It’s Friday and we are HYPED as pop singer/songwriter, Christian French, released his new track “OH WELL“ along with the music video via Disruptor Records/RCA Records. The video is directed by Nicholas Jandora (24kGoldn, Lil Skies). We spoke with Christian on his music, life as an artist, and how he rises above any obstacle thrown his way! Searching for happiness and finding love within himself, Christian French reminds us to keep pushing forward!
Absolutely love “Oh well”! What is the meaning behind the song? What do you hope people will get the most out of it?
thank you! i wrote this song after a bunch of really shitty days – my ex & i broke up the same day my label was telling me my music wasn’t good enough to release, & overall i was just feeling really disconnected from myself. so many things kept happening that it kind of got comical, so instead of writing a sad song i decided to have fun with it & turn it into oh well.
i want people who listen to feel like their problems aren’t as big of a deal as they’re making them out to be – sometimes shit goes wrong that’s completely out of your control & you just have to roll with it, shake it off & say oh well.
What was your favorite part of filming the music video?
the scene where i had a busted nose & a black eye was really fun to do – i’ve never had makeup done to me like that & it was crazy to see myself look so messed up. i facetimed my mom & told her i fell off the roof trying to jump in the pool, & she fully believed me for a second before i told her i was kidding haha.. she hated me for a second
When you started writing, where were you? How did the process go?
it was in the thick of quarantine during a writing camp at my house in hollywood back in january- since my roommate pinkslip is my producer, we were able to work out of the house for a bunch of days straight, having homies come through (with negative covid tests of course) to collaborate with. this particular day i just was not having it – so many things had gone wrong the past few days, i was sick of trying to write about my breakup & was just burnt out. i think everyone could tell that whatever happened that day needed to be light-hearted & fun, so when i started talking about what i was going through & my friend jackson said “oh well”, & everything just clicked from there.
Share with us an example of a hard time you went through in life and how you came out of it on top.
I think performing is the example I use most often – in 2018, I opened up for Chelsea Cutler on her fall tour, & the first show of tour was my first ever show. I was SO nervous, & felt like i had absolutely no idea what I was doing up there – I would throw up from nerves before pretty much every show & DREAD getting on stage, but I knew that if I was gonna be a musician, this was something i needed to get better at & the only way to the other side was through. So over that tour & the next one opening for Quinn XCII, I tried to sponge up as much as I could from watching them, & even enrolled in a dance class to feel looser on stage (which was HUMILIATING every day). Over time I got more & more comfortable with myself, & found that every show I was getting better. Now, performing is where I feel the most comfortable & the most free, & it just came from repetition & a willingness to fail for a while.
What did you learn from this? / Any advice you would give to people struggling?
failure is IMPORTANT. it sucks so bad in the moment, but mannn you learn so much from it. If you stay inside your comfort zone & aren’t willing to fail, you’re never gonna grow & get better. This is something I have to remind myself of every day & still have a really tough time handling some days.
Growing up, how did you deal with fear? And now?
I don’t think I knew much about fear, & wasn’t as aware of my mind as I am now, so I always saw it as something to avoid at all costs. Obviously there were things like school speeches (which i HATED) that I couldn’t avoid, but for the most part I did my best to stay as comfortable as I could
Now I fully realize that fear is deeper rooted, and can really hold you back from your dreams, so I try to run towards it more often now. I see it as a tool for growth rather than something to avoid. It’s never easy, & some days I still lose to my fear, but I’m getting better at facing it.
Why did you decide to become a singer in the first place?
It really just happened naturally – I didn’t start with the mindset “I’m gonna become a professional musician”. Before I released any original music, I had been doing soundcloud covers of my favorite songs for about 5 years, learning how to sing & play piano along the way. I kept having more fun with it, & after I finally got good enough to write my own music, I found a sense of peace & accomplishment that nothing else gave me, so I just ran towards it & kept doing it. Things just sort of fell into place after that
Your ultimate purpose in life?
I’m really on a search to find happiness & love within myself so I can begin to spread it to others in an impactful way. I think as long as I feel a lack of love for myself, it’s impossible to fully give love to others, so that’s something I’ve really been focused on. For me, making music is the closest I’ve felt to connecting to a “higher power”, & its already allowed me to impact lives & experience a variety of cultures in a way I never thought was possible. I want to continue to travel, to learn more about myself, and to give back to the world. (:
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