An Interview with Pop Singer-Songwriter, FRANKIE!

On the 23-year-old pop singer-songwriter Frankie’s latest single and opening track of her debut EP, “Dreamstate”, “New Obsession”, she coos- “Just let me be your new obsession”.

Frankie is LA’s newest, fresh-faced, fun-lovin’ music sensation. Despite the fact that she claims her latest single, “New Obsession,” was written with a playful tongue-in-cheek vibe, to her rapidly growing fan base, that’s exactly what she is.

Learn more about Frankie in the following All Access interview:

Can you remember the moment that you wanted to be a performer? Has it been something that you have always wanted to do?

I’ve been performing always…whether it was in front of my parents singing Phantom of the Opera at age 3 or copying dance moves of Spice Girls with my cousins and making our family watch. But it never really hit me that I was a “performer” just because I’ve literally been doing it my whole life. In high school I would perform around the Bay Area at different little gigs singing original songs and was always in the school musicals so it’s been in my blood forever but now I get to say I do it full time which is wonderful 🙂

I have read that you and your cousin wrote over 300 songs in high school! What were they about? Can you describe your songwriting process back then? How was it changed?

Oh man! (Laughter) We would write our faces off…let’s just say not all of them were good but we still kept on trekking… Maya and I just had the same mentality when it came to writing where we literally could not end a day without writing a song or attempting to write a song and then call each other up and share. All the songs we would write were about our awkward teenage years…boys, friends, growing up and using songs as a way to figure out who we were without sounding super cheesy. Fun times…I’ll whip out one of those old songs one day for giggles.

Do you ever regret that you went to college right after high school or are you glad that your mom made you go? You ending up meeting fellow music-nerd Petros Anastos-Prastacos at school, right?

I’m so glad my mom made me go….(I’m sure she is smiling from ear to ear reading this) I’m glad because, of course, I met my best friend and musical partner Petros. We just click and challenge each other musically which I have found to be super rare and we both understand and encourage our weird songwriting and production ideas which is nice. I also have a music degree which I’m happy I got from college… I’m a music nerd and love constantly learning new instruments so all in all it was meant to be.

How was SXSW this year? Was it your first time performing there?

Yes, it was my first time attending and performing! It was sooooo much fun and crazy and exhausting all at the same time. a whirlwind for sure. Amazing crowds at the shows and people were so supportive which was so nice and I was personally so inspired by the musicians I saw so it was such a blast. AND THE FOOD. Also my band and I had a house and watched the 3 Ninjas and played Space Team on our phones… so there’s that too. I can’t wait to go back.

You just released your debut EP, “DreamState” a couple months ago. What are some of your favorite songs on it or some songs that you are most excited to share with the world?

I feel so happy with the body of work as a whole. Petros and I are total album listening kinds of people and appreciate that journey that an album can take a listener on so I’m stoked for people to hear the whole thing start to finish and get a taste of what’s to come in the future. I’m nervous and excited for people to hear “Chaos” which is the last song on the album because it’s just me, simple piano, and a ton of background vocals and I have nowhere to hide…it’s the stripped down tune as well as a personal song that I wrote. I think the fans of “Problems Problems” will dig it. (Hopefully) and then I’m super excited for people to hear “Gold” because it’s just a party song and my personal favorite to play live. 🙂

Your “BlackOut” video looks like it was fun to make. Did you have plenty of creative freedom to make it?

Oh my baby “Blackout”… Yes, that was so much fun. One of my favorite days ever. It was my first music video ever and had such a small budget and ran around LA on a spontaneous long spring day. Those girls in the video are my best friends and super rad chicks… We’re the tom boys of the world and that was totally a day in the life of us during the hot days. And we were jacked up on ice cream soooo ya it was a blast.

Your EP was mastered by Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound (Katy Perry, Betty Who, Lupe Fiasco) and mixed by Petros and Chris Zane (Passion Pit, RAC). What was it like getting to work with such influential people?

So crazy how that all worked out….I mean the fact that those guys were on board was such an honor. I appreciate their work so much and for them to share their talent with me was so flattering. Obviously they kicked ass and their hard work just took the EP to a whole new level so I couldn’t be happier.

You have been quoted as saying, “I want to bridge together the sound of women from the ’70s, like Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell, with women from the ’90s, like Alanis Morissette and The Spice Girls.” Can you elaborate on this? Are those musicians that have consistently inspired you and your music?

Yes girl power forever. It was just such an interesting mix of women that took over my brain as a child. My mom controlled the radio with these power house 70’s singer songwriters and then I would come home and turn on the TV to over the top in your face pop music of the 90’s. Both so inspiring to me in different ways and I think there is a cool bridge between them which subconsciously makes up my tunes. Production and choruses are over the top somewhat but when I strip the songs down on guitar or piano it’s just me and my words confessing something to you. Dance but really listen at the same time.

Living or dead, who would you love to work with and why?

Stevie Nicks. Boom. I’ll follow her forever and I just want to dance with her on stage with matching tambourines. She exudes confidence but at the same time her songs are so vulnerable. She’s been with me my whole life influencing me so I can’t not say her.

What message would you like listeners to pick up from listening to your music?

Tough question…just acceptance I suppose. I want to create a relationship. Genres are merging in music today, more collaborations are happening and I feel like peoples ears are expanding and accepting of hearing new music so it’s a really exciting time to be an artist. I just want people to listen to my music and if they need someone to cry with I am there or if they need someone to dance with I am there. I’m going to keep writing songs the same way I did when I was a teenager and I want to create a bond with my listeners to show that we are in it together because that’s what matters to me. They are the yin to my yang.

Is there anything else that you would like people to know about you?

Hmmm… Every night I spend 15 minutes browsing Netflix trying to pick the perfect movie to watch and once I pick it after the first 10 minutes I give up and go back to watching Friends. Which I have seen 45 times. Like the whole series. like. all. the. episodes….sad. had to get that off my chest.

 Where can fans come check you out live next? 

So many shows announced so soon hang tight!!!! Can’t wait to dance with you!!!!