Photo Credit: Brittany O’Brien
Equipped with killer vocals and passionate lyrics, Francis Karel has taken over TikTok and listeners everywhere with his captivating abilities. The singer’s new single “I Don’t Like How Much I Like You” is an emotional track that explores the difficulty of being unsure about who we like.
In light of his impressive new release, Beyond The Stage asked Francis more about who he is, his experiences, what inspires him musically, and his favorite pizza topping.
BTS: You have an incredible vocal range and vibrant, upbeat vibe to your sound. When did you start cultivating this ability to sing when you were younger? Did you ever take lessons or did it come naturally to you?
FK: At a young age, I joined a children’s choir at around nine years old. Two years into that, I just decided that I wanted to pursue singing alone. And I have not taken formal lessons. I just kind of started learning off of YouTube for the most of it – watching YouTube channels of vocal coaches and other singers, as well. It was a lot of just trying to imitate and practice the way a certain artist that inspires me sounds. I just enjoyed practicing alone, so most of it is kind of self-taught, but I’d really love to get into vocal training at some point. I feel like a lot of what I do is just based on what makes sense to me.
BTS: Who were some of your biggest musical inspirations growing up? Who are yours now? How would you say these influences have helped you to define your own unique sound?
FK: Growing up it was a lot of Ed Sheeran, Beyoncé, Boyz II Men…listening to how they all sing and the way they do their runs is so impressive to me. I’d say that today, it started to lean more towards songwriting things like Julia Michaels, Bruno Mars, and Adele as references of being able to deliver such amazing vocals alongside amazing lyrics and storytelling. I think for a lot of these guys, I pick something up from each of them to help create what I do today.
BTS: You sang to people in the early days on Omegle. How did you start just singing to people? Were you nervous at first to sing in front of others? If so, how did you overcome that hump?
FK: I joined a singing competition back in Indonesia, which was like in the middle of a mall. Just the thought of people passing by not actually caring – it was kind of scary. There’s obviously a certain group of people who came for the singing competition, but for the most part, everybody else was just there shopping. So, that was kind of a scary thought, just looking around and seeing people who are just looking at you and keep walking. But, I think that kind of helped me practice getting more used to at least performing in front of people who have no idea what you can bring to the table. And that was kind of the same thing on Omegle. You go through waves of people who just have an attitude already, or just don’t expect anything like that out of you, so, it was kind of like a fun thing on Omegle because it was more one-on-one.
BTS: How was the transition from singing to strangers on Omegle to going to TikTok? What was the first viral TikTok you had?
FK: I started TikTok up during the beginning of the pandemic, so like April. I think like a month into TikTok that’s really when I saw some sort of reciprocation from the app where I didn’t know the algorithm at all because I was really just posting because none of my friends were using TikTok so it was kind of just like, oh, you know, this is fun space where I can just post stuff and nobody needs to know about it. One of the videos finally blew up, which was a duet with this guy named Nathan Archie who’s also an amazing TikToker, and it just went viral. It was my first video to go viral and I kind of was like, oh, I guess this app really has a way of getting your content out there without you having to have followers. You know, it’s really like a start from scratch thing.
BTS: For so many people that put themselves and their ideas/art out on the internet, there is the fear of criticism from others…how do you push past that negativity? What is your advice for others maybe feeling worried about that sort of thing?
FK: I think that at the end of the day, a lot of people will always have an opinion and have criticism. Not all of them come from a bad place, but some do. Social media and TikTok is also filled with people who are young as well, and I think for the most part, a lot of younger people don’t really think about the words that they say, the impact it can have, but I don’t take it to heart just because I think at the end of the day, I’m there also still practicing my craft. The one thing I say to myself at least is that you’re not going to learn if you’re not trying. I feel like putting yourself out there allows you to learn because one thing about criticism that I do respect is that sometimes people actually bring up valid points that I’ve never paid attention to. For me, it’s super helpful to be able to hear people’s criticism as well, but if it’s just hate comments, to be honest, I don’t read it. I’ll just be like, okay, great. Well, I’m not going to get hurt by that because it’s really just to hurt someone’s feelings.
BTS: Can you tell the story of your run-in with a music executive at the festival in Jakarta when you spilled your coffee? How did you end up there? What happened? And how did it turn into an amazing opportunity?
