We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Francisco Cardenas a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Francisco , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project that I have worked on has to be my album (which is still in the making). This project is very important to me because making my own music has always been one of my dreams! Also, it has been the reason why I have been studying with great musicians and trying to improve by myself to gain knowledge and develop my skills.

Francisco , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Francisco Cardenas, I am currently 14 years old and I was born in Valencia, Venezuela. I began to develop interest in music from a young age and at the age of 4, I picked up the guitar. I began my studies in a musical kindergarten and took private lessons. In 2017, I arrived at Houston TX, and continued my lessons with private teachers. In the year 2020, the brand GIBSON made me a part of the GIBSON family through the “G3 GIBSON GENERATION GROUP” which is a group of talented young artist who have the support of this amazing brand. I have had to opportunity to get on stage with Alejandro Sanz, Mana , and Servando y Florentino (Hermanos Primera) I was invited to play the national anthem at the Houston Rocket’s game at the Toyota Center. I have also had the opportunity to share interviews with entertainment greats such as Camilo Egaña of CNN and Ellen Degeneres (The Ellen Degeneres show). Recently, I gave my first concert with my band (Francisco Cardenas Band) and I’m currently working finishing my album.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

A resource that I wish that I knew about earlier was creativity. When I was younger, I thought that there were rules when you wrote a song, or did something original. But now I have noticed that, there are no rules! There is a freedom that the artist has when they are creating something original. Opening up to one’s creativeness and going beyond your skills is something that music lets you do. Therefore, never think of what other people might think, always do what you want to do with your creation, and of course, have fun when you do it!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist in my opinion is the freedom that one has. Art gives you the opportunity to do amazing things, for example in my case, I have the ability to express myself through the instrument without having to talk. Music is a universal language, everyone understands it, enjoys it, listens to it, etc. I feel like this is a gift that only art can give, and it’s truly magical.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Fjguitarplayer
• Youtube: @Fjguitarplayer