
Frankmusik: It’s great! I love the fact that I’ve managed to be able to work with new, young, original artists and to see them fly the coop and go their own direction. It’s just been really, really great to be able to do lots of different things. I don’t limit myself with genre. I don’t limit myself in style of lyrics or arrangement. The more original, the better. That’s pretty much the best way I work; is when I’m doing my own project, then balancing it with working and producing and writing for other people as well.
Free-Wired: So how was it like working with Joe Jonas?
Frankmusik: Great guy! I wish I could work with him some more, but he’s a very busy, busy, busy chap, and so am I. He’s got great character, one of my favorite people that I’ve worked with in the studio. Very, very good nature, and great voice, great songwriter. So hopefully, you’ll be hearing his record real soon, and I’m really excited about it.
Free-Wired: It does sound exciting! So I gotta say, “American Dream” is Sky Ferreira’s best song. It’s just a very emotional record, even the production. It was just crazy.
Frankmusik: It was a moment captured in time. We wrote the song pretty quickly. We did that when we were in London, it was the only song we managed to get done while we were there. But I’m glad it could be that song. I’m just really glad to see her doing so well now.
Free-Wired: So let’s switch gears back to you. When can we expect to hear your single and album?
Frankmusik: Well, I mean, we are going to Germany right now. We’re gonna try and get me a release in Germany, just to mix it up a bit. I’d like to release it in England real soon, get that all moving forward. I’m open to suggestions as to where we release this, but I think you’re gonna hear stuff very soon, and seeing the video probably in the next month or so. I don’t know where, but with the Internet, it’ll be up in no time.
Free-Wired: Looking forward to that! So speaking of the different markets, something that really intrigues me is that you see all these American artists doing electro music, who aren't getting any success whatsoever in their home country, migrating to England, where, arguably, the music scene is much more acceptive of that kind of music. But you, you completely did the opposite, migrating to the lucrative American market, and I'd like to commend you on that. That was absolutely courageous on your end.
Frankmusik: Thank you, man. I appreciate that! I’m just a regular boy from Croydon, a little town in South London that’s pretty rubbish. I didn’t wanna, like, bury my life or anything. I just needed to have a fresh start, just to keep creative. Keep the story interesting, you know? Just move on. LA was a great place to start, and I’ve enjoyed my time there, some times I haven’t enjoyed so much. But I got plenty of work done there. I got an album out of it, I’m signed to Cherrytree Records/Interscope Recordings now. Things couldn’t really be much better for now.
Free-Wired: That’s great! So, on the topic of the album, it’s just you and Martin [Kierszenbaum] on production and writing duties, right?
Frankmusik: Yeah, that’s right. Cherry Cherry Boom Boom [Martin Kierszenbaum's stage name] all the way!
Free-Wired: So where do you find the inspiration to write and produce all these incredible records?
Frankmusik: I don’t like to just make songs up. I mean, most of my ex girlfriends hate me for using them as inspiration, but I gotta get something out of relationship, you know? ‘Cause it never works out, I’m always single in the end! So it’s my way of gaining something out of the situation. You know, every song that I’ve written is about one dumb bitch or another, and it’s just been great to exploit that. As much as they’ve hurt me, I can capture that, put it in a polaroid in the form of an mp3 for your pleasure.
Free-Wired: “Hate Your Love” is pretty much a prime example of that whole scenario.
Frankmusik: Oh, yeah. Totally. That was great, doing that record. Some people like it, some people don’t get it, but it’s just really good to collaborate with DIGIRAATII. They’re part of Killpop Records, which is my independent label I run with a friend of mine.
Free-Wired: I really like what you’re doing with Killpop. It’s just very futuristic, very efficient in the sense that, with all the online stuff you’re doing, that’s just the future of labels in my opinion.
Frankmusik: Yeah, I agree. With the label, I just wanted to gain control, you know? I just wish more people could gain control. I deal with so many fucking singers who are like “Oh, I wish I could produce my own music!” Well, fuckin’ do it, then! Stop talking about it and learn! Get a laptop, buy GarageBand, get busy, you know? Stop talking about it and save me the time.
Free-Wired: That’s very interesting to say, especially considering you’re on Cherrytree. That’s what I like about Martin. He just gives total creative control to his artists.
Frankmusik: Oh, totally. He gets involved, too. He’s got great taste, too. I love him to pieces. He’s the guy that believed in me. He signed me. But Martin can do this thing that not many A&R men can do, which is just get involved in the actual process. That doesn’t make him any better than anyone else, it just gives him a little angle that helps the situation move along quicker, you know?
Free-Wired: Yeah, with his production abilities, definitely. So your deal with Cherrytree just brought on a lot of collaborations with their artists. How’s the stuff with Colette Carr coming along?
