January 2023 Featured Artist
Music Artist Seeks to Heal Others with Inspirational Compositions
An Interview with Award-Winning Singer-Songwriter & Classical Pianist
Franki Love
Photo Courtesy: Franki Love
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Franki Love is an award-winning singer-songwriter and classically trained pianist who began playing the piano when she was four years old.
Early in her career, Franki performed at local coffee shops in Los Angeles, California, capturing the attention of many notable producers and musicians. She garnered success at the LA Music Awards as "Female Singer-Songwriter of the Year" and winning "Single of the Year" for her song "Shadow." "Shadow" was also recognized by the "Billboard International Song" contest. The official music video for "Shadow" was on the Grammy ballot for "Best Music Video" and was also nominated as Best Music Video at The Hollywood Film Festival. Franki's song "Love Like It's Never Gonna Hurt" won "Best Song" from Songwriter Universe, and she was also the recipient of an ASCAP award. Franki has performed internationally. Her self-titled debut album was released independently. In 2013, Franki successfully funded her next album release via Kickstarter, an album dedicated to her mother who passed away from cancer in January 2013. She was mentored by legendary music producer Phil Ramone, who encouraged her to start writing the album while grieving the loss of her mom. This full-length album includes three songs produced by Grammy Award-winning David Kershenbaum, who has also worked with Tracy Chapman. Otias was released in 2017. |
Franki also released a guided meditation EP album titled Peace Within in October 2018, and she funded a new healing album on Kickstarter titled The Sun, a self-produced album created in her home studio during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sun, which has songs all in 432 Hz, was released in 2020 and was on the Grammy ballot. Franki’s new album, The Moon, was released in 2022. This is a new age instrumental/piano album with healing frequencies and was also on the Grammy ballot.
Franki is currently working on a new album with a projected release date in 2023/2024.
Franki is currently working on a new album with a projected release date in 2023/2024.
Myrna Beth Haskell, executive editor, asked Franki about her journey in the music industry, her compositions that inspire healing, and her latest album, The Moon.
When did you first start to write your own music?
I remember writing my first song when I was a child, probably around eight years old. I never thought I'd be a professional singer-songwriter when I grew up. I would take a break from playing with dolls and sit at the piano for ten minutes and hum and make up a song. It was all for fun.
How has your study of classical piano influenced your latest work?
Studying classical piano opened up a vocabulary of music for me that feels 'out of the box.' Learning the work of classical composers – Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin – enables subconscious inspiration and encouragement to color outside of the lines. To me, coloring outside of the lines means playing any note if it sounds good to you.
Is there an influential mentor(s) you'd like to give a shout-out to?
My most influential mentor was the late, legendary music producer Phil Ramone. His influence meant the world to me because he was one of the only people I met in the music industry who sincerely cared about artists and wanted to help artists find their truth.
But my mom was ultimately my most influential mentor concerning life lessons. She was a strong, very beautiful and talented woman, and she taught me to embrace life and to be passionate and fearless.
Otias, released in 2017, was an album driven by the grief you experienced after losing your mom to cancer in 2013. What did the loss of your mom teach you, and did the grief from this loss shift your career in any way?
The loss of my mom taught me that we are very fragile here in this physical world. It taught me that at any moment we can lose someone we love. The grief I experienced when I lost my mom guided me to make music that could be healing for others. I wanted to make music for people who were experiencing grief, depression, anxiety, and the many challenges we face as humans.
Tell our audience about your new album, The Moon. In what way is this different from previous albums?
The Moon is my first instrumental album. It's very different than anything I've composed. The reason I chose to make The Moon is because I found profound comfort in instrumental albums during the pandemic. So, I decided to make an instrumental album to help others.
When did you first start to write your own music?
I remember writing my first song when I was a child, probably around eight years old. I never thought I'd be a professional singer-songwriter when I grew up. I would take a break from playing with dolls and sit at the piano for ten minutes and hum and make up a song. It was all for fun.
How has your study of classical piano influenced your latest work?
Studying classical piano opened up a vocabulary of music for me that feels 'out of the box.' Learning the work of classical composers – Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin – enables subconscious inspiration and encouragement to color outside of the lines. To me, coloring outside of the lines means playing any note if it sounds good to you.
Is there an influential mentor(s) you'd like to give a shout-out to?
My most influential mentor was the late, legendary music producer Phil Ramone. His influence meant the world to me because he was one of the only people I met in the music industry who sincerely cared about artists and wanted to help artists find their truth.
But my mom was ultimately my most influential mentor concerning life lessons. She was a strong, very beautiful and talented woman, and she taught me to embrace life and to be passionate and fearless.
