Once a regular college kid — just like you and me — Christian French attended Inidiana University with the intention of becoming a doctor. He was posting covers on Soundcloud as a hobby. The Indiana-native didn’t think of going into the industry until he realized how much he’dbeen enjoying making music and then, he made the decision to switch his career path. In 2018, he left school to join Chelsea Cutler on tour.
Christian started the new decade with a new track called ‘time of our lives‘. The single is all about owning your freedom and enjoying the bits of it. It reminds us that we don’t have to be stuck in the same old routine. Now, he’s currently gearing up for ‘bright side of the moon part 2‘ tour, which kicks off on February 27th.
[ICYMI: ‘time of our lives‘ music video is out now!]
The alt-pop maverick lets us into the prepartion of his upcoming tour and talks about how his journey as an artist.
You finished the first leg of your debut solo tour, ‘bright side of the moon’, this past fall and you’re going back for part two starting next month. How has the experience been so far?
Touring has become a whole new energy for me. When I moved to LA, I had never performed a live show before. When I went on tour with Chelsea Cutler in 2018, I had NO experience whatsoever, and honestly, touring was really stressful. Now, it’s gotten to the point where I’m comfortable with myself on stage and I have all of the freedom to just run around and have a blast. Fans have really embraced my goofy style of performing and we all just jump around together. Playing shows to my own crowd has become one of the most fulfilling parts about making music.
What are some takeaways from touring with Quinn XCII and Chelsea Cutler that helped you prepare for your own tour?
I tried as hard as I could to watch their shows every night rather than sit in the green room. I realized that I had a lot to learn, and watching how they controlled their crowds really helped me develop and use what they taught me in my own way. My live performance is ten-fold better than it was when I did my first tour with Chelsea. But you evolve as an artist and as you perform more.
I also wasn’t afraid to ask questions. I asked both of them how to mentally handle touring and they both gave me great advice that’s stuck with me.
’time of our lives’ is all about experiencing and appreciating life. How do you make sure that you’re living in the moment even during the craziest or busiest times?
I need to constantly remind myself to “look up” while I’m working towards the artist and the person I want to be. Because if I’m always hard on myself, always working, and don’t enjoy my life along the way, then what’s the point? Being aware of the endless beauty and opportunity that life has to offer is one of the hardest but most rewarding things to keep in mind.
While attending Indiana University, you were Pre-Med. What encouraged you to go into the music industry instead?
I was making music before and while attending Indiana University, but had never really tried to make a career out of it. While at IU, I met someone who could produce well, and together we made my first four tracks that I put on Spotify. I was having a lot of fun with it and started to gain a little following, which is when I realized that I could actually make a career out of it. I slowly became more interested in music and less interested in medicine, so it was an easy decision to drop out to join Chelsea Cutler on tour.
Most college kids (myself included) lean towards a “safer” career route. What advice do you have for anyone that’s afraid of going into a more artistic path?
Don’t be afraid to try new things. Failure is part of getting better at ANYTHING, and before you become really good at something, you have to go through a lot of trial and error to get there. But I promise you the journey is so fun and exciting. Constant failure is the only thing that’s allowed for continuous growth in both my career and life. Try your best, correct your mistakes, and move forward — that’s all you can do ¨̮
What is one thing that you absolutely miss about being in college?
I miss having the opportunity to learn in a classroom from professors because now, it’s on me to be curious about information and to immerse myself. I also miss the close friends that I made at school, but I keep in touch with them pretty often.
As you gear up for ‘bright side of the moon part 2’ tour, what are you most excited about? And, what else can your fans expect in the coming months?
I haven’t played a headlining show in any of the cities on my spring tour (besides Salt Lake City and Denver), so i’m really excited to play in these new places and meet fans I’ve never met before.
Overall I’m just excited to get back on the road — I would consider everyone on my team to be my best friends and we had so much fun the first time, so I’m just ready to travel the country and do it again!
Throughout tour I’ll be releasing new music and I hope to have an EP out by the beginning of the summer.