Frankmusik: Oh, dude, it’s crazy! We’ve been writing some awesome stuff. I’m really excited about that record. It kind of reminds me of when I produced the Tinchy Stryder record. I’ve been given, like, the utmost freedom to do whatever the fuck I want. No one’s really kind of held me back. Colette’s very open, and yeah, we’ve had fun doing the rap. I’ve got her singing, singing and rapping, ‘rap-singing.’ All the productions are very different. Some tracks are slow, some tracks are dance-y, some tracks are like RedOne, some tracks are like me. It’s all over the place. It’s awesome.
Free-Wired: Sounds incredible! She’s on “No I.D.” off your album, too, right?
Frankmusik: Yeah, that’s right. And that’s the big track on the record. We’ve been working together for about six months now, and it’s just been – you know, freedom! I just love having the fucking freedom to just do what I want, and I’m lucky that I can.
Free-Wired: Aren’t you also producing her first single?
Frankmusik: Yeah, it’s a track called “Primo.” Really cool song that samples Keane, a song called “Somewhere Only We Know.” It’s a really dope song.
Free-Wired: I can’t wait for that! So Natalia Kills is on “No Champagne?”
Frankmusik: Yeah. That’s another big song. That’s the big ballad on the album. It’s kind of a love duet. I wrote the whole thing, but I thought it needed a female touch, and I was like “Well, Natalia’s doing her thing.” And I was using her friend, G., to direct the “Fear Inside” video, so I thought it would be a cool collabo thing, get her on, and just represent the label. Trying to help people out, just as Far East Movement helped me out.
Free-Wired: Do you have a favorite off her record?
Frankmusik: Yeah, “Wonderland.” Without any questions. I don’t know what it is about that record, but I just love it!
Free-Wired: How about on Do it in the AM? Do you have a favorite off Do it in the AM?
Frankmusik: On my record? Probably a track called “Cut Me Down.” The cool thing about that track is it’s – um, I got every woman, every important woman in my life to sing the hook at the end. That’s, like, my little sister, my manager, it’s my mom, it’s, like, all of my manager’s kids. It’s everyone that I knew and loved in my life, I got them to sing the hook and it was awesome.
Free-Wired: Can’t wait for that! My favorite track by you is “The Fear Inside.” Is that still making the album?
Frankmusik: Oh, yeah. That’s a Martin/Cherry Cherry Boom Boom collabo track that we did last year in London. We did that track, and we did another track called “Running,” which is like the sister track – they’re both kind of similar in style. I feel like there’s a lot of ‘twinsies’ kind of tracks on the album. I have, like, this one week of being in this one particular zone, into this one sound, so there’s a lot of tracks that are kind of like grouped.
Free-Wired: Cool! So I know this is a sore topic for you, but can we talk about Complete Me?
Frankmusik: Sure! We can talk about it. I like it. (laughs)
Free-Wired: I gotta say, that record was on a whole other level when it was first released, at least in my opinion.
Frankmusik: Thanks, man! It was me not knowing what the fuck I was doing. It was me figuring out who I was as an artist, who I was as a person. Figuring out what it was to be on a major record deal. Figuring out everything. I was heartbroken, completely torn to pieces, by someone at the time. I was wrapped up in guilt and pain, and wanting to be creative, and wanting to be famous, and all that dumb shit. And Complete Me was kind of like an unrestrained [makes an explosive gesture] of my fucked up mind. It was actually really fun to just get it all done on record and no one really said “Stop!” So what you got was me and Stuart Price just kind of going nuts in his studio, and you’re left with the result which was kind of very unruly but super creative, and super – Well, we thought it was original. I wasn’t a developed enough singer back then but I thought the songs were quirky, the production was original. We had our ups and downs, but we got there in the end.
Free-Wired: I definitely think you did! I do prefer some of the demos to the final mixes though.
Frankmusik: I agree. They’re more simple. There was, like, magic in the Frankisum EP that was missing, I feel, in a lot of the record. It was a great record – I love it, I’m proud of it - but I know what you mean. There was some energy that got taken away in those final versions. There was something nuts about the original versions which I kept. I know what you mean by that, definitely.
Free-Wired: Coming off of that, I was very, very excited when you released the Completely Me acoustic record. As much as I love the original record, these acoustic mixes just really made me appreciate the substance of the record – like, the lyrics – all the more. It just made me see how good of a songwriter you really are. Like, the “In Step” lyrics were absolutely mental. You couldn’t really make out some of them in the original form because of the immense synths and bass.
Frankmusik: Well, that was all about me predicting my future. I wrote the song about myself, which is always a weird thing to do, like, talking about yourself in a song. It was basically predicting my failure in the music career, instead of predicting any success. It was all just talking about how I was “try this,” and it probably wouldn’t work, and then I’d be, like, the guy bragging about how I used to have a record deal, but everyone else has moved on. I don’t give a shit anymore, but I’m still doing my thing. Slowly but surely, we’re making our ways to the top.
