MusicsWeek: How did you get started in music?
Frankie 503: I started off doing music at a very young age taking choir, guitar, bass, drums, and piano classes. My mother was in the choir of her church when she was young as well, and to be honest it’s something I believe got passed down through her. I can’t really remember a time I wasn’t doing music.
MusicsWeek: What inspired you to become a musician?
Frankie 503: I love creating things from nothing.
I was always inspired by all Forms of art, which to their core, are all that- creating something from nothing. I loved poems from a very young age as well which is what inspired me to write words and eventually put them to my music.
MusicsWeek: Can you tell us a bit about your background and upbringing?
Frankie 503: Well I was born In Northern Virginia but both my parents are from El Salvador. I grew up with a mix of my family’s culture and of course the culture in which I lived in Leesburg impacted me as well. That’s a big reason why my music Today is both in Spanish and English, I embrace both places that brought me up.
MusicsWeek: What's your favorite memory related to music?
Frankie 503: My favorite memory related to music would have to be writing my first song. I was with two of my best friends like 12/13 years old. I had just gotten My first Martin guitar and had only really done covers up to then, aside from some incomplete songs I had. We were in my friend Bryan’s Basement and I came up with a chord progression and I had him and my other buddy Josh help me finish the lyrics. I remember feeling so so happy that we had finished a song that I could call mine, it’s like we had made an imaginary friend or something. Since then I’ve always looked at writing songs as making different little friends as you go through whatever it is in life you’re going through.
MusicsWeek: What's your biggest passion outside of music?
Frankie 503: My biggest passion other than music would be soccer. Ive played soccer for almost as long as I’ve done music. Part of it is just staying fit and being in that clear mind space, I think soccer allows me to do that in a very fun way.
I also just picked up snowboarding this winter and honestly I’ve fallen in love with it. Even though I’m not so great yet, the few moments I get to ride and just listen to music going down the mountains have really opened my mind to winter sports.
MusicsWeek: How do you stay motivated and inspired?
Frankie 503: I like to apply pressure and release pressure. What I mean by that is there’s a time where I’m in “Go” mode and I’m locked in just writing but then there comes a time where maybe I don’t want to stop writing necessarily but I force myself to. I think that allows for me to have a constant flow of ideas coming in without washing myself out and feeling uninspired. Aside from that I observe a lot. Even if I have nothing to write about what’s going on in my life, the people around me and what they’re going through I use as inspiration.
MusicsWeek: What's your favorite song to play live?
Frankie 503: If it’s one of my originals you mean, I’d say “NUT3LLA” which was released in my new album. The ending has a very Tropical sound to it and I love singing that live. As for other songs by other artists, “La Novelita” by Aventura has been one of my favorites to play live for a long time. I’m actually going to release a recorded cover of it soon, so stay tuned!
MusicsWeek: What's your creative process like when writing songs?
Frankie 503: I tend to be in my car parked by a semi busy street where you’ll hear cars pass by like every 5-10 minutes or so. Very specific, I know. I’ve found that the distraction of some cars that pass by really helps write better. I can’t be in a room with absolutely zero noise and not get clouded by all the thoughts that come to me. Another place similar to this is any bar.
Just that surround sound going on in the back where I can get distracted really eases me. I’ll typically have a chord progressing I’ve written or one of my producers has written, playing through my car speakers or headphones and then I’ll just sit for hours on end writing words.
MusicsWeek: Do you have a favorite album or artist that influences your work?
Frankie 503: I have a couple, “Generation Next” by Aventura is one of my all time favorite albums. It’s inspired me to write in the romantic way that i try to write, it was also what was playing around the house when I was a little boy so it has a special place in my heart. Then I’d say any Bob Dylan album. Bob Dylan, in my opinion, was one of the greatest “modern poets” I’d say. The way that he writes and the structures his songs have always inspired me.
MusicsWeek: What's the most challenging part of being a musician?
Frankie 503: I’d say the hardest part is there comes a point where you feel like YOU have to do everything by yourself. That’s why it’s important to surround yourself with more creatives that can inspire you, push you, and even help you create or help promote what you create and vice versa.
Having a team and realizing, even if you’re a “solo artist” you never really are solo or should be solo is really important.
.png)
COMMENTS
Leave a comment