Francisco Martin has quickly become one of the brightest new voices in today’s music scene.

While many first discovered him through American Idol, it’s clear that his talent would have found the spotlight regardless. With his rich vocals, radiant melodies, and seamless blend of timeless and contemporary sounds, Francisco has carved out a style that feels both fresh and familiar.

This year, he’s already turned heads with the release of “BITTERSWEET” and “Swollen,” the latter earning over five million streams on Spotify. Fresh off his first national tour—which drew packed crowds and fans lining up around the block—Francisco is now celebrating his newest single, “IF U NEED ME,” and preparing for what promises to be an exciting 2022. Judging by his momentum so far, Francisco Martin is undoubtedly an artist we’ll be hearing much more from in the near future.

We caught up with Martin to talk about his tour experience, how he defines his sound, and what he considers the most fulfilling and challenging parts of writing songs. Read on below!

Francisco, congratulations on all of your recent success. You’re currently in the middle of your first national tour of the US. What has the experience been like?

Thanks so much. It’s been a helluva ride so far. Lots of ups and downs, but I’m just so grateful to be out on the road. Meeting the fans and hearing them sing my songs back to me is insane. I never thought I’d be doing something like this when I was in college a couple years back.

What was it like to transition from a huge television audience to an intimate, face-to-face crowd?

Well, my transition was strange because my television experience was mainly from my house in isolation. Then I had almost a year and a half after the show where we were still in some form of shut down. So it took a while before I was able to have the opportunity to connect with my fans in person, and honestly, it was amazing to realize they really exist. Haha.

Your music has such a timeless quality to it. Who would you say are your biggest musical influences?

Thank you, that’s really incredible to hear. What a compliment. I love artists like John Mayer, James Bay, Chris Martin, The National, Patrick Droney, Taylor Swift and so on.

How would you describe your music to the uninitiated?

I guess I’d say it’s a mix between pop and alternative. It's a sweet balance of something you’ve heard before and something that seems new.

If you could collaborate with any artist in the world, who would it be and why?

FM: John Mayer. He’s incredible. I don’t even think I need to explain why because he’s John Mayer!

What comes first for you - the music or the lyrics?

Usually I start with a chord progression or a guitar riff. Once I have something I can really feel I’ll dive in on what the song is going to be about.

What do you find to be the most rewarding aspect of songwriting? What about the most challenging?

The most rewarding aspect is definitely hearing a crowd full of people singing back your lyrics. That’s when you realize you wrote something that actually means something to someone. The most challenging part would just be finding that magic in the song - what am I trying to say? How am I trying to make people feel? What do I feel right now? And, how do I want it to sound? Fusing those questions together is absolutely challenging, but when it works, it feels magical.

What are you most looking forward to this year?

If you would have asked me two months ago I would have said this tour! The year’s coming to an end so maybe it’s now about finishing up all of this music so we can get these new songs out there. Now, if you were asking me about next year I’d definitely say touring. I told my team to keep me on the road and I meant it.

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