A Filipino-American singer and songwriter finished in the Top 5 on the 18th season of American Idol but his music career is barely getting started. Francisco Martin is on his “Beautiful Ramblings of a Restless Mind Tour” and is making a stop at Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on Nov. 8.
So far, Martin released two upbeat tempos songs, “BitterSweet” and “If U Need Me,” which are a different pace of songs when compared to his previous work. Martin is ready for the next step of his career is taking a pause in writing predictable sad songs and moving on to write about happier and exciting moments in his life.
“A lot of the music came from just my own feelings at that time. It was a bunch of sadness and loneliness, now I am kinda out of that faze. I see more of my friends often and meeting new people. Life is a little brighter for me now. All, I want to do is fun-filled, bittersweet sounded music and be a little more fun with it. The EP (Beautiful Ramblings of a Restless Mind) is really dark for me. A lot of unwrapping emotions, from that time period of my life, said Martin.
Moving on to the next chapter in his life will represent a positive change, in embarking on his first tour in stopping in nine major cities across the United States. Martin is bringing along an all-girl band to perform with him and his opening acts are Hunter Metts and Louis Knight from American Idol. Fans attending the concert can expect to hear original songs and maybe some cover songs, like his fan-favorite audition song, “Alaska.” Martin is feeling these high emotions in making the concert a great experience for fans to have a good time.
“It is good stressful, I feel like it is my first tour and I have so much pressure because I don’t want to mess up, said Martin.” I practice every single day, I never had a live show in front of a lot of people singing my own music. It is a stressful time for me but it’s really fun. I am looking forward to meeting my fans, it is a revitalizing and happy feeling that I get. Afterward, I get really inspired by it. It’s nice for people to come here because of me to watch me perform that is heartwarming.”
The show exposure, help him have a following with fans taking an interest in resonating with his music. It was important for Martin from the start to be vulnerable in expressing his mental health to his fans.
“I feel like especially in our generation nowadays, it is so important to shed light on it. Since a lot of people are afraid to speak out and I have a platform to let people know that life isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. Especially for me, growing up I had a lot of anxiety and depression, which really affected my daily life. It is important to let people know they are not alone, said Martin”
Martin writes about his personal life experiences and turns them into an incredibly emotional song. Just like in life, Martin’s music style changes along with how he is feeling towards certain situations, and his songs are a reflection of that as he continues to grow as an artist.
“I am done writing and feeling like everything has to be sad, it doesn’t fill my soul anymore. I kinda want a variety of songs. Expect new songs that I am releasing to sound similar to “BitterSweet” and “If U Need Me,” and different from my first EP, said Martin”
You can watch Martin perform on tour or listen to his music on any music streaming service.
