#triegy

[toogoodmusic]

INTERVIEW: Christian French

Singer/songwriter Christian French became his music career by posting covers to SoundCloud before having his debut single blow-up on the Spotify Viral 50 charts. That song he worked on with fellow producer Triegy and the two would go on to release several other songs together. Currently balancing music and school at the University of Indiana, Christian has just released his first solo single, “Love Ride” and looks to have a busy 2018 filled with new music and shows.

Too Good Music got the opportunity to ask Christian some questions about his career in music so far and what else we can expect from him in the future. Read about it all below -

TOO GOOD MUSIC: What inspired you to get into music?

CHRISTIAN FRENCH: I’ve always loved music – was always jamming to the radio when I was younger and my parents always surrounded me with great music like John Mayer, Gavin Degraw, Eric Clapton, and Michael Buble. What really inspired me to get into piano which then led me to singing was watching my friend play the piano. He taught me “Love Song” by Sara Bareilles and I was like ohhhh I have to keep doing this, this is fun as hell. From there I just kept learning and kept trying new things and that eventually led to recording songs and getting to where I am today. It has been a LONG road, but it doesn’t really seem like it. I just enjoyed it so much that going somewhere with it right away wasn’t really what was on my mind. 

TGM: What’s the best piece of advice about music you’ve gotten?

CF: “Keep swinging” – John Mayer – the more swings you take, the more experience you’re gonna get and you will better yourself 10 fold. That really encouraged me to keep going with music – some of the songs I’ve put out haven’t done nearly as well as I would like them too, but it just inspires me to keep topping myself and makes me super excited to watch myself grow 

TGM: What’s the biggest challenge of balancing school and music?

CF: It is CRAZY hard to stay focused at school - There is so much going on. Always. There are a lot of nights where you could just go hang out with friends or do anything but study, but going to school while pursuing music has really doubled my work load, and I’ve realized I have to stay in and work a lot more than a lot of people around me, which I am not complaining about at all, I love this whole process so much. I have learned more about myself and grown more this past year by going through all of this than I have my whole life. Also it is just really hard to create and record day after day in the same room. In LA you’re with amazing artists in amazing studios just surrounded with great vibes, but at school I’m really just on my own and sometimes I feel very restricted and its tough to work through. 

TGM: How’d it feel to have your first single “Fall For You” chart on the US Viral Top 50 on Spotify and how’d you celebrate?

CF: I really just can’t describe how I felt. It all happened so fast - 1 month I was just a kid who released a song with Triegy on Spotify for fun, and the next I was on the US Viral Top 50. To me, the most exciting thing was thinking “This is it. I have a shot at being a real music artist”, because I had been posting covers on SoundCloud for years and had barely gone anywhere with it. I really just began working as hard as I could to keep the momentum going. I still don’t think it has fully hit me.

The story behind when I found out is really funny actually- it was around thanksgiving time and I was in Oregon at my sisters house where there was barely any service because she lives in the middle of nowhere, and finally a little service popped through and I got a screenshot from someone with “Fall For You” on the Viral 50. Everyone I was with had no idea what that playlist was or if it was a big deal or not, so I was pretty much flipping out by myself. It took about 5 tries to get enough service to call Triegy and tell him, and I kind of spent the rest of the day with my heart beating a thousand times a minute with a family that really didn’t know how cool it was. 

TGM: I’m all about chips on my sandwiches and I saw you tweeted that “a pb&j is nothing w out goldfish” do you put anything else unconventional on food/sandwiches?

CF: I put hot sauce on about anything ever. Ask any of my roommates, for about any food I have (except sweet foods obviously) there is always a bottle of franks hot sauce next to me. Other than that I feel like I eat pretty normally. One of my favorite snacks is frozen grapes, but I don’t know if that’s weird or not. Everyone gives me shit for drinking la croix though hahaha. 

TGM: If you could only listen to (5) artists for the rest of your life who would they be?

