Duxie Franklin It's Time Interview

Interview with Duxie Franklin

Question: How would you describe your music?

Duxie Franklin: It is swoony and sweet; grabbing and immediate; quirky and whimsical; lush and plaintive… every song is different, every song contains a world of story and feeling.


Question: Can you tell us about It's Time?

Duxie Franklin: It's Time is a darker departure from my previous singles, Get a Real Job and Watch Your Soul Sink. It's the first song I've largely self-produced so it was a grueling but rewarding experience to craft the production from start to finish. It ended up being a holistic themed project with an over-arching vision – 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' themed music video and art concepts too!


Question: What inspired the track?

Duxie Franklin: Well an artist never tells… but suffice to say the song came about at a turning point in my life. A few things came into clear focus for me and I felt stronger and more resolute. A lot of people come up to me after shows saying the song feels empowering – I'm ok with that!


Question: What can you tell us about Watch Your Soul?

Duxie Franklin: The Watch Your Soul EP represents three years of my journey as an artist and musician. It's a bit of a cross-continental odyssey, with the songs on it written, recorded and produced across Hobart (Tasmania), Baltimore (USA) and Melbourne, where I am based now. As my debut EP, I pretty much threw everything I had at it and learnt heaps along the way. I feel like it's been the best training and experience I could have got and has laid the foundations for what's to come.


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Duxie Franklin: I love them both! I suppose in a pinch I'd have to say performing live, simply because of the immediacy of the connection with the audience; the ability to transform the mood of a whole room with the power of my voice and instruments.

Question: What motivates you most when writing music?

Duxie Franklin: Hmmm such good questions! I guess I'm motivated by the need to express something. Each song is different – maybe it started with a melody I was humming to myself while on a walk, or maybe a mood like elation or anger, or maybe a narrative that I have seen or experienced – but they all demand to be put out into the world. Whether the song ends up getting performed or recorded remains to be seen, but as a start, they must be born.


Question: Which music/artists are you currently listening to?

Duxie Franklin: I pick up and listen to new things all the time. I just discovered Orville Peck and Courtney Marie Andrews on RRR yesterday. I frequently dip back into Harry Styles and Janelle Monáe – I love their impeccable pop-production. I've been exploring Kirin J Callinan's back catalogue. Oh I love Rüfüs Du Sol for their incredible mood-altering vibes! I loved Big Grief by WAAX and the raw gritty god-honest truths screamed by IDLES. And I love to go back in time to music that has paved the way for today's music, whether it be jazz, classical, folk or rock.


Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Duxie Franklin: I'm don't think that anything in particular made me choose this path. I think the path chose me. I couldn't escape it. There is an innate drive in me to create. Nothing else fulfills me in this way. If I wasn't performing and releasing music I'd be painting or drawing or film-making or designing clothes, art, anything. The cool thing with making music is I get to do a bit of all of the above.


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Duxie Franklin: I think I would choose someone who makes music that is totally different to mine. I am a big fan of electronic and ambient and also heavier genres – post-rock, post-punk etc. Ultimately I think I will release my own music in those styles so maybe it'd be a matter of collaborating with the right producer. But I'd happily lend my vocals to anyone who wants them!


Question: What is the biggest challenge you have faced along the way to your musical success?
Duxie Franklin: The biggest challenge has been learning that I don't need the approval or validation of others to make my music. I've had a few really strong voices in my life who've basically denounced my artistic pursuits as a waste of time – 'you'll never make any money doing that!' So I've had to be my own cheerleader and stick to my guns like my life depends on it!


Question: What's a typical day like?

Duxie Franklin: Like my music, every day is different! I keep a balance of my different pursuits. I play violin, piano, guitar, ukulele and sing so it's important to practise and explore the possibilities of each instrument. I try to make time for songwriting – challenging myself to write a song from a prompt in one hour. My health is important too, so I swim and do yoga and meditation. I've usually got at least two creative projects on the go to keep me busy.


Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?

Duxie Franklin: The satisfaction of creating things that didn't exist before. It feels like creating life itself: one day a song doesn't exist, the next day it does, and a month or a year later that song has become a recording that is out there to be heard by anyone and everyone for the rest of eternity.


Interview by Brooke Hunter