FK: This was years ago, so I’m trying to make sure I recall this correctly, but basically I was behind the stage near the sound guys and there’s different people’s teams all around. I happened to accidentally cause a scene around somebody who paid attention and that conversation led to them wanting to hear my music. I showed them and that just kind of developed to “oh, text me some stuff I want to hear more.” So, I was sending stuff and two weeks later, I got invited to a whole thing to go to New York to write there and build my artistry, which was the beginning of that. That whole experience really, really opened up the door for being a songwriter for myself. So, I’m very grateful for that.
BTS: Your new song “I Don’t Like How Much I Like You” is about to drop. Can you open up more about the story behind this song?
FK: I wrote this song with a few of my friends back in October of 2020. At the time I was under this kind of courting of a label situation and was in a house writing a few times every week. At one session, all of us had something in common in the room where we were going through something of “I don’t like how much I like this person because it’s problematic.” And, I think something in common between everyone in that room – us, young, upcoming new songwriters – is that we tend to linger in toxicity for inspiration. At the moment, we were all very much in the same headspace about liking someone that we’re really not supposed to, but also liking someone that we’re so unsure of that kind of just hit us out of the blue. So, that’s mainly where the song came from. We were all just like, okay, chaos, let’s write about this.
BTS: What was it like opening for MAX? I know that this was your debut show, but was this your first time ever performing live in front of a crowd in general? What was it like to experience the feeling of a crowd watching you?
FK: I’d say it was the first show that I performed where it actually was announced that I was there to perform. I did singing shows back home or, you know, I’ve done stuff with an orchestra back in Indonesia or school performances, but nothing to this extent, especially in the US – this was my first US show ever. Pre Max’s show, I had not performed in the past three years, so it felt new again. When I came to LA in 2018, my mindset really shifted from trying to pursue the artist thing. I really had just the intention of being so inspired and wanting to be a songwriter out here, so TikTok kind of opened up that door of being an artist again for me. But, I completely forgot about the live performance aspect. It for sure was overwhelming, but also just such a good feeling to see people actually resonate with your music because I write so much every day that I think like “oh my god, I’m finally gonna play this live in front of people, I wonder how they’re gonna react, I wonder how they’re going to like it.” I think all of those things cross my mind, but also just the performance aspect. I’m so used to recording vocals that I’m such a perfectionist. The fact that sometimes I can occasionally slip – slipping odd notes to me is just so scary – but I think that’s just something I have to get used to because I’m not going to be able to sing perfectly every single second of my life.
BTS: What experiences in your life do you feel drive the creativity that ends up becoming your music? Love, heartbreak, cultural background, struggles of being young today, etc.?
FK: I think right now where I’m at, I really am just trying to make it as personal as possible. In the beginning of trying to be a songwriter, it was very much not intended just for me, so it was always kind of inspired by my surroundings, by my friends or like, by a movie I watched. Right now, I think I’m getting into a space where I’m picking up stuff from my own personal experiences. That’s like very in the moment. And, you know, a lot of those moments are obviously love, heartbreak, and even just self contemplating things like “this past three years has been crazy, let me try to write about that.” Even just writing about coming out to Los Angeles with a dream, and the fact that that’s somehow working out now for me is something I try to write about from as many different ways as I can. It’s just really kind of an in the moment, what’s going on in my life thing. I try to experience as much as I can and be in the moment of reality and not get too lost in social media so I can actually recall stuff.
BTS: What are the practices you have adopted to stay consistent with songwriting, as well as Tik Tok content creation? Do you sometimes struggle with finding motivation or writer’s block?
