We were lucky to catch up with Francene Bayola recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Francene thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project I’ve ever worked on is my unreleased album, set to come out this year. I often say that my greatest strength lies in how deeply I feel, even though I’m not always openly expressive. It takes time for me to open up, even to my closest friends, so creating this album was a significant step in sharing my internal dialogue and thought process.

This project gave me a space to articulate every ounce of emotion and heal the part of me that never felt comfortable expressing these deep feelings. It’s daunting to live in a world where being open about sadness and uncomfortable subjects isn’t the norm—a society that can often be judgmental, with rigid ideas of what is logical versus illogical, good versus bad.

As a perfectionist, I’ve always been my own harshest critic. But through this album, I was able to let go of perfection and simply be. It’s a raw, honest reflection of my journey, and I hope it resonates with others who feel the weight of being vulnerable in an often critical world.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Francene Rouelle, and I am a second-generation Filipino pop singer-songwriter. My journey in the creative industry began with my first love: musical theatre. It was through musical theatre that I fell in love with storytelling, training at Zach Theatre and dreaming of one day performing on Broadway. However, I eventually realized that many musical storylines didn’t resonate deeply enough with me to pursue as a full-time career.

That realization led me to songwriting, where I discovered my passion for writing deeply personal and vulnerable songs. Growing up, my dad often wrote songs for our family, sparking my lifelong love for music and singing. But it wasn’t until I met Waverly—my producer and the founder of Mhart, an Asian-American music label based in Austin, Texas—that I began creating songs that truly reflected my story and experiences. From that moment, songwriting became my ultimate passion, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

In April of last year, I released my debut EP, Finally a Fairytale. Now, I’m thrilled to share that we’ve completed my first full-length album, which I’m even more excited for everyone to hear. Writing music has allowed me to connect with myself and others in a way that feels authentic, and I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me next.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

As I mentioned before, my first love in the creative industry was musical theatre. It was my entire life, something I had been dedicated to since I was young, up until I turned 20. I’m 23 now, and the career shift I made during that time profoundly impacted my resilience and personal growth.

When I decided to stop pursuing musical theatre, I was a freshman at Texas State University, where it was my major. Despite my passion for the art form, I quickly realized that I couldn’t see myself telling other people’s stories for the rest of my career. While I still loved musical theatre, it began to feel unfulfilling and left me unhappy. That’s when I made a dramatic change.

Unsure of what direction to take next, I changed my major to fashion and started a clothing business. That business didn’t succeed, and I felt more lost than ever. Deep down, I knew I wanted to write and perform my own music, but I had no idea how to begin.

Taking a leap of faith, I decided to perform at a gig with my dad’s band. That night, I sang the first song I had ever written, making the experience even more personal and emotional. It was my first time singing outside of a structured musical theatre setting, and it felt terrifyingly vulnerable. But I pushed through. That same night, one of the team members working with my future producer happened to see my performance. They encouraged him to reach out to me, and the rest is history.

To this day, I’m in awe of how fate played a role in my career shift. Looking back, it all started with a leap of faith. By pushing forward, even when I didn’t have a clear direction, I found my way to where I truly belong.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being an artist is witnessing how my vulnerability helps others make sense of their own emotions. It’s incredibly moving to hear listeners share how deeply they relate to my lyrics—especially when the writing process feels so personal and, at times, unrelatable. Knowing that my art can create such meaningful connections reminds me why I do what I do, and it inspires me to keep sharing my truth.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mhart.media
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/francenerouelle/?hl=en / @francenerouelle
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsHm3DyA3jTq0EtC5fqmRvw
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/17RvyiqL4E1d6ecKdJ2x9R?si=YoE2xq9xQNGJnk8F_qykNg

Image Credits

The first photo with teal dress:

Lexy Elder (Instagram handle @lexy_elder)