CF: That’s superrrr hard. I’d have to say John Mayer, EDEN, Fall Out Boy (used to be obsessed with them) Jeremy Zucker and Frank Ocean 

TGM: If you could headline (1) music festival which one would it be?

CF: Coachella. Lollapallooza and Bonnaroo are a close second

TGM: If the “Love Ride” was an actual ride at an amusement park, what would that ride be like?

CF: A lot of excitement – something that would keep your heart beating the whole time, and would take some unexpected turns so you never really know whats coming next. Something you don’t experience on your average roller coaster.  

TGM: What’s the rest of 2018 look like for you?

CF: 2018 is gonna be one hell of a year. I can’t say exactly what is in store, but I am so confident in myself and my team that there’s no way it won’t be great. I’m ready to try a bunch of things I’ve never done before and just go into it doing the absolute best I can. I have a few small shows set up, and I plan on having an EP coming out sometime in the spring that I am SUPER excited for, and just want to give this year absolutely everything I have.

To keep updated on that spring EP and future shows be sure to follow Christian below!                               Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify

[belovednoise]

[pompmacapomp]

Christian French, Triegy - Fall for you

[shakespearcean]

summer rains and skies

20.08.04 - 20.08.09

what is your favorite summer movie?

i don’t have a favorite, specific summer-only movie, but i do really like feel good movies. so i would recommend howl’s moving castle, which is my favorite ghibli movies. also john mulaney specials, which are always great any time of the year.

do you read a lot in the summer?

i try to!! i definitely read more books than i do during the school year but a lot of my reading energy nowadays goes to fic.

what book are you currently reading?

the secret history by donna tart!! second time’s the charm

what is your favorite summer beach read?

again, i don’t have a set list of books just for the summer but i love reading books that i haven’t read before at the beach, because it’s like creating new memories with that book, yk? my all time book recommendations are the raven cycle series and the all for the game series, and also carry on. i think the night circus by erin morgenstern is a great summer read; it’s a very dreamy book and i think it would be really nice to read at the beach.

what tv show are you currently watching?

the king: eternal monarch!! i’m honestly loving it a lot, especially for eun-sup and yeong. the actor who plays him is so good at acting that sometimes i genuinely forget it’s not two different people. also i’m rewatching lost in space, which is Great. highly recommend, and if you’ve watched it, please come yell about space with me.

what was the last movie you watched?

watched and finished: i am not an easy man on netflix. watched and half finished: a silent voice on netflix

🎧: san francisco by the mowgli’s ; by myself by christian french and triegy ; nobody by mitski

[mycuppuffedhedraws]

Tagged by mlove @harper44 !! 💙 i don’t have any playlists aside from my general “liked songs” so this should be a fun one LOL

You can usually tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to! Put your favourite playlist on shuffle and list the first 10 songs, then tag some people. No skipping!

By Myself - Christian French, Triegy

this is what being cheated on feels like - Clinton Kane

Complicated - Avril Lavigne

queen of broken hearts - blackbear

Shake It - Metro Station

Stay With Me - Chanyeol, Punch

CONFIDENCE - X Ambassadors, K.Flay

Guy.exe - Superfruit

Sweater Weather - The Neighbourhood

The Tea - Danny Gonzalez, Alli Fitz

I tag @lallyloo , @rhink-smiles & @the-other-dragon (if y’all want to ofc) !! 💖

[tydelwve]

hey hey! congrats on 3k it it well deserved! my about me stuff can be found under the tag c’est moi. I was sunbathing basically all of the previous week cause it was warm and in the seventies and so summery I was in love and now well now it’s day two of a blizzard and i’m peeling from sunburn lmao. Today also happens to be my niece’s birthday so trying to celebrate a toddler without being too close is a struggle. How’s quarantine been treating you? Hope you’re staying sane and safe! xoxo

Thank you! wow omg having a sunburn in the midst of a blizzard is WILD. quarantine has been a bitch bc i’ve lost all concepts of time lol but i have been sane and safe!!

