Pop-Culturalist.com

Singer-songwriter Christian French describes his journey in music as one of trial and error. From posting covers on YouTube and SoundCloud to performing on his first tour, each moment has been a learning experience that has led Christian to where he is today. The gifted storyteller has etched his place among the greats in pop music for his relatable lyrics and signature positivity when tackling sensitive subject matter, including anxiety, doubt, and insecurity.

This September he builds on that legacy with his latest EP, good things take time. Pop Culturalist caught up with this emerging talent to learn more about him, his career, and good things take time.

PC: How did you discover your passion for music?
Christian: I started learning my favorite songs on the piano from YouTube and covering them on my SoundCloud. Through this I learned so many songs on the piano and realized how much fun I was having watching myself get better, and it also calmed me down when I was stressed out. From there it was game over and I knew that I had to be a musician.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Christian: I’d say my favorite artists from when I first started learning music on piano had a huge impact on the artist I became. That includes everyone from John Mayer to the Fray to Gavin DeGraw to Eric Clapton. Those artists laid the foundations for the chords that I like to play, the melodies I like to sing, and the lyrics I like to write.

PC: You were studying premed before transitioning to music. How challenging was that decision?
Christian: When I started posting my original music on Spotify was when I started to make the real shift toward music being a more full-time thing and not just a hobby. With the help of my fraternity, where everyone was from a different city, they’d tell their friends to listen, then their friends’ friends, and their friends, and so on. So it really helped spread the word and helped me build a following that led to this realization that music could be a real project and career. And truly, when I became more interested in music than I was in school, spending more time on music than studying, there was this distance and disconnect with school. I just felt more connected to the musical world.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success throughout your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Christian: I think getting offered to go on tour with Chelsea Cutler was one of the most surreal moments I’ve had as a musician. I was still in school at this point trying to make things work. But after I accepted the tour invite, I felt like things were really starting to happen. I then dropped out of school to do music full time and haven’t looked back.

PC: Tell us about your new EP, good things take time. What was the inspiration behind the collection?
Christian: Good things take time is about the trial and error of figuring life out—finding what works for you and what doesn’t, then learning from it and bettering yourself for the future. As I was writing these songs, the phrase “good things take time” kept entering my head, keeping me sane when I wasn’t writing the best music that I could and was getting frustrated with myself. This mindset has saved me from being swallowed by failure and has helped me move past it and continue to grow.

PC: If you had to choose one song off of good things take time that best encompasses who you are as an artist, what would it be and why?
Christian: I think I’d have to say “good things take time.” My journey in the music industry has been one of continuous trial and error. I was never classically trained, had never even played a show before my first tour, and was very much learning as I went. With this has come a lot of failure, but I’ve always been confident that if I keep trying, I’ll get better and better and eventually get to where I want to be.

PC: How does this body of work differentiate itself from your previous releases?
Christian: I just feel more experienced and more mature now. I’ve written enough songs now that I really have to experiment and find new avenues in order for the music to still feel new and unique, and it’s been a huge challenge that I’ve gone through this past year. For this project, I found who I enjoy working with, and we were able to go really deep on this music together rather than having a lot of different collaborators, like I felt the BSOTM EP had.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: First album you bought?
Christian: Queen’s Greatest Hits album.

PC: First concert you attended?
Christian: Jason Mraz.

PC: An album that changed of your life and why?
Christian: Continuum by John Mayer. I grew up listening to it in a period where I was beginning to fall in love with music, and this album has had such a big impact on the music I make.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Christian: Red Rocks!

PC: A must-have on the road?
Christian: My Brita water bottle. Gotta stay hydrated on the road, but the greenroom sink water isn’t my favorite, so this thing has saved my life and I take it with me everywhere I go.

To keep up with Christian, follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and Spotify. Pick up or stream good things take time today.