Pop-Culturalist.com

Singer-songwriter Francisco Martin is one of the breakout artists of the year. From releasing his debut EP Beautiful Ramblings of a Restless Mind to headlining his first national tour, 2021 has seen Francisco transform from a rising star to a bonafide American idol.

Earlier this fall, we caught up with Francisco to chat about the Beautiful Ramblings of a Restless Mind tour, his latest single “IF U NEED ME”, and more.

PC: Since the last time we spoke, you released your EP. It’s been incredibly well received. What has that response meant to you?
Francisco: I made the EP during the peak of COVID. I was very lonely throughout the process, but I was eager to release the project. I wanted my fans to know that I wasn’t just going to release one single and be done and disappear off the face of the planet.

I’m so proud of the EP and incredibly happy, but I was going through a lot of mental health issues while making it. When people started to listen to the songs, I felt really accomplished.

I produced it all myself in my room. It was a very lonely process. I look back on it now (the music I make now is very collaborative; I’m always down to collaborate), and it’s a bittersweet feeling. No pun intended. [laughs]

It was still an amazing experience. I’m so glad people love the songs. A lot of people were singing them at my show last night.

PC: If you had to pick a song off Beautiful Ramblings of a Restless Mind that best encompasses who you are as an artist, which would it be and why?
Francisco: “Wild Girl” for sure. I spent the most time on “Wild Girl”. I even cried over it a couple of times. I tracked those vocals in three different cities and I still hated it. I wasn’t sure I was going to get the track together. There was one night where I was so angry at myself I was literally screaming. I had this really raspy tone from screaming. I documented that and I stayed up until 4 a.m. It became the record you hear today. I spent so much time on it. It’s more vibey and more electronic-driven. When I play it live, people love it. I love it. I have a good time playing it. I want to make more music on that spectrum.

PC: You’ve got a new single out now. Can you tell us about “IF U NEED ME” and the inspiration behind the song?
Francisco: I’ve definitely been leaning towards more upbeat alternative pop. I wanted “IF U NEED ME” to go back to my roots but to be different at the same time. I was sitting on my couch one day and had this thought about John Mayer (because he’s one of my idols). He once said something that I thought was pretentious. He was like, “I wrote this story in my head before it even became a song.” I was like, “That doesn’t make any sense.” Then I sat on my couch with my guitar, and all of a sudden I had this notion to write “IF U NEED ME” because I was missing this person that I had left. We had left on bad terms.

I was like, “Oh man. I’m going to write this song. I’m going to write about being there for someone and being the bigger person.” I had “IF U NEED ME” in my head. I had the whole melody structure in my head before the song was even written. I totally got what John Mayer was saying. I was like, “Holy sh*t. He’s right.” It was so weird how it was all coming together in my head. I grabbed my guitar and started writing. I didn’t have a bridge yet. I took a break and went to Nashville. I was staying at my producer’s house, and I locked myself in the room and finished it there.

My mom loves the song. I showed it to her a few weeks prior. She was like, “What happened to ‘IF U NEED ME?’” I was at my Airbnb and I was like, “You’re right. I love that song. I need to finish it.” I wrote the bridge then. I tracked the vocals in my Airbnb. It became the record. I didn’t want to alter it because at the time I was feeling very unstable—like shaky. I was like, “I’m going to keep the vocals and what I did in Nashville,” because there was magic in the room. I didn’t want to take away that magic.

I’m so glad that people love it and that it resonates with them. I wrote it from the perspective of being in a relationship. Now when I listen to it, I think it’s even more universal. I think about my mom sometimes when I hear the song. I don’t live with my parents anymore. I live in LA. She’s a very hovering parent. She likes to call and text me all the time. [laughs] But I love her so much. It reminds me, “We’re getting older, but if you need me, I’ll be around.” It’s heartwarming. You can interpret it however you want.

PC: You’re on the Beautiful Ramblings of a Restless Mind tour now, and this is your first tour. Is it everything that you imagined? Can you describe opening night minus cutting your head open?
Francisco: Opening night was great. A lot of people came. It was nice. I got to meet a lot of fans. I’m so glad people came out. It was a dream come true.

I didn’t even realize my head was bleeding. My manager, Elissa, came up to me and was like, “You’re bleeding.” I was like, “No, no, no, I’m good.” She was like, “No, you’re actually bleeding.” The only reason I knew something was wrong was that this girl was staring at me with a weird look. I was like, “Wait, is something wrong with my face?”

I still did the show. I was like, “I’m not going to let this little bump take over the show.” Pun intended. It was great. I had a great time. Hunter [Metts] was amazing. He’s such a good dude. His bandmates are incredible. They’re all incredibly talented. But yeah, it was great.

PC: What can fans expect when they head to one of your shows? Will you be testing out any new material on the road?
Francisco: There is a lot of new material. I wasn’t thinking about it while we were rehearsing, but I realized I wanted to see how people reacted to the new material and how it resonated with them.

Much of the vibe that I’m writing right now is very singer-songwriter. It’s my roots. People really like it. It really resonated with people. We have a pretty good setlist that people are going to love.

To keep up with Francisco, follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and Spotify. Listen to his new single “IF U NEED ME” today.