Otias, released in 2017, was an album driven by the grief you experienced after losing your mom to cancer in 2013. What did the loss of your mom teach you, and did the grief from this loss shift your career in any way?
The loss of my mom taught me that we are very fragile here in this physical world. It taught me that at any moment we can lose someone we love. The grief I experienced when I lost my mom guided me to make music that could be healing for others. I wanted to make music for people who were experiencing grief, depression, anxiety, and the many challenges we face as humans.
Tell our audience about your new album, The Moon. In what way is this different from previous albums?
The Moon is my first instrumental album. It's very different than anything I've composed. The reason I chose to make The Moon is because I found profound comfort in instrumental albums during the pandemic. So, I decided to make an instrumental album to help others.
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Above: Short Documentary: The Story Behind The Moon
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With healing as a driving force behind your latest album, have any fans spoken to you about how listening to The Moon has helped them personally?
Yes. I've been very touched by numerous messages coming from fans about how this album has helped them. It has helped people fall asleep, has reduced anxiety, and has helped people feel centered and happy. I couldn't ask for a better reward than receiving these comments from fans. These were the results I had intended when I crafted and produced the album, and I feel very grateful that the album is helping people heal. "Soulful, lush, angelic vocals and dulcet piano tones are at the heart of Franki Love’s splendid new release, The Moon. The Divine Feminine is clearly present here!" ~ Paul Avgerinos, Multi-Grammy Winner |
Click Album Cover to Purchase
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Please describe what a healing frequency is and how music can be used to aid in meditation?
I feel a healing frequency can be anything that is derived of a healing intention, whether we use our speaking voice, singing voice, musical instruments, or other means. Many songs on The Moon are in the healing frequency of 432 Hz,* which can help people connect more with their intuition and heart. It also helps to reduce anxiety. This type of music can be used in meditation because it can act as a tool to open the heart chakra and help one breathe better. For me, when I composed and sang songs on The Moon, I tried to do so from a higher realm. My hope is that when people meditate and listen to The Moon that it brings them to a higher realm.
*The solfeggio frequency at 432 Hz aligns with our planet’s heartbeat. Medical doctors have stated that brain waves resonate perfectly at around 8 Hz. The frequency will resonate inside a person’s body, thereby releasing any emotional blockage and align the person with the universe’s heartbeat. The 432 frequency music heightens perception, increases the mental clarity of a person, and unlocks intuition. (Nature Healing Society)
What are you most proud of to date?
I’m most proud of my seven-year-old daughter. She is my world. I love her and am very proud of her. I've never experienced this type of love. It's an eternal love that I'm very grateful for in this lifetime.
I feel a healing frequency can be anything that is derived of a healing intention, whether we use our speaking voice, singing voice, musical instruments, or other means. Many songs on The Moon are in the healing frequency of 432 Hz,* which can help people connect more with their intuition and heart. It also helps to reduce anxiety. This type of music can be used in meditation because it can act as a tool to open the heart chakra and help one breathe better. For me, when I composed and sang songs on The Moon, I tried to do so from a higher realm. My hope is that when people meditate and listen to The Moon that it brings them to a higher realm.
*The solfeggio frequency at 432 Hz aligns with our planet’s heartbeat. Medical doctors have stated that brain waves resonate perfectly at around 8 Hz. The frequency will resonate inside a person’s body, thereby releasing any emotional blockage and align the person with the universe’s heartbeat. The 432 frequency music heightens perception, increases the mental clarity of a person, and unlocks intuition. (Nature Healing Society)
What are you most proud of to date?
I’m most proud of my seven-year-old daughter. She is my world. I love her and am very proud of her. I've never experienced this type of love. It's an eternal love that I'm very grateful for in this lifetime.
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Lyric Video of "Walking Wounded"
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Favorite song to perform "live?" I don't have a favorite song to perform, but if you asked me to play something right now, I'd go to “Walking Wounded,” just because of the state of our world in these troubling times. What’s next for Franki Love? I unexpectedly wrote some songs over the summer of 2022. They kind of poured out of me when I sat at the piano during cool summer mornings. I created demos of these and feel it's important for people to hear them. Perhaps there might be a new album of these songs in 2023/2024. |
Where do you find sanctuary?
My sanctuary is amongst nature. I find sacred places to breathe, walk and explore. Peaceful forests and remote, secret beaches are sanctuaries for me.
My sanctuary is amongst nature. I find sacred places to breathe, walk and explore. Peaceful forests and remote, secret beaches are sanctuaries for me.
