By Mikkel Hyldebrandt
Multi-hyphenate performer, singer, songwriter, actor, and activist Frankie Grande is amplifying the Pride vibes this June with the release of his first album, “Hotel Rock Bottom.” We interviewed Frankie ahead of the release to discuss the new album and the buzz it is already generating, and how he found his voice as a newly minted pop star.
With your career already spanning so many different genres, “Frankie Grande, pop star” has a nice ring to it.
It’s so cool. It’s starting to become more and more real. Even as we talk about it now, it’s just like, wow, she’s been right under the surface the whole time, just waiting to come out. She’s been waiting and biding her time, which is important, because I needed to be seven and a half years sober, otherwise this would not be possible. So, I’m glad everything happened, and when it was supposed to. I’m just so grateful.
It must be incredible to get so much buzz around your new music even before the album is released. I mean, you were a Rainbow Spotlight on Race Chaser!
Yes, I know. I love Willam and Alaska. Good Judy and good sis.
What prompted you to start exploring the musical side of Frankie Grande?
Being on the board of GLAAD made me realize the importance of being as gay as humanly possible in so many different areas of media. And I was like, “I think another place where I can make an impact during these next four years of this administration in a big way is through music.” So, it kind of came out of a place of necessity. And then it kind of came out of a place of realizing, wow, I have so much to say, so much of my story to tell. I’ve accomplished a lot, but I have also been through a lot and failed so much in my life that I feel like I have several albums inside of me that need to come out. This is the first, but I don’t think it’ll be the last, because I really enjoyed telling these stories, and I’m excited that they’re finally going to be out there for the world to see and learn about a different side of me.
You have always been so open and honest, which is really relatable, but seeing you stand up for yourself and being yourself so authentically is also just so delightful, and something we can all learn from. And this musical venture fits right into that.
Exactly. And I’m glad that you’ve seen that, because I think a lot of people in this world don’t know that about me. I think they see only surface. I think they see the gifs and the memes, on social media. They see the gay clown, and they’re like, oh, that’s what Frankie Grande is. And I was like, but did you click on the video? No, probably not. So. I’m allowing people to experience the true authenticity and the full picture of who I am, all in one project. We cover a lot of ground, you know, we covered 20 years of my life in one album, which is really, really awesome.
Did you get any help or encouragement from your sister, who also happens to be a very famous pop star?
She’s been unbelievable. None of this made it to her ears until I had several songs done. I never wanted it to be like ‘Hey, I want to be a pop star. Can you help me?’ I didn’t tell her anything, and then we were at my apartment with a friend, who asked if I had played her any of my music, and she was like Huh, what? So, I ended up finally playing her one of my songs, and she started crying. Then she told me that I had to keep going, that I had to do this because the world should know this person in the song. She’s been such an incredible inspiration, and she’s been such a support. And it’s really fun to get to have somebody like her to ask questions about music, and about hooks, and about mixing, And practical stuff like getting custom in-ear monitors for live performances. She’s been incredible.
It seems like she listened to your music at a perfect time, when you’re also having a pinnacle moment.
Yes, I’ve been preparing for this moment my whole life. I just didn’t really know. And now that I’m being gifted with these incredible opportunities, I have to show up. I’m so grateful that I’m fucking sober because this amount of pressure, this quickly, not in sobriety? I would be fucking drinking, and using and missing gigs, and I would have already been dead. I’m grateful that this didn’t happen earlier, because this is the time, and this is when I can handle it, and this is when I’m excited to get to show up and to work my ass off.
From the go on your first single “Rhythm of Love”, you have incredible collaborators – Prince Fox, Alex Chapman (Kim Petras, Charli XCX, Troye Sivan), and NOVDOR (Troye Sivan, Charli XCX) – how did those come about?
I met Prince Fox through my manager, who is the executive producer of my album. He has been in the music industry for many, many years and knows a lot of people. Bonnie McKee, who is on the album, has worked with Katy Perry. Bonnie has 10 number ones or something and came into the writing room with us. I wanted the music to sound like everything that I grew up listening to, but it’s also the future.
And you wanted to keep being unapologetically yourself.
Yes, and that was also really scary in the beginning. I didn’t know what my voice would sound like on a record. And so, finding who that person was, and how to dip into that performance character inside of a booth, which is so foreign to me, was all new. I’m used to performing for thousands of people on Broadway every night, but here I have to give a performance with no one in the room. Having people like Prince, Kate Morgan, and Bonnie McKee in the room with me and believing in me on my debut album, with no proof of concept, is huge.
So, current single “Boys” – tell us about it.
It’s the best song I’ve ever heard in my entire life. I love this song so much. “Boys” is a celebration of sexual freedom, a celebration of the queer community, a celebration of a time in my life when I just I went to Fire Island, and I was sober, and I was like, I am just going to go and live my truest gay fantasy, and wear as little clothes as humanly possible. I wish that this song was playing in the club when I met my 7,000 boyfriends that weekend. I really hope that it’s just as fun and liberating for Pride. Just wait for “Boys” as the next Pride anthem! I did it in that order on purpose, because I wanted “Rhythm of Love” to be a great introduction to me as an artist to the world. And then I wanted “Boys” to just be gay for Pride, and I can’t wait for it to be blasting all over the country and the world. Fuck it. Let’s go.
Also, it’s perfect timing for your album release on June 27! Listening to “Hotel Rock Bottom,” it really does have a new sound. Can you tell us more about the vibe of the album?
It really does have a new sound. It’s like space dance rock-pop. So yeah, I’ve leaned into this new genre and sound. I think Billboard should immediately create a space dance rock-pop chart, where I shall appear as the only artist for several years. Honestly, I’m just hoping that people love the sound as much as I do. I just took all the influences from my growing up from the eighties and nineties, and even dipped my toe into the seventies, because my mother raised me on music from the seventies. Put it into a blender with all of the sounds I’m currently listening to – and out came “Hotel Rock Bottom.”
Obviously, you have a singing background, but how did you find your voice for this project?
Because I am portraying my authentic self, I wanted to make sure not to leave the personality out. I wanted to make sure that I pull in my ability to do voices and my character performances, and really just put myself in those different situations from my life, and then find that sound. But then overall make it cohesive. You’ve got songs like “Oasis” where I’m just like singing my face off, screaming at the top of my lungs, giving you a journey. And then you have songs like “Messy,” where I’m giving you character. And in “Boys” my rap section is very camp-ish. I wanted to make sure to bring all those colors, but also show off my ability as a singer, because I am a vocalist, and I’m very well trained in singing. I don’t want to sound like anyone else, which is really cool and also very scary.
So what’s next now that you have added pop star to your impressive resume?
You know, I would love to return to Broadway. I want to play Frankenfurter. I want to play Hedwig. I want to play the MC in Cabaret. I want to play Seymour. I also want to go on tour with this album, because I am such a sucker for live audiences, and just love performing live. I want to tell this story visually with cool staging, lights, and dancing. I am also an actor, so I always leave that door wide open to TV and film – and reality TV is always fun. I’m lucky to live in a time where the multi-hyphenate is being celebrated because that means I don’t have to pick a lane, and for that, I am so grateful. Because I don’t want to!
Frankie Grande’s new album “Hotel Rock Bottom” will be out on June 27. Frankie on Instagram and TikTok @frankiejgrande.
