A pop-music-enthusiast-turned-viral-sensation, Francis Karel is the epitome of following your heart. Starting out writing songs in his bedroom in Jakarta, Indonesia, Francis eventually relocated to the United States to study at the Los Angeles College of Music. His kind soul, eagerness to connect, and passion for creating brought him to TikTok, where he made priceless reaction and performance videos. He now has over 2.3 million followers on the platform, 159k subscribers on YouTube, and 770k followers on Instagram, where artists like Meghan Trainor, Zedd, Tori Kelly, and Bebe Rexha are avid followers. Andy Grammer is also a fan, recently having Francis open for him on The Art of Joy Pt 2 tour. As the tour has recently wrapped, it would seem like the rising singer-songwriter should have time to unwind, but really, there is only a matter of weeks before Francis drops his debut EP, Handle With Care. Shifting gears to now focus on this release, Francis is sharing the EP’s newest single, “Small Talk.”
Emotional yet delicate, “Small Talk” recounts the all-consuming when a first romantic relationship reaches its end. With his engaging vocals, Francis sings, “Used to drive past houses, pick the ones we would buy / Guess forever is a word that we romanticize / Every good thing ends / We just don’t know when,” getting lost in the memories. It all leads up to the climactic ending, where the piano gives way to a full band production and Francis pours his heart out. You can check it out below.
Telling us more about his overall approach to songwriting, Francis shares,
“I didn’t realize it at first, but a lot of the songs I’ve written have been very therapeutic for me to listen back to. It’s like each song is a part of the process of closing chapters. I think it’s because of how I allow myself to feel in the songs compared to how I tend to neglect them in reality.”
You can listen to “Small Talk” on platforms like SoundCloud, Apple Music, and Spotify.
Pre-save Handle With Care, expected to drop on August 26, here.
Keep up with Francis Karel: Instagram // Twitter // Facebook // TikTok // YouTube // Website
