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Freedom Fry

Freedom Fry

Photo: Michelle Shiers

News
Freedom Fry Break Down Their 'Classic' Sound freedom-fry-classic-britney-spears-greys-anatomy-more

Freedom Fry On 'Classic,' Britney Spears, "Grey's Anatomy" & More

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The Los Angeles-based indie-pop duo let us in on their debut full-length studio album and the thought process behind their signature sound
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jul 16, 2018 - 11:26 am

How do you make an instant classic? Well, there's always the literal approach, as was the case with Los Angeles indie-pop duo Freedom Fry. Their debut album, Classic, strives to live up to its title not only in capturing the quality of timelessness, but also in tapping into sentiments and style that exude something fresh yet familiar, something lasting.

Freedom Fry On The Making Of A 'Classic'

With an impressive roster of EPs and singles to their name dating back to 2012, the fun is just beginning for Marie Seyrat and Bruce Driscoll — the team behind Freedom Fry. We caught up with the pair of musicians at our headquarters in Santa Monica, Calif., to discuss the classic sound of Classic, their brush with pop culture powerhouses Britney Spears and "Grey's Anatomy," how they would executive produce the perfect film, and more.

Congratulations on Classic, just out, still hot off the presses. Considering how many EPs and singles you've released, how does it feel to have a full-length project out in the world?

Seyrat: It's been a long process to make, much longer than an EP first of all, so we actually really put everything we had in this so it feels so good to put it out. It was stressful but really, really good.

Driscoll: Yeah, it feels like we've given birth to a 12-headed musical baby called "Classic" [laughs].

I've read that you named the album Classic because you like to take influences from the past, like '70s music, and filter it through the lens of the future. So how does approaching music in this way enrich the process of creating for you?

Driscoll: For us, it's to listen back on it ourselves in 10 years and maybe not be like, "Oh, why did we use that keyboard?" Or "Why did we do this?" We wanted a record that would hold up even just for us because we're our first audience and [we're] writing songs that we would listen to first and foremost. [That] gave us a nice guideline. Let's stick to traditional instrumentation and string arrangements and things like that, and I mean, who knows what it will sound like in 10 years to us but ... that is what we were going for.

Is there a particular track off the album that you're really attached to at the moment? If so, break it down for us. How did it come about?

Seyrat: There are many, but I would say "Classic" [the album's lead-off title track] because when we play it [live], we actually always put a cherry on the top and bring Mariachi so it makes it extra special to play this song. … Also we've had a lot of people collaborate [with us on] this specific song, so it makes it very special to us, having other people bring their own signature. We trusted them. We didn't tell them what to do, they just freely created and added to our creation. So it has something special.

Driscoll: It's like that children's book, I always think of Stone Soup, when the guy has a stone and he's asking people to bring ingredients to the stone soup, and then it ends up being this really wonderful soup but he had nothing to do with it. It was just a stone. I feel like we wrote this little song and then had people keep building it up and now when we listen to it, it's almost like we're listening to another band because there's so many other people involved.

Also, you worked with actress Emma Kenney on a super cool album trailer. How did that collaboration come about?

Seyrat: We were thinking of a way to present the album. We're an indie band. It's actually difficult to make a difference and ... we wanted people of course to hear all of the songs we've put out there 'cause we don't like to write one song, one single way. We actually really put a lot of time and effort in each of them. So we wanted to present it to the public as well as we could and we were thinking about someone who could represent it and ... I think a manager got in touch with a few people we had enlisted and she was on the top of the list actually. … She has that, even though she's American, she does have also that European style. She could be British.

Driscoll: Yeah, she's kind of a bit rebellious too. Even her character she plays both on "Shameless" and "Roseanne." There's a rebel thing about her that we liked, [that] fit with us, our vibe. She's actually so cool. The nicest person ever.

Going back a little bit, in 2015 you covered Britney Spears' classic, "Oops, I Did It Again," and of course that made its way onto "Grey's Anatomy." What was it like to have your music placed in that kind of arena and what made you chose that song in particular?

