Christian French was just a normal 22-year-old kid from the midwest until he wrote the song “By Myself” which accumulated 13.8 million listens in a matter of months and resulted in a following of almost two million fans on Spotify. French radiates charm and positivity in his newly released EP “bright side of the moon,” the follow up to 2019’s “Natural Colors.”
While most people his age are preparing to walk across the stage in a cap and gown, French will take the stage in a different way. As he embarks on his first headlining tour this Fall, he will touchdown in Atlanta on Sept. 19 at Aisle 5 in Little Five Points.
Although he has been compared to the likes of singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran and popstar Jon Bellion, French’s music has a sound of its own. The new EP sounds like a year-round summer full of cold glasses of lemonade.
His lyrics ooze positivity and his tone is effortlessly carefree while still conveying a message. Although his EP has a very upbeat sound, in an interview with the Technique, French said that he describes it as soul-pop or indie-pop. Still, in the same breath he hesitates to label it as just one genre, preferring to describe it as a hybrid of many genres intertwined.
While the new EP allowed him to “experiment with different sounds and vibes,” French claims to be greatly influenced by artists John Mayer and Bon Iver. He eplained that his writing process begins with “developing an idea for the song and then journaling about the idea” before writing music and lyrics at the piano.
After the bare bones of the song are composed acoustically, French fleshes out the song with a producer. He has also found that it is extremely important to work with producers that can offer him specific musical guidance depending on the song.
When asked what songs he is most excited to play on his first headlining tour, French listed “head first” and “call me your love” as tracks he is excited to perform with the full band. He also said he is excited to play “heavy snow” solo on the piano, which he expects will create a shift in the energy of the crowd and make the set more intimate.
One of French’s goals is to provide an uplifting message and put listeners in a better mood than before they listened to him. He also hopes that listeners can find meaning in his lyrics and take something new away from each of his songs.
When asked about being new to music, French shared advice someone gave him about the industry: “there are no set rules” and “everyone has their own path” when trying to be successful.
He also said that “there are a million ways to get to a solution” and artists should “get to make their own story.” One thing is for certain, Christian French is on his way to becoming a household name and will create his own path in getting there.