Ship ( calum | ashton | luke | michael )

How you met: You’d be going out to a well known lake and run into him in the midst of his hike.

Best friend ( calum | ashton | luke | michael )

Secret Admirer ( calum | ashton | luke | michael )

mini playlist:

By Myself by Christian French, Triegy

Comfortable by Lauv

UDK by Olivia O’Brien

sleepover with ty

[ethanhes]

NIGHT RUNNING 

a mix with songs that I would LOVE to see Ethan listening to. 

01. by myself – christian french/triegy 02. forevermore – the maine 03. ever since new york – harry styles 04. you get what you give – new radicals 05. my best habit – the maine 06. 7 – catfish and the bottlemen 07. aurora – foo fighters 08. island in the sun – weezer 09. ashes – the struts 10. 24/7 – the neighbourhood 11. church – chase atlantic 12. basically – catfish and the bottlemen 13. corrupted – mcfly 14. could have been me – the struts 15. mother, we just can’t get enough 16. the zephyr song – red hot chili peppers 17. what it takes – aerosmith 18. night running – cage the elephant

 — listen on spotify

[lxnger]

"Christian French x Triegy - By Myself (Lennon Lenses Remix)" by Lennon Lenses

[dopemusic101-blog]

“I´m not sure of how you feel, but baby, I wanna fall for you”

Christian French & Triegy - Fall For You

[dakotayounger]

"By Myself" by Christian French, Triegy ( By Myself) Boon Beats '18

[onestowatch]

Dive “head first” into Christian French’s Intoxicating Pop Melodies [Q&A]

Photo Credit: Angelo Kritikos

You may know Christian French from his breakout collaboration with Triegy titled “By Myself,” but there’s so much more to this polished 22-year-old. Getting his start in the music by sharing acoustic covers on SoundCloud in high school, French eventually found himself touring with fellow Ones To Watch Chelsea Cutler and Quinn XCII. Not only does French deliver a stunning live performance, but his classic pop sound melted with his charming vocals is to die for.

French’s stirring new single, “head first” tells the story of being madly in love with someone and obsessing over their very existence. Opening with sultry guitars, “head first” is drenched with captivating electronics and bubbly bass lines. French sings about being hypnotized and mesmerized by this person in question, but we’re more than convinced that he’ll make you feel the same way with just one listen of “head first.”

Dive “head first” into Christian French’s intoxicating melodies below:

To celebrate his splendid new single, Ones To Watch chatted with Christian French about crushes, his recent tour with Quinn XCII, and of course, “head first.”

OTW: What inspired you to teach yourself how to play guitar?

French: I hate to break it to ya, but I don’t really know how to play guitar that well - my producer Dru Decaro is the one shredding on all of my records. I did teach myself how to play piano though, so I’ll talk about that! I had a friend that came into choir class in the sixth grade 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 starting to get the hang of it and began singing while playing. I started posting my covers on SoundCloud and continued for a few years until I started writing my own music. Pretty much all of my songs start with just piano and vocals, and I think a lot of what my sound is as an artist comes from all of the covers I had done on piano.

OTW: What are we going to come across if we visit christiansfrenchfries.com?

French: Well right now it’s actually a sign up page to be on my e-mail list. On here, I want to be able to send out information about new songs, shows, etc. to keep people as in the loop as possible. On top of this, I want to send out some things that have helped me grow not just as an artist but as a person - like books, articles, podcasts, and anything else that I’ve found to be helpful.

Photo Credit: Angelo Kritikos

OTW: Your new single, “head first,” is all about being helplessly captivated by someone and always wanting to be around them. What’s your advice for people who really want to approach their crush, but can’t seem to find the courage to do so?

French: I mean, I’m no love guru, but it’s always good to let people know how you feel. I know that’s way easier said than done, but it’s better to get it off your chest rather than keep it bottled up and have nothing happen. Maybe don’t go 0 to 100 right away, but try to get to know them and talk to them - you never know what it could lead to!