Driscoll: So sometimes we'll just get these emails in our inbox like looking for '90s covers or looking for this and we try to never say no to any of it even if we're crunched for time. … Let's just do it 'cause you never know and that was one of those times where we ended up just kicking out four different covers around that time. One of them was that cover. Another one was 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins and there are a few others.

That one ended up getting picked for the show and we're like, "Really, that one? That's amazing." We were super happy about it and I think we both [at] different times in our lives have watched that show. Watching it on TV was a really trippy experience. But then the other cover that we ended up doing ended up doing really well on Spotify. So it's funny. That's part of our mantra. It's just never saying no to those kinds of opportunities and that worked out really well in that situation.

You seem to have a sensibility for films, so if you could put together your dream film what would it look like? What would the storyline be? Who would you choose as actors? Tell us the whole story.

Seyrat: So, John Williams music.

Driscoll: Yeah, we're big film score fans.

Seyrat: To touch the hearts of the fans. Who [else] do we want?

Driscoll: Quentin Tarantino directing, because I just want to see a Quentin Tarantino movie that John Williams with score. That would be really weird. But we like really the '70s kind of aesthetic, grainy film and all kinds of retro throwback things. I guess you could get that in our album, too, that we're fond of that stuff. Who's starring in it?

Seyrat: Charlotte Gainsbourg.

Driscoll: Oh cool, wow, it's gonna be dark.

Seyrat: Who else?

Driscoll: Bradley Cooper? I don't know, we should stick him in there. I feel like he's getting good movies. … Something like that, it'd be a weird movie.

More Interviews Curated Block

Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"
 

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morgxn

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

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Exclusive: morgxn On "Carry The Weight" & More exclusive-morgxn-carry-weight-his-mantra-vital-and-home

Exclusive: morgxn On "Carry The Weight," His Mantra For 'Vital' And "Home"

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In an inspired and thoughtful moment, the singer/songwriter opens up about his latest album and breaks down two of its most impactful songs
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Aug 4, 2018 - 7:07 pm

"In order to have something you've never had, you have to do something you've never done."

So goes the mantra morgxn took on during the making of his latest album, Vital. As the piano chords and melodies started falling into place on songs like "Carry The Weight" and "Home," so did the transformational album that contains them. As he travels across the country sharing the very personal material from the new album, one conversation with the singer/songwriter and you can plainly see he means every word.

morgxn On 'Vital' & His Journey "Home"

We spent some quality time with morgxn backstage at Lollapalooza with morgxn to delve into the process of making the album and focus on two of its standout songs.

Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"

hip hop streaming_010319

Photo: Guillaume Payen/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

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Report: Global Music Sales Hit $19 Billion In 2018 report-global-music-sales-climb-19-billion-2018-nearly-half-streaming

Report: Global Music Sales Climb To $19 Billion In 2018, Nearly Half From Streaming

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A 9.7 percent overall increase marks the highest annual bump in recent history and is led by notable rises in Latin America, Asia and Australia
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Apr 3, 2019 - 4:34 pm

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry has released the new Global Music Report 2019, showing an overall increase in sales of 9.7 percent in 2018. This jump is the highest rate since the IFPI began tracking the market in 1997.

“Last year represented the fourth consecutive year of growth, driven by great music from incredible artists in partnership with talented, passionate people in record companies around the world," said IFPI chief executive Frances Moore. “Record companies continue their investment in artists, people and innovation both in established markets and developing regions that are increasingly benefitting from being part of today’s global music landscape."

The Global Music Report 2019 is the definitive guide to the state of the recording industry worldwide. Read it now https://t.co/ZvNxTne15C#GlobalMusicReport pic.twitter.com/Z9BHOjDxwu

— IFPI (@IFPI_org) April 2, 2019

Streaming, which we know was ruled by rap and hip-hop in 2018, accounted for 47 percent of all income, according to IFPI. This reflects a 34 percent growth from 2017, illustrating there is no slowing in streaming's proliferation among consumers. The gap continues to widen between streaming and previous format titans such as physical music, which saw a 10.1 percent decline in revenue, and digital downloads, which dropped by 21.2 percent.