Bleu is a musical artist who has created and inhabits his very own sonic landscape. Murky, swirling reverb-drenched sounds of desolation that pull you nevertheless in, the US indie/rap artist draws inspiration from musicians and film-makers who “create their own strange/surreal worlds within the world, like David Lynch and Connan Mockasin.”
indieRepublik: Tell us a little bit about your musical background
Francis Bleu: I grew up in Northeast, Philadelphia most of my childhood before moving to Delaware at 17. I took a guitar lesson when I was 7 but didn’t stick with it. Then when I was 13 my older cousin tried to put me on to FL Studio. I played with it for a few days, wrote my first little raps until I lost interest. I was only into skating up until I was about 16 and couldn’t because of snow. I ended up learning how to produce in FL that winter and throughout my first summer in Delaware. Some years after that I gradually taught myself how to play guitar through the Tuna app and by learning indie songs I really liked.
I wanted a name that was both a permanent piece of me and an abstract concept I can keep chasing
indieRepublik: How did you come up with the name Francis Bleu?
Francis Bleu: I got to this point over the pandemic where I felt like what I made prior was forcibly quirky and not entirely genuine. I was pursuing a more jovial sound under my real name because I didn’t want to try too hard to come up with a stage name. I was going for a “the music is me and I am the music, no separation” type of thing.
But the more personal I got the more intentional I wanted to be with how I presented the music. I wanted a name that was both a permanent piece of me and an abstract concept I can keep chasing. So I turned my middle name Francis into a shade of blue after being obsessed with the color Alice blue for so long. It’s a super light blue that isn’t even my favorite color despite how much I think about it.
I’m more into how sturdy Navy blue makes me feel, but always respected the way Alice blue bridges white and blue. I can relate to it musically by how I try to bridge my adoration for rap and indie in a tasteful way. I’m also not that great of a feeler, so having an alias that ties feelings to my visual writing style really helps me keep tapping in.
indieRepublik: How does the songwriting process work for you?
Francis Bleu: This definitely varies for me as I’m sure it does with every artist. A lot of times I’m either repurposing an old idea or aggressively feeling out something I produced. I don’t see myself as a prolific creator but if an idea doesn’t make me feel like one in the moment it gets scrapped.
It’s like if you got someone high for the first time and gave them all the dark shades of paint on a color palette
I just know how to jot down what I deeply ponder until I feel anything along the way that’s also worth writing. Anything could come up and spark the core topic. When it comes to performing these ideas vocally I start by spitballing melodies on my vocal effect box and see where I end up.
After like a month of patient experimenting I get into pretty surprising territory. Overall and even with production my process is full of happy accidents that I kinda just curate and keep myself open to.
indieRepublik: If you had to describe your music to a deaf person, what would you say?
Francis Bleu: I don’t know if I’d be convincing enough with this, but in sign language I’d say: “It’s like if you got someone high for the first time and gave them all the dark shades of paint on a color palette. Then you told them to spend the next decade mixing the paint together until they got a new shade of blue that summed their existence up perfectly. That but auditory”
indieRepublik: If your music was a movie, which genre would it be in?
Francis Bleu: Psychological Thriller/ Mystery for sure.
indieRepublik: Where do you get your inspiration from?
Francis Bleu: When I write, I often find myself pulling from personal struggles and pent up human realizations. Sonically, I pull most inspiration from directors and musicians that create their own strange/surreal worlds within the world. More specifically, like David Lynch and Connan Mockasin’s work.
I been aiming to make music the way David Lynch made Twin Peaks and Mullholand Drive. He invites you into these shiny worlds and once you find out there’s some ominous higher power lurking it’s like you can’t even leave because you want more. More gets uncovered, but you always feel like something’s missing and things might be even darker than they appear.
He really makes me question the unknown and manipulates me into thinking I know the unknown for a bit. All of Connan Mockasin’s Forever Dolphin Love album is my daily ear crack. It’s so loose and playful yet slightly menacing. The way he shut the world out to create these seemingly meaningless songs is the most intriguing thing to me. It was worth how long it took to finally enjoy being in his disjointed, subconscious world.
The strangeness of the isolation brought about a stillness that I feel is always important for creation
indieRepublik: Do you dream in colour or black and white?
Francis Bleu: In color. Sometimes in colors that aren’t even on the market yet.
indieRepublik: What was the last concert you went to?
Francis Bleu: My girlfriend and I went to see Alice Phoebe Lou in Washington, DC a couple months ago. This meant so much more to my girl because she had gotten sick the last time she was supposed to see her perform. I didn’t expect to be as captivated by her comfortability on stage. It was pretty inspiring just being there.
Indie? It’s like faking jazz, rock, and pop in your bedroom until it sounds good enough to play in a parking lot
indieRepublik: How do you think covid – and the lockdown – influenced music and the music scene – both recording and live? Whether negative or positive, or both?
Francis Bleu: Covid definitely had everyone tripping for a while. Positively, the strangeness of the isolation brought about a stillness that I feel is always important for creation. I definitely wouldn’t have concluded what I did musically if it wasn’t for Covid. The thing that’s the most negative to me is the strange turn social media took afterwards. I’m not sure though, maybe it would’ve still took this hyper engagement route if Covid never happened but it just sucks now. I’m either hooked on IG looking for absurd things to send to the homie or I’m cringe-watching Tiktok influencer style content. I can see more engagement being a clutch business move for all the platforms but it’s just coming at the expense of artistry and attention spans.
indieRepublik: How would you define indie? What do you personally think it means?
Francis Bleu: I really define it as DIY musicianship. Indie means buying some cool pants with what could’ve been studio time. It’s like faking jazz, rock, and pop in your bedroom until it sounds good enough to play in a parking lot.
INSTAGRAM: @francisbleuu | YOUTUBE: Francis Bleu Hour
