With multiple tours and numerous festival stops, Shaun Frank is having a hell of a busy year. Sunset Music Festival, his first EDC Las Vegas, Tomorrowland, Moonrise Festival…. the list goes on and on. But behind all of the travel and social media coverage, we wanted to know what’s going on behind the scenes with collaborations, inspiration, and more, so we were fortunate enough to get a few minutes with Shaun shortly before he takes over Washington, DC tonight at Soundcheck.
? – The Getaway tour is coming to a close with only a few stops left. How was it, and was there any kind of surprises or funny stories you can tell us about it?
SF – This has been one of the most incredible tours for me. Started at Red Rocks with The Chainsmokers, which has been on my bucket list, so that was just an unreal way to kick off the tour. I think the highlight for me though honestly was playing a sold out show at home in Toronto with Delaney Jane.
? – We’ve noticed this year after seeing you so many times, your sets have gotten more and more diverse. Anything you can attribute that to?
SF – Totally! The new music I’ve been putting out has allowed me to not just stick to one genre and format. At the heart of all this I’m a songwriter, and it was never my goal to write songs at the same BPM for the rest of my career. As I release more and more music, it’s allowing me to get more and more diverse with the live show, and I’m loving it!
? – And likewise with your music you’ve been putting out, what about that?
SF – Again, I generally just start with the song. I’ll sit at the piano and write it with the vocalist. And once we have a song that we love I’ll put together production that I think best fits it. I don’t really consider genre when I’m writing the songs.
? – Ashe sings on your new track “Let You Get Away,” do you have any plans for more tracks with her, and do you plan to bring her on any stops with you like Delaney Jane?
SF – I’ve actually already had Ashe out to a couple shows. I love incorporating the live vocalists and even instruments. I think you’ll see a lot more of that kind of stuff coming from me in the near future. Ashe and I have also written some other songs that I’m excited to finish!
? – A lot of your songs have some very deep, incredible lyrics. Do you attribute that at all to your rock n’ roll days? And are any of them taken from heart, or just a story you tell?
SF – Thank you so much, that means a lot. I really want to tell my own stories and the stories of the vocalists I work with through these songs. Writing honest songs is really what I love doing. I actually co-wrote the lyrics on Closer with The Chainsmokers, and I’m very proud of that one.
? – We saw on Snapchat that you recently moved out of your old studio. Any inside scoop on the new space?
SF – I’ve got two spaces now! I’m working back and forth between LA and Toronto. I just finished shaping up the LA studio, and I couldn’t be more excited to get started there. I’ll be up on my snapchat : shaunfranksnap live from the studio soon, so keep checking in!
? – Can we expect anymore collaborations with Dr. Fresch and/or SNBRN, perhaps something you guys worked on while on tour?
SF – I was just thinking that with this insane Trump Victory…we’re due for a New Order part 2. We have our final New Order show coming up in NYC at Webster Hall, and we have a lot of surprises ready for that one. I think the three of us will do stuff together in the future for sure.
? – Some artists like to check out for a few weeks and go on hiatus to a remote place or country to focus on their work and production. If you could go to anywhere in the world for four weeks to do so, where would you go and why?
SF – I always make time while doing the overseas touring to take time to enjoy the journey. We spent some time in Bali a few weeks ago which was incredible. I think Bali might be my favourite place on earth. They have such a peaceful culture, and the landscape is beautiful. I hope to see more of India next time I’m able to go over there.
? – And most importantly, if you were a Power Ranger, what color and animal would you be and why?
SF – I pretty much boycotted the Power Rangers when I was a kid, and I can’t even remember why lol. So I literally know nothing about it..but I’d probably rock that black outfit pretty well.
Thanks to Shaun Frank for giving us a few minutes of his time, and don’t miss out on his show tonight in Washington, DC at Soundcheck as The Getaway Tour for the second to last stop! Tickets can be found here. We’ll see you there!
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https://soundcloud.com/shaunfrank
https://www.instagram.com/shaunfrank
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