Artist Of The Week - Frankie Finch

When you see a gorgeous Korean girl with fire red hair and eyebrows to match, it’s pretty hard not to take notice. Frankie Finch is well aware of that fact, it’s pretty much what she’s been going for, and it’s been working. Over the years Finch has been in the public eye in a number of ways as she’s hosted a variety of television shows and launched a fashion company, but now she’s ready to put her fiery personality front and center with her fiery hair and show her talent as a recording artist. The other day I bumped into the California resident while we were both in New York City and we talked about her love of individuality, the sound she hopes to create with her music, and the many places people may have already seen or heard her.

Adam Bernard: Hit me with the Frankie Finch story. Where are you from and when did you get into music?
Frankie Finch: I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada, and grew up speaking French, Korean and English. I’ve always loved music since I was a little girl, it made me feel good inside. I grew up with a brother who loved classic rock and a father who had live orchestra music playin throughout the house 24/7. Those influences made me appreciate the art of music.

Adam Bernard: The red hair, the individually painted fingernails with no two alike, the unique fashion sense… would it be safe to assume you’re not afraid to stand out?
Frankie Finch: I’m not afraid of anything and I’m definitely not afraid to stand out. Frankie Finch would have it no other way! I love expressing myself, whether it’s through music, or fashion. To me it’s all creative and that’s who/what I am - creative.

Adam Bernard: From what I hear, I addition to your music you’re pretty deep into the fashion world. Give me the quick and dirty on your forays into that field.
Frankie Finch: I have an independent clothing brand called Finch Clothing. We sell to high-end boutiques through out the US, Japan and Canada.

Adam Bernard: Have you always had this passion for creativity? Do you have any interesting stories regarding your individuality from when you were growing up?
Frankie Finch: Growing up I was always trendsetter, whether I knew it or not. I just always “did me” no matter what people said. I remember goin to school sometimes wearing all my favorite pieces at the same time and next thing you know my friends were lovin how I put the “fit” (outfit) together. I’ve always enjoyed taking risks, visually, musically and professionally.

Adam Bernard: How does your want to be unique translate to your music?
Frankie Finch: I’m always pushin the envelope. My music is usually up-tempo Hip-House meets Electro-Pop beats, but you will always hear me rap in the songs and sing most of my hooks.

Adam Bernard: If you were running a radio station which artists would you put your music in rotation with?
Frankie Finch: I’d rotate my music next to Lady Gaga, or maybe LMFO, or MGMT, because most of my music is ready for the club, boat, or just a high voltage time!

Adam Bernard: Where might people have heard your work and when are you planning on releasing an album?
Frankie Finch: People might have heard my music on MTV’s Laguna Beach, or as Nike’s lead campaign song for a workout CD in 18 markets in Asia and Europe. I also have some remixes in Australia by Chew Fu and my vocals are over some new school Easy Mo Bee tracks. I’ll be dropping an EP in the spring or summer that will be released digitally and I am currently workin on an official full length album.

Adam Bernard: You don’t see a lot of Korean girls in the music industry. Why do you think that is?
Frankie Finch: I’m sure there are other Korean artists out there, we just don’t know of them yet. The Korean culture is not really set up for us to be outspoken/pop artists in the US. Our families usually push us to be doctors, or CPAs, or other conservative professions for the most part… so not Finch!

Adam Bernard: Finally, you were also the host of a television show a little while back. Tell me about your hosting duties and what the transition was like going from host to artist.
Frankie Finch: I use to host a syndicated TV Show for the Source: All Access, which was produced by The Source magazine, where I would interview recording artists on the red carpet of all the music award shows and go behind the scenes at music video shoots. I also worked on a USA Network show called Farmclub that was created by Jimmy Iovine and Doug Morris, a celebrity cooking show called Half Baked that aired on the National Lampoon Network, Comedy Central’s Chinese Take-Out, and a few others, as well. It feels good to be on the other side of the mic with someone askin me the questions. Change is good.

Related Links

Website: frankiefinch.com
Fashion Line: finchla.com
Facebook: facebook.com/frankiefinch
Twitter: twitter.com/frankiefinch