OTW: Can you describe your creative process for “head first?”

French: I was in a session with Andrew Luce, and we had been working on a different song that we both weren’t really feeling, so we decided to start fresh with a new idea. The first thing he played was the guitar part that would become the lead line to “head first.” I immediately loved it and caught the melody of the first verse. We both were really in the flow. He was producing while I was writing, and within a few hours, we had written and recorded the first half of the song. It was one of those times where the energy was really there, and we both felt it. After that session, I knew this song was something special. So over the next few weeks, I carefully wrote the second verse to match the effectiveness of the first verse, and I went back over to his studio to finish it.

OTW: What does it feel like to know that your voice has been compared to Ed Sheeran and Jon Bellion?

French: Both are artists that I look up to a lot, so hearing that is really crazy to me. When I started covering music, one of my favorite covers I did was “The A Team.” I remember working on that song for HOURS to get it perfect. Ed’s albums are masterpieces, and it’s really crazy what that dude can do with only a guitar and his voice. For Jon: when I was in high school, I used to watch YouTube videos that showed how he made all of his songs step by step. That was a BIG reason I began to write my own music. His concepts and creativity blow my mind every song, and it would be a dream come true to work with him in the future.

Photo Credit: Christian Sarkine

OTW: What’s your favorite tour memory with Quinn XCII?

French: Obviously the shows and meet and greets were of my top memories because it was so cool seeing people singing the worlds to my songs and being able to meet them afterwards. But if I had to pick one specific memory, it would probably be from my birthday. I was in Mike’s (Quinn XCII’s) green room, and he told me I had to stage dive at the end of his set for my birthday. I’ve seen so many artists EAT it while crowd surfing, and I was terrified to do it. So during his set, I went up in my green room and practiced jumping on the couch to perfect my technique. Then Mike brought me out and I crowd surfed for the first time ever while “22” by Taylor Swift was blasting. It was a soft landing and was so so so much fun. I’ll definitely be doing that again.

OTW: Your photographer, Christian Sarkine, just so happens to have the same name as you. Did that get confusing while you two were together?

French: Lol… yes. At the beginning, it was difficult and throughout the tour we definitely both looked every time someone said “Christian,” but everyone started calling him “Sarkine” and it made things easier for both of us.

OTW: Who are your Ones To Watch?

French: Still Woozy, Pink Sweat$, Alexander 23, Ashe, Jeremy Zucker, and Chelsea Cutler.

[silencio-y-vacio]

No estoy seguro de cómo te sientes, pero cariño, quiero caer por ti

Christian French x Triegy - Fall For You

[thereviewsarein]

Christian French may not be a household name in Toronto yet, but rest assured, he will be.

I caught up with the 21-year-old Fishers, Indiana singer on Tuesday before he hit the stage at Toronto’s The Drake Underground. I talked to Christian about his music, touring, some of his favourite things, and more.

Let’s start from the beginning, and for Christian French, that goes back to school. He was initially planning for a career in hockey when medicine caught his eye. He’d dabbled in music since high school, and the self-taught musician started uploading his music to SoundCloud. He caught the attention of some pretty big names including Triegy and when Christian was a pre-med undergrad with 13 credits left to go, he was approached to go on tour with Chelsea Cutler. It was just as the school year was ending and the singer-songwriter weighed the pros and cons and decided to give his everything to music.

“I can finish school, whenever I can’t go on tour with  a person that I really want to go on tour with, ever again. And so that was the decision for me. I told my parents, and they were very supportive of it. My parents had the same mentality; they knew that I could go back and finish it. They knew that this was what I wanted to do with my life.” – Christian French

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Christian toured with Chelsea for a year before heading out on his first headlining tour.  When we asked about the differences he said the biggest difference for him was moving from doing 30-40 minute sets to having the chance to dive into songs that might not connect in a 30-minute set. It offers the opportunity to play some unreleased material as well as kicking back and doing some very stripped-down material. He also mentioned that the tour is the first time he’s had a drummer, and what a difference that makes to the overall sound. Being in control of the show, customizing the set, and instead of trying to convince the audience that they should pay attention to you, they’re there to see you.

