Fran Vasilić
Releases Long-Anticipated Viral Single “Television / So Far So Good (voice memo)”
By Cody Capalongo
Twenty-two-year-old Fran Vasilic describes himself as just a “quiet kid making noise,” and lately he’s been making a whole bunch. Playing the guitar and writing poetry since elementary school, Fran took the time during last year’s lockdowns to finally put the two together and focus on music, a shift that culminated in his debut album, Retrovizor. The album, a collection of eight quarantine-induced songs all written and produced by the artist himself, was never supposed to reach the heights that it has.
When talking with Fran about his hopes for the project he said, “I just wanted to get it out so that my friends and family can listen to it. I honestly didn’t expect for it to reach a wider audience.” However, since its release, Retrovizor has launched Fran onto the global stage of bedroom pop. Nowhere is this rise in popularity seen more clearly than on TikTok, where since his first post in August of 2020, Fran has amassed over 3.5 million followers and 31.5 million likes. Sharing both his own stripped versions of his songs as well as covers and rewrites for songs such as “Eyes Blue,” “Heather,” and “Television/So Far So Good,” Fran lets his personable and energetic self shine through his page. Hundreds of thousands of people have gravitated towards his warm, charming personality and remarkable musical ability, creating a strong community of supporters that Fran often interacts with.
Fran recently graced us with his newest single, “A Lovesong for Whoever.” Inspired by online dating, this captivating, synth-driven ballad invokes the feelings of hopeful love, loneliness, and excitement that have come to characterize modern, digital dating. We spoke with Fran about his rise to internet fame, his plans for the future, and more!
Fran, thank you so much for speaking with us today. Your Spotify bio simply describes you as a “quiet kid making noise,” what more can you tell us about yourself?
I’m Fran, I’m 22 and I come from the island of Krk, Croatia. I write music in my bedroom every night and then record it the next morning when my neighbors are at work so they don’t complain. Apart from that I also film TikToks about the songs I make.
When did you first start making music, and who were your early musical influences?
I was writing poems since before kindergarten and I started playing the guitar in elementary school. For some reason, I didn't combine the two until the lockdown last year, that's when I started taking music a bit more seriously and writing originals. My music is very influenced by early 2000s indie rock, 80s, and 90s Yugoslavian pop and I also keep up with artists who are relevant today in the bedroom pop space like Rex Orange County or Gus Dapperton.
Having been involved in music prior, what finally made you decide to release your debut album, “Retrovizor”?
I didn't put any thought into releasing Retrovizor, it was just a collection of songs I made during lockdown, my quarantine project. Once I felt that it was complete, I just wanted to get it out so my friends and family can listen to it. I honestly didn’t expect for it to reach a wider audience so having no concrete goals or strategy in mind, the decision to release it came naturally once the project was done.
While you’ve gained a lot of recognition for your covers of songs such as “Television / So Far So Good” by Rex Orange Country and “Beggin’” by Maneskin, your original pieces have garnered just as much acclaim. What’s your writing process like for your own music?
I’m always writing down lyrics on my phone and recording voice memos of melodies. Ideas for songs often develop when you’re not trying to come up with them - sometimes I’m rushing out of the shower to put something down, other times I’ll be quietly humming a melody into my phone on public transport. I usually start developing these ideas further at the end of my day when I’m in bed, and oftentimes I stay up the whole night figuring out the lyrics, melody, and production. It’s also important to sleep on songs because sometimes you wake up the next day and realize what you’ve made last night is trash, other times you immediately want to record it.
Your newest single, “A Lovesong for Whoever,” was amazing! What was the inspiration behind the song and what were you hoping to convey in writing it?
Thank you! I was just really inspired by online dating and how by just looking at someone’s Instagram you can have a fully developed opinion of a person which could be something completely different compared to how they are in reality, so when you start having feelings for them it’s hard to know whether you’re falling in love with an actual person or a version of a person you made up in your head.
Was there anything special about the writing/producing process for this song in particular?
This is definitely the song that took me the longest to make. I was constantly making edits in the writing, rerecording vocals, changing the production... I felt a lot of pressure because I wanted my next song to be up to par with my social media following and I didn’t want to disappoint my followers. When I was releasing Retrovizor, I didn’t have any numbers behind me, I was just a new guy making music, but going into releasing ALFW, I wanted to prove that I’m worth all of the attention I’ve been getting.
The song is accompanied by an official lyric video, is there any meaning behind the imagery in the video?
The very literal interpretation is chasing the idea of whoever you’re in love with and not wanting to give up on it. I also wanted to create some sort of visual identity with this release, because for Retrovizor I didn’t have any videos, so my main goal was to establish myself in the indie and bedroom pop space not only with my music but also with my visuals.
With 3.3 million followers and 29.7 million likes, you’ve generated an impressive amount of success on TikTok, tell us a little about your journey on the app thus far?
Although I’ve spent a lot of time writing music in lockdown, I’ve spent even more time on TikTok. I would spend hours a day on this app and it was really inspiring to see small artists get their music heard over it, so I decided I want to do the same. The first video that blew up was my rewrite of “Eyes Blue” and “Heather” which got me a larger following and also some attention from labels and the music industry in general. From then on it was just a matter of finding a balance between university and music, which was a bit of a struggle, so I prioritized university for the time being, and then once I graduated in July, I started posting on the app more and reached 3 million followers soon after.
What do you enjoy most about being on the app?
Definitely seeing the videos people make to my music! It’s a really cool feeling to see other people take the time out of their day to do something creative using something creative you’ve done with the time of your day. I also really enjoy the fan art, I have some really cool artists in my audience!
Having such a large following on TikTok puts you in a very unique position in terms of audience interaction, what effect, if any, do you think having such a direct connection with your audience has had on you and your work?
I think it’s amazing I get to have direct communication with my supporters, it shows me what they like and what they don’t like, so I can have a better idea of what my next releases should be! I’ve also recently made a discord server, so it’s been really nice to be able to see also people’s faces, their pets and hear their stories instead of just looking at them as numbers on social media.
You recently performed live at “Moonlight Sessions,” do you plan on pursuing more live performances in the future?
Yes, I did Moonlight Sessions as they’ve been very generous and offered to learn my songs and act as my band for an evening. I still don’t have a band, so I need to figure that out before booking gigs, but I definitely wanna continue performing live, playing with a band is a lot of fun.
Your debut album reached the “Top 100 Alternative Albums Chart” in Malaysia, while your first single, “A Lovesong for Whoever,” made it on Soundcloud’s “US New & Hot 50 chart” as well as Ireland’s “New & Hot: Pop Top 100 chart.” What is it like having such a diverse audience and where do you see the most support coming from?
I love it! It’s really amazing to see people from different places, countries, and cultures coming together because they like what I do. At some point in my career, I want to travel the world so I can play for all of these people no matter where they’re from. I’m from Croatia and when artists have European tours they rarely incorporate Eastern Europe, so playing in places like that will definitely be a priority for me.
What is the Croatian music scene like and what has been like as a coming artist in that environment?
It’s very live-based. We have some amazing bands and some amazing festivals where I’m looking to perform in 2022. However, the streaming culture is not as developed, so it’s hard for musicians to live from their art if they’re not playing in multiple bands.
What else can fans expect from you going forward in 2022?
My EP “The Very Last Thoughts on Earth” will be coming out in early 2022, after the lead single “Maybe”! Also, as I’ve mentioned, there will definitely be live shows in 2022, but no concrete dates yet. Once I have more updates they will be posted on my Instagram and TikTok!