We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gabrielfrancis Boodoo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gabrielfrancis below.
Gabrielfrancis, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
I’m currently working on my debut album. Some time in 2020, after I had my release lined up for my EP “unquestionably”, I started to feel pulled back to some of my truest artistic loves: fantasy/sci-fi (Lord of the Rings has always been my favorite!) I stopped trying to be or create a specific sound that didn’t feel natural to ME. I just let the melodies and synths and magic rush right back to me, and it feels incredible. The ideas and songs in this project have come from many different points in the last 4 years. Lyrics come from moments I was feeling overly emotional and just needed to scribble down in my notebook, or when a passing thought provided a phrase that was just too good to pass up and I fleshed out an entire song from it. It’s imbued with fleeting confusion, anger, love, passion, and raw openness. I’ve grown so much as an individual, and was only able to see just how much now that I’ve come this far. I wanted this project to be relatable – to say something to the listener so that they are able to make it their own, whether it’s saying something specific to an experience, or just speaking to an emotion they understand. Working on this album is truly like creating a life-long investment, while also just like talking to a good friend. My only real hope is that anyone who listens can get as much out of it as I did out of making it, even just for a moment. I’m wrapping up the production/finalizing over the next few months, and am hoping that I can find some amazing creatives to help me out with the visuals. I have SO many ideas for videos (I’m thinking an audiovisual album is possible!), album art, and live performances! Stay tuned, elves!
Gabrielfrancis, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
While my previous releases include some singles and an EP that are close to my heart, this project has been an ever-evolving journey that began almost 4 years ago. I started making music after my brother encouraged me to do so, and helped me get started producing on my computer with Ableton Live. He showed me some basic production techniques and audio standards. After that, the pent-up creative juice flooded out of me as I hit the ground running. I didn’t really know what I was doing or what I wanted to do, but since then I’ve self-taught through trial and error, used youtube and google as an endless resource, and dipped my toes in the Dallas music and art scene. I even started to learn mixing and mastering so that I can understand the entire process, from start to finish – this is why I consider myself a proper DIY musician. I offer something different than a lot of musicians, because I’m not classically or professionally trained. So everything I make, truly comes from me – I’m just messing around until I get it right and I don’t criticize myself in a way that it influences what I make. Not to say I don’t have standards for my sound, but I just make what I think sounds good – because that means someone else out there will love it and relate to it, too!
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being creative?
Making art (in my case music) is like therapy for me in a lot of ways. Trust me, I’m not at all saying that you shouldn’t go see a professional, because you should! Seeing a therapist/counselor is one of the best things I’ve ever done when I’ve needed it, but creating in this way gives me something else that nothing else does. I have freedom when I’m writing, when I’m singing, brainstorming to come up with the next thing I need to edit in a song. It is a constant that I don’t think will be replaced in my life probably ever. I know I’m just at the beginning, and basically nobody knows who gabrielfrancis is, but I’m not stopping.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
Music has called to me and made me dream my whole life. It’s rewarding because I allow it to give back to me. It’s rewarding because it’s beautiful to me. It’s rewarding because I love it. Nothing else matters because it makes me happy knowing that someone else will find meaning in it too. If you’re stuck at your day job and are miserable – get a different job. If you’ve always dreamed of doing something, but are constantly saying to yourself and others that it’s impossible or not sustainable or stable – that’s not the point. We’re only here in this life for so long and we’re meant to follow our heart. It doesn’t matter what others think, because you’ll always have support and you’ll always have haters no matter what you choose to do. So why not choose that dream job, even if it’s just a passion that you pursue on the side? I’m not saying quit your job and give up your life. I’m simply saying there’s no reason to be afraid to be happy in this life doing the things that bring you joy. Go get your life!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ffm.bio/gabrielfrancis
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nothinginthedesert
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UChM2Bo3LjStNWk0grD7UBpA
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2KwZU4eYg1QxXNXSCrJxlg?si=JGR6oGQgTGeJimO3O_0rlQ https://music.apple.com/us/artist/gabrielfrancis/1467835054
Image Credits
david boodoo griffin holtby