This seemed like the right spot to ask about his opener, ASTN. Christian and Austin have been friends for a while, they play under the same management team, and Austin seemed like a smart choice for this tour.

“I have a lot of faith in him. It made sense to bring him on the tour. It’s been really easy, keeping everything in-house. It’s awesome. We’re all just best friends back in LA, and we get to go on the road together.” – CF

Taking the conversation back to Christian’s music, I had to ask the writing and recording process for Bright Side of the Moon. He mentioned that the EP was the first time for such a collaborative process. He worked with a bunch of producers, when in the past he worked with Drew Decaro. But Drew was still on board overseeing the project.  The writing process breaks down into two sides for Christian. On the one direction, where he sits down alone at the piano and figures it out himself. In the other direction, he loves when he can take an idea into a session with other songwriters.

I asked Christian if he had a favourite track on the album. He took a minute and came back with the title track, Bright Side of the Moon. That song came together over about eight hours. Everything was clicking and working. But he also threw Heavy Snow into the ring. He went on to tell a story about singing a song at a show and not being fully present.

“I wrote that song when the anxiety was so bad to where I couldn’t really be present in any conversation that I was in. I had this constant fog in my head constant, like, constant. Just a whisper in my head and couldn’t focus on anything. I have this very vivid memory of being at a show. And a whole song went by, and I had just kind of came back. I was like, “Whoa, I missed that whole song.” I gotta fix this. And so, I wrote that song and really got those feelings out.”

I love how the stigma surrounding these conversations is starting to disappear. Artists are feeling free to share, that a) they’re human and just like you and b) it’s not easy, and we can all use an ear, and c) talking about it the only way out.

As we were winding down, and to help you find out more about Christian, I threw out some, what are your favourites questions.

Favourite things to do when not working: reading books, listening to podcasts, being outside. CF loves the outdoors. And when he’s really, really trying to relax, he’ll play some Zelda on his Nintendo.

Favourite things to cook: Breakfast. Eggs with a whole bunch of veggies scrambled in with it. Veggies, with shrimp or chicken, maybe turn that into a curry. Note – he’s not a recipe follower!

Favourite thing about being on the road: Getting to interact with fans in person that he’s been talking to online. He loves hearing how his music affects fans, it’s the main reason he does what he does.

Thanks to Christian for taking time out of his busy day to help us, help you, get to know more about him and his music. We also got Christian to a round of 5 Quick Questions with us. Stay tuned, I’ll be adding the video as soon as it’s finished!

I arrived back to the Drake Underground just as ASTN was finishing up his set. The audience was fully engaged as he started his final song, Flowers. Flowers has almost 9 million streams on Spotify, and there was little doubt why. The song is super catchy and relatable.  At just 20 years old, ASTN looked right at home on the stage, older than his years would have us expect. A sweet mix of R&B, rhymes, and pop music, this sound works for me.

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We didn’t have to wait too long for Christian to take the stage.

The crowd was quick to move closer to the stage. They were rewarded with smiles, eye contact and appreciation.

On stage, Christian was charming and sounded amazing. He has incredible tone, great technical control, power, and knows how to work the stage and the audience.

He was true to his word, and the set was very much like a roller coaster, happy, cheerful tunes peppered with sad, heartbreak tunes. We got his biggest hits and some new material. It was perfect.

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Christian French is smart, funny, charming, talented, and pretty easy on the eyes. There have been multiple sold-out dates on the tour, and more to come. If you’re on the fence get your tickets while you still can. If you’re a pop fan, this is a not to be missed show. Check out the remaining tour dates here.

I got my hands on a setlist and if you want it, let me know!

Christian French Charms Toronto Crowd [Interview & Show Review] Christian French may not be a household name in Toronto yet, but rest assured, he will be.