SXSW Pop: What inspired you to start creating music, and how did you develop your unique sound?

Frankie 5Ø3: I’ve always had an obsession with words. I started writing poems when I was really young. That and always being surrounded by music really facilitated me to want to learn more and create more. As to my sound that all comes from years of trial and error, or better stated years of evolution. I’ve tried all forms of writing in music, it’s been until recently I’ve really re-fallen in love with the old Latin music I would listen to as a kid.

SXSW Pop: Can you describe your songwriting process? How do you come up with lyrics and melodies?

Frankie 5Ø3: I’m always always always writing. I write when I drive I write when I have a conversation with someone, I’ve even write in my sleep (no joke).

I like to be in a place that’s not so quiet because it will drown me in my own thoughts. My car parked by a street is a strange but very comfortable place for me. I’ll start with melodies and from there try to place the words that come to me as best as I can. Most of the time the first few lines won’t even make sense, but that’s the fun part of it to me, it’s like solving a puzzle only you’re the creator of the pieces.

SXSW Pop: Which artists have influenced your music the most, and why?

Frankie 5Ø3: I’ve been influenced by many artist, but the majority of them are really old 60s-70s rock influences. I think that music was really different. Musicians back then had a completely different standard to live up to. Bob Dylan, has been a large inspiration for me. I’ve always believed him to be one of the best poets of that time. I also have many modern influences such as Romeo Santos. He’s someone else I really look up to in terms of writing and singing just because I don’t think there are many artist as poetically romantic as he can be.

SXSW Pop: How do you balance your creative vision with the expectations of your record label or management team?

Frankie 5Ø3: I try to stay myself really. I can try to please everyone and I’ll never be able to, so as long as I’m happy and the people I care about are happy with what I’m doing, that’s all that matters.

SXSW Pop: Tell us about your favorite song you've created so far and the story behind it.

Frankie 5Ø3: I’ll give you two: “J3TSKI” and “Y0NCE”

Those two songs have a very special place in my heart. “J3TSKI” really is one of my favorites melodically and also just because how the writing process with it went. I wrote that song faster than any of the other ones on my album, I even recorded it the same day I wrote it. “Y0NC3” on the other hand, the message of the song is what I really love. It’s a song about those that may be insecure in themselves. It can be taken as a love song that you dedicate to that “shy girl” but also I think anyone could listen to it and say “hey, maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on myself, I’m just as special as anyone” which is true. Everyone’s got there own virtues, you just have to be willing to find them for yourself.

SXSW Pop: How do you handle criticism and negative feedback about your work?

Frankie 5Ø3: Like anybody else that’s the first thing I’ll see, but I take it like a grain of salt. Being in a creative field you have to be able to take criticism, if everyone loved it or believed in it, it wouldn’t be art. At the end of the day I do what I love and makes me happy and there is not one person that could say anything about me that would change that.

SXSW Pop: What role does live performance play in your career, and how do you prepare for a show?

Frankie 5Ø3: Live shows are something I’m really forward to having more often to be honest. I’ve been really busy with just the creation of my first album that it’s hard to be touring and recording. But I plan to have a good amount of shows in the near future, so stay turned for that! I love meeting people that love the same art I do.

Now in regards to preparing, in order to prepare I like to practice weeks out, particularly infront of a mirror, that’s my training ground.

SXSW Pop: How do you stay connected with your fans, and what's the most memorable fan interaction you've had?

Frankie 5Ø3: I love being close to those that listen to my music, so I connect with them like I would with anyone else that’s close to me. The most memorable interaction up to date has been with this friend named Sameer. He initially heard my music because we went to the same gym and I just showed him a couple songs. I’ve talked to him recently and he invited me to a get together with some people and he told me that he had shared all my music with them already and they had all enjoyed my album.  On top of that he told me he’d be blasting my music at the event he invited me to. To me, that’s memorable because I feel I really made a connection, enough for him to feel the need to pass my music around to all his close friends.

SXSW Pop: How do you handle the pressures of the music industry, and what advice would you give to aspiring artists?

Frankie 5Ø3: I take it a song at a time and leave it to God. 
 

It can feel extremely overwhelming when you think about being an artist, there’s so many things that go with it. I think the best advice would be keep your head down, be humble and practice. Practice writing, practice your look, practice being able to take no for an answer. 
 

Eventually you’ll have an opportunity to show yourself and all that time you put in will show.

SXSW Pop: What are your future goals and aspirations as a music artist, and how do you plan to achieve them?

Frankie 5Ø3: I want to play my biggest show up to date at the end of this year. That’s my goal. That way I can reach way more people than I could otherwise and reach them at a personal level. I’m currently promoting my music back in my homeland, El Salvador, with the help of a couple lovely connections I made on my last trip. They’re playing my songs on a few radio stations over there and I'm set to have a couple live interviews on them as well. God willing this will be a bigger year than I ever anticipated it to be.