Cimo Fränkel FAULT Magazine Issue 31 Interview
Inside the pages of FAULT’s upcoming Issue 31, we chat with musician Cimo Fränkel about hit music, songwriting process and the consequences of being an artist who can do it all! Check out the preview below!
When it comes to music, do you keep to a strict writing schedule or do you prefer to wait for inspiration to strike?
Cimo Fränkel: That’s an interesting question because it changes depending on who the song is for. I would never say “I want to write something for today and it has to be this certain way” for my music, it has to come to me naturally.
But when I write songs for other people and they have a specific theme they want to touch on, then I almost always have to force it out. I can’t just let it come to me, I have to be inspired by what they want.
Is there a major change in your writing process when you’re writing for yourself as opposed to for another artist?
Cimo Fränkel: I think when I write for others, it’s more limited to what they want and I’m more aware of what the boundaries and limits are in terms of want I can do with the song. For my own music, on the other hand, I can focus on what I like instead of what other people like.
What would you say has been the best lesson you’ve learned throughout your musical career?
Cimo Fränkel: I’ve had to learn the true meaning of the phrase, “you never know”. You can try to understand why certain things are the way they are, but some things you can never know. It always depends on so many factors and sometimes it’s just a case of the right time and the right place.
So I’m teaching myself to just do what I want instead of trying to force something that other people say will work.
And what are you most looking forward to this year?
Cimo Fränkel: Doing more shows! I had a show recently and I played the guitar with a full band and it the music sounded as perfect, just how it is on record and I enjoyed that. I’m looking forward to doing more shows and performing my music for people.
I also want to make an album that sounds full rather than just a collection of singles put together.
What’s the hardest hurdle you’ve had to climb on your musical journey so far?
Cimo Fränkel: That’s a tough question because as things slowly get better, you kind of forget the journey.
It’s always baby steps in music unless you’re one of the lucky ones. But I think the hardest is dealing with the politics behind music and radio and understanding that it’s not just about the quality of the music, that’s the toughest thing to deal with for me.
Your music is so personal to you and I wondered if you’ve always been comfortable with putting so much of your inner thoughts and feeling onto the page?
Cimo Fränkel: Sometimes I don’t even that I’ve written a song about a certain situation until somebody tells me. Sometimes it’s difficult, especially when people see other messages which aren’t there.
I had a song called ‘Stay The Night’ and I sing, “I came here to say goodbye” and around the time that the video came out I’d gone through a breakup and people put two and two together. Which is weird because I didn’t write the song with that intention! I wrote it back in 2014 so it’s always an interesting experience to see how people interpret my music.
It’s funny how different people can interoperate songs so differently…
Cimo Fränkel: Yeah well if it’s a powerful message it’s a good thing. I have a song with Armin van Buuren called ‘Strong Ones’ and it’s actually a love song, but people pick up on it so differently. I get messages from people saying it’s helped them for so many different reasons. And when I hear that I’m like “Wow, I never thought about it that way and now you say it I can completely see it from your side of view”. And that’s where the misinterpretation can be interesting.
Because you float between genres, do you think that makes it harder for you to reach core listeners?
Cimo Fränkel: If people can’t put me in a box and its a world full of boxes then maybe I can’t speak to a specific audience and that might hurt me but I want to make music that I feel in my heart instead of thinking about that stuff. So it could be harmful but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
What is your FAULT?
Cimo Fränkel: I would say that I’m not intentionally trying to be very versatile but I might be too versatile for other people to understand who I am.
CLICK HERE TO PRE ORDER THE FULL INTERVIEW AND COVER SHOOT WITH Cimo Fränkel IN FAULT MAGAZINE 31