Sparkling strings cut through an epic melody, and out of the darkness emerges a gritty vocal that starts to harmonize with them. “At times like this when i feel blue, i close my eyes and think of you” are the first words uttered. The tempo is slow and pendulous, but the energy is urgent. There’s a passion in the singer’s voice that is almost iconic, but still finds a way to infect the mood with its optimistic tone. This is “Before,” the latest release from Frank Watkinson, and though it is not the most played song on radio, it’s a solid representation of who its composer is – and moreover, who he’s aspiring to be in this next chapter of his career.
For the serious audiophile, this song is a rare breath of fresh air, experimental in nature which will leave you either loving what Frank is doing or wondering why you are only just discovering about the amazing talent this iconic man possesses. Goodieboy, the virtual music label stumbled on Frank’s YouTube channel and fell in love with his covers and original songs and realized that we don’t hear music like Frank’s that much as it’s a dying art and wanted to feature him and allow his small fan base to purchase his music.
Frank’s music is a work of art from the era of music long forgotten but massively treasured. We decided to feature Frank for an exclusive interview.
What inspired you to get into music?
I have a cousin that is a musician, he encouraged me to play the guitar. I knew I could never be as good as him but i wasn’t trying to, it’s just a good way of expressing feelings etc..
How would you describe your music?
I haven’t really thought about how i would describe my music other than my songs are basically ideas, never really the finished article .
What would you say is your recording and song writing style?
My recording style is raw, as I have tried recording the music and adding vocals afterwards but it never seems to work. I get too tied up with timing that way, which is another reason i don’t call myself a musician more just a musical performer.
Where would you like to see your music career in 5 years time?
At my age I don’t really think about anything that far in the future, it took getting older to grow my style. I do like it if people like my songs but I’m smart enough to know they aren’t for everyone. Music is personal to everyone, I just think it’s worth it if a songs stirs up someone’s emotions. On one of my videos about me, I make it clear I can’t play the guitar that well, and am in no way a singer but, I put them both together and work with what I have, dumb down every cover I do mainly because I don’t have the skill to play the songs like the originals. (haha) Despite this a lot of people seem to love them, I can only think it is because I try to keep the emotion real.
Where can music fans listen your music?
You can see the music video on the Goodieboy YouTube Music Channel here: https://youtu.be/h8wkzFZvphE
You can buy or stream the 7 song ep “My Life Unplugged” here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/frankwatkinson/my-life-unplugged