It seems like now more than ever, we’re all in our own heads a bit much lately. Singer-songwriter Christian French has got the perfect song for you to listen to right now. His new track “i think too much” is for the ones who get trapped with their own thoughts. He sings, “Questioning things I can’t control / Finding my youth’s been getting old / Losing myself when nothing’s wrong / But who knows.” *raises hand*
We had a chance to turn our thoughts into questions and had a great conversation with Christian French to talk all about his latest song, what he’s been up to during quarantine and his future plans.
The Young Folks: First off, how are you right now, all things considered? What have you been doing in the meantime?
Christian French: All things considered, I’m doing alright. I have my health, which I’m very grateful for. And same with my family and friends. I’ve gotten to spend more time with myself this quarantine than I’ve gotten in the past 5-6 years. I share a room in LA and live with 5 dudes, so it’s tough to find personal time. I’ve really learned how much clearer my mind is when I have the silence and space to work, and I’m realizing how much focus and dedication it takes to write something that you’re truly proud of. You REALLY have to dive into how you’re feeling, and I’m happy I’m getting to do that now.
TYF: For our readers who don’t know yet, how did you get your start in music? What triggered you to pursue a career in this field?
CF: Taking it way back to choir class in 6th grade when a friend and showed me a cover he had learned on piano from YouTube. I was so amazed that he learned the whole thing from YouTube so I decided to try – within a few months I was getting the hang of it and started singing while playing. I had learned a bunch of covers and started posting them on SoundCloud and continued for a few years until I started writing and releasing my own music.
When I got to college, I got a mic and midi keyboard to start recording a few demos. I met my friend Triegy, and found out he was a great producer, so we started working together – making my first 4 songs: “Fall for You”, “Dying Alive”, “By Myself” and “Done from the Start”. From there, I began working on music out in LA during breaks in college and then was asked to join Chelsea Cutler on her fall tour in 2018. Next thing I knew, I was dropping out of college to move to Los Angeles and prepare for my first tour, and things have really just fell into place since then.
TYF: How do you envision your life if you didn’t end up making music?
CF: Honestly, I was pretty deep into the medical field by the time I dropped out of school – so if I wasn’t making music, I’m pretty positive that I’d be in grad school working to be some sort of doctor. I’ve always loved science, so to me, that would be the next option if I wasn’t doing music.
TYF: Absolutely love your new song “i think too much.” When did you start writing this song and how did it come about? I feel like it’s 100% completely relatable especially right now.
CF: Thank you! I started writing “i think too much” a little over half a year ago, and it began with me messing around with some organ chords on my keyboard (which you hear as the lead line of the song). I really liked the feel of it, so I began to hum melodies, write to it, and came up with the chorus lines – from there, I took it into a session with my dudes Imad Royal, Dru Decaro, and Sam Fischer to finish writing and producing out the song, and it became what it is today after that first session we had together.
“i think too much” was something that I was consistently telling myself around this time – always second-guessing myself and trying to “think” my way into some sort of happiness. We were already planning on releasing it in April, but it just so happened to be during quarantine and turned out to be very fitting for the period. We’re all getting to hang out and think to ourselves more than ever and it’s important for people to feel like they aren’t alone if they’re struggling with mental health.
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TYF: When you do start to think too much, how do you clear your headspace and get out of your own thoughts?
CF: As I’ve become more aware of what’s going through my head, I really have started to notice how much I think. I’ve always considered myself an introspective person who really likes to think deeply through situations, but sometimes I end up thinking TOO much and it becomes counter-productive. Thinking too much is definitely something that happens often, but I’ve become comfortable with navigating it and “checking myself” and pulling myself back to the present moment.
TYF: With this new song out now, are you currently working on more new music to be released throughout the year? If so, how’s that going?
CF: Yes! I’ll definitely be releasing music into the summer. So far I’ve released 3 songs from my next EP “good things take time” and am hoping to get a new single out every month until the EP in later this summer. No one really knows when live shows will start back up again, so, for now, a thing I’ve been doing Instagram Live’s a lot — so I can still hang out with my fans and play some new music.
TYF: I saw that, like many artists, you had to cancel the second part of your recent tour. What was your initial reaction when that happened? Will you be streaming any performances of some sort in the meantime?
CF: By the time tour got canceled, I had kind of already accepted that it was inevitably going to be canceled. I watched so many of my friends cancel their tours, along with all sporting events, and things just kept getting worse and worse. I was in disbelief at first and thought there was no way my tour would be canceled, but within a week, I could see that it was coming and just had to roll with the punches. It was a bummer – for sure – but health is most important. And I’ll be doing Instagram Live’s as much as I can! So stay tuned
TYF: Lastly, since everyone is always looking for new recommendations, what’s a tv show or artist you want to recommend for everyone to check out? (Other than yourself, of course!)
CF: BabyJake is just getting started, but he’s really got something special. I love each release, so go check the kid out! And on the TV side, The Midnight Gospel on Netflix is one of the best shows I’ve seen in a while – it’s a trippy cartoon, but the dialogue goes deep into spirituality and meditation, and to me, it’s been really eye-opening. 10/10 recommend!
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