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The Comeback Kid: Catching up with Young Franco

5 December 2016 | 10:03 pm | Lauren Payne

We chat with rising Brisbane producer Young Franco, as he gears up for a massive 2017 with a national headline tour and more.

Young Franco first broke out on the dance music scene when he released his debut EP Futurefunk. We've been fans of him ever since here at Purple Sneakers, and it's been a thrill to watch him go from fresh-faced to seasoned producer and performer.

Now, after a solid three years of touring and writing, Young Franco is one of the most in-demand producers Australia has got and luckily, that hasn't changed him one bit.

"I think people get caught up in the pressure of it all," he explains over the phone. We were discussing how hard it is to see producers who have so much talent just disappear or give up on their dreams if their music doesn't reach the audience they need it to. "At the end of the day, you just need to be yourself and do what you love to do."

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Young Franco has never deviated from his dreams, having put his studies on hold to pursue music and become a producer full-time. This can be a tough choice for some, but he says that to him, it was a choice that was easy to make because he simply loves what he does. "I get a lot of satisfaction from this. From working on something and releasing it," he said, reflecting on his most recent release, 'Miss You'.

The deep beat, light vocals and vibrant samples all come together to create something that feels as refreshing as a swim in a cool pool. Kind of fitting since summer has only just rolled around. Young Franco says that even now, years after his debut EP, he still gets nervous when it's time to release a new project, saying, "It's just a little bit stressful but also exciting. You're stressed, you're nervous but you're also excited, it's everything because you're putting your baby out."

"Every time you always put a bit of pressure on yourself and when you're listening to a song yourself, it's always a bit nerve racking to see this baby go out."

Because he's referring to his songs as his babies, you can clearly see that he takes pride in his work. He takes extra care when writing his songs, focusing on every little element of the piece before its released, which is why we can go a while without hearing anything from him. "I feel like I still need to put in the work," he says.

Some would think that because of his success, that he would be better off releasing music constantly, but as they say, Rome wasn't built in a day. "It's nice to know people are into my music but it's not like a crazy big thing," he reflected, as he prefers to constantly experiment with his sound and grow each time he releases a new track. "I do like experimenting with different things and my style and my taste has changed. Even just as a person I've changed so much and I love it!"

He's taking time out to write at the moment after returning from a lengthy stint in Europe, "I did spend the last little while writing again and I've got some stuff I'm really happy with. I go through these modes when I'm in writing mode, then touring mode and right now I'm in writing mode." But, come January, he'll be back in touring mode thanks to his joint national tour with UV BOI. The tour will start in Adelaide on January 13 and then continue through Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane before finishing up in Perth on January 27. This is the first time the boys have gone on tour together, but it has no doubt been in the works for a while because they're basically inseparable when they're in the same city.

The last time we spoke, the young producer said he loved the Flight Facilities' live experience. But what does he think makes a great live experience? "The whole package! Like the stage presence, the lighting and just everything." Although he still loves a good Flight Facilities show, there are plenty of other artists that he thinks are creating wonderful live shows for audiences, "Kilter spent heaps of time getting a jazz piano  and a drummer and I think there's no real formula, but some people just have it you know?"

So who does he think has it at the moment? "Kilter, Mura Masa always has a good show, Rufus...I've already said Kilter haven't I?" He laughed.

The Young Franco live experience is always entrancing. As he plays your favourite tracks, you can dance the night away and get lost in the melodies as they take over your body. His shows always have a fantastic lighting display and his energy is infectious. If he's dancing behind those decks, you can't help but dance along with him. On his upcoming tour, he said that he and UV Boi will be aiming for a friendly atmosphere.

But the friendships doesn't stop at the two of them, with the producer hinting there will be more coming on board. "Yeah, we haven't announced it yet but we have some supports that are going to be announced."

"They're all Australian supports, they're friends and just people we really like. People who just do good things for the show really."

He says that it's really important to support upcoming artists who have a real talent for musical production and also make friends with other people in the industry.

So after a tour with UV Boi, what comes next for Young Franco?

"I'm still not sure if I'm going to release something as my next song or my EP. At the moment I'm just happy writing and once I have this time, I can come back and decide what I want to do with it."

We're keen for that!

Catch Young Franco on tour with UV Boi in January 2017 and in the meantime, listen back to his releases and hear how he has grown and become such an incredible artist!

YOUNG FRANCO & UV BOI NATIONAL TOUR

Friday Jan 13 - Fat Controller, Adelaide

Friday Jan 20 - 170 Russell, Melbourne

Saturday Jan 21 - Metro Theatre, Sydney

Wednesday Jan 25 - The Triffid, Brisbane

Friday Jan 27 - Villa, Perth

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Words by Lauren Payne

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