Free-Wired: That’s intense. I’ve never seen anyone write those type of songs before.
Frankmusik: No, and you probably won’t again. Not like that, anyways. I just – I get down on myself a lot, like, I’m my worst critic. I mean, what can I say? I don’t expect anything to come from this. I just do it ‘cause I love it. If people buy my music and they like it, then good job! The longer I can do this, the better. But it was all an accident, dude. I didn’t expect to be doing pop music. This was just something that was a hobby, so that tells you enough.
Free-Wired: So I’ve seen you live once – way back in 2009 at the HMV Milton Keynes. I vividly – strangely – remember the “Confusion Girl” acoustic performance you did there. I just remember that performance stayed with me after the show. There was so much emotion in that performance, in the lyrics.
Frankmusik: I didn’t have any songwriters on that album. I didn’t have anyone to help me. That was all unbridled emotion. It was just me venting, you know? I didn’t know what else to do. And the record label didn’t put me up with anyone. I said that I didn’t wanna write with anyone, this record was gonna be me. And that was it. If you didn’t want it to be me, then fuckin’ sign someone who is, like, some ‘doesn’t fuckin’ do anything’ band. Whatever. But I see Island Records as kind of a unique, iconic record label that signs iconic music rather than just regurgitated shite, so I felt proud to be part of that uniqueness.
Free-Wired: A fan favorite off the Free Frankmusik EPs is “Warrior.” Is there a chance of it, in full production form, making the album?
Frankmusik: We’ve spoken about it. But everything that got leaked on Free Frankmusik won’t be going on the album, because those tracks are, like, okay to me, the middle standard for me. I didn’t put anything amazing out there. “Warrior’s” a cool track. I actually did it with Martin, Cherry Cherry Boom Boom. He was kind of surprised that I just put his song out there for free, but he was cool about it, thank goodness. I mean, it’s a good track, but I don’t think I can get myself around to fully producing it. It’s got quite a weird context, though. “She love me like a warrior.” I just don’t really imagine a woman loving me like a warrior. (laughs)
Free-Wired: (laughs) That’s what makes it so good, though! It’s unconventional. So I hear you’ve cut a few demos for Nelly Furtado.
Frankmusik: Yeah, I did do a few demos for Nelly Furtado. She didn’t like ‘em, but whatever. But I think, like, after I heard the original version of one of the songs I had to re-produce for her, it was like – You know what? She was doing a reggae thing, while I was trying to make her sound like Robyn. So it wasn’t really kind of working.
Free-Wired. It’s her loss.
Frankmusik: I’m cool! I’m chill with it. I pitch a lot of things, and a lot of the times, it’s too out there, or it’s not the right look, or blah blah blah. So I just like to work with people who really do use my shit to start off with instead of, like, me having to fight to get them to use it. I can’t be fucked with that.
Free-Wired: That makes sense. So I’m particularly excited for the Simon Curtis and Joe Jonas stuff.
Frankmusik: Actually, I don’t know if the Joe Jonas stuff I did is gonna make the album, but we had great fun doing it and it was awesome. Me and Simon need to get back in the studio again at some point. I’d like to work with him again real soon. We just scratched the surface when we worked together. We didn’t really get enough time. Though we did do a really, really cute ballad and we did sort of start a real dance-y number, but I think we need to, like, jump in and – Actually, I wanna do a collaboration with him and Ro Danishei just for the hell of it.
Free-Wired: They’re both really great! So how does Do it in the AM compare to Complete Me, sound-wise?
Frankmusik: It’s a different record, I’ll give you the heads up. I mean, you’re looking at me in a completely different place now, internally and externally. I was in London and I didn’t know what I was doing. I was just starting out and there was a real rawness to that record. This new record has got a bit more finesse to it. It’s got a bit of an American twang to it, ‘cause fuck it; I’m in America. What do you expect? Complete Me had a bit of that London, kind of edgy, alternative feel to it. So I’ve tried to progress; I’ve finessed the songwriting, the songs are a lot more punchy. They’re a bit more concise. So when people are gonna say it isn’t me, “Frankmusik sold out,” I’ll just say “No, Frankmusik got more fucking concise,” and they can suck a dick.
Free-Wired: It’s natural for artists to evolve, though. Both artistically and as a person. It’s a natural progression, you know? One more question for you, I heard you worked with Kate Nash. Any truth to that?
Frankmusik: No. It never happened. I wrote a really cool song for her but we never fucking recorded it. It’s so annoying. She would’ve been awesome on this track that I wrote for her. It was called “Stop Between You,” and it was really fun to write it. Never happened, though.
Fucking love this article!