FK: I think with writing, I’ve been so, so much more motivated as of lately, just because I’m also co-writing with some new people that I’m so inspired by and have been inspired by before I even got the chance to work with them. Also, hearing songs that are constantly being released is always just such an inspiring thing for me, too because it’s just conceptually that line or the melody, the prosody, and hearing everything that music does. A lot of people will say stuff about pop like pop is just repetition, blah, blah, blah. But, the fact that repetition can still motivate me in new ways is just so inspiring, and I always try to experiment even just playing around on the piano or playing around on a guitar and voice memoing stuff. I always try to find new things. For example, writing for others. As for TikTok content, I think finding that balance for me goes up and down. Sometimes I find the balance, sometimes I lose it again. And I think it’s just like during the pandemic, it was so easy because I was home 24/7. I was just in my room, so having time to create and make content was like every single day. Now that it’s like I have a writing session outside of my house or I have this thing to go to and I’m only going to be home for a couple of hours or when I’m sleeping at night, it’s like trying to find that balance right now, at least. It’s for sure something that I occasionally will struggle with. Also just understanding social media is so complicated because it has its ups and downs, too and that can, obviously, take its toll on someone with expectations, as well. So, I try to find the balance more with creating the content because you like it, not because you’re trying to get it to either go viral or what. But yeah, that’s the stuff that I’m currently trying to work with. Mainly I’m just trying to make sure my mental wellness, my mental health is doing ok.
BTS: In addition to your incredible vocals, you also are super talented with your guitar. When did you first pick up a guitar? Are you a straight acoustic player or do you also dabble with electric?
FK: I have to say that I do not play guitar as well as others think, and I have to say that just because I know actual guitarists and musicians who are so, so good at guitar. I appreciate it that that’s the way I come across, though. I really just picked up guitar off of YouTube I think back in like 2015, so it’s really something that I should actually spend more time learning. It’s progressions and chords that have already clicked with me. It’s just kind of based on ear training and hearing things. I really don’t know most of the chords that I’m playing, I just look for what I want to hear and when it sounds right, I’m just like remember that because that’s the note that you want to play. Mainly, I practiced and learned piano when I was younger, so I think that helped translate into being able to pick up the guitar.
BTS: After this new song release, what else can listeners expect to see from you? Any exciting plans in the works? A new album, more live performances?
FK: I for sure have been just writing so much, and also I’m still trying to be a songwriter, so I really want to be able to write for other artists. And live performances, I for sure want to dive into that. I think I knew that was an angle that I could approach, but the thought of live performances was just always so scary. So, I was just kind of iffy about it. But after these Max shows, I was really like, I get it. I get why musicians are obsessed with this. I get why artists really like the performance aspect because it’s actually such an amazing experience.
BTS: How do you want people to be impacted by your music? What feelings do you hope to evoke from the listener?
FK: The one thing is vulnerability. Especially being a dude, I think there’s so many people who are vulnerable with their music, but I think what I want to be able to evoke is the honesty of what I go through. I’m kind of more reserved as a person, so writing about how I actually feel in certain moments I think is so different from what my friends even see. So for me, I want to be as open as a book as I can with my music, and hopefully for people to find some way that they can relate to that. For me, one thing that I say is that I don’t know how to say words or express feelings, but I do know how to do that through music. So, I try to treat my music as a form of this is my diary or my journal, so if you want to look through it, feel free, if you don’t, great.
BTS: If you could collaborate on a song with ANY artist, alive or dead, who would you pick and why?
FK: Ooh, this is hard! Can I pick a few? Just because there’s so many people I want to work with. Okay, so Beyoncé is for sure one of them, you know, Beyonce is everything. Also Jon Bellion and Julia Michaels.
BTS: Lastly, (a little fire round) what is a movie you can watch over and over? A TV show that you’re currently obsessed with? Top three songs you’re vibing to right now? Favorite pizza topping?
FK: I’m probably going to have to say The Avengers. I can actually watch that over and over again…any of The Avengers movies. I’m just obsessed with that world and that universe. I just got hooked on the second season of Tiger King. I’m also obsessed with this show on Amazon called Hanna. Top three songs I’m vibing to right now. “All Too Well” Taylor’s version, the 10 minute version. A second one is a song by a friend of mine that I’m not going to say because it’s unreleased. Third, I have to say “The 1975” by Push Baby. That song is amazing. And then my favorite pizza topping. I am a simple pepperoni pizza guy. With cheese, obviously, although I’m lactose intolerant, so I shouldn’t do that. But you know, sometimes I just close my eyes and say, go for it!
Reaching tremendous success at only age 23, we cannot wait to see how Francis will continue to evolve as an artist. His inspiring story and words hopefully give everyone the courage to intrepidly pursue their dreams. Looking forward to seeing what will come next from Francis and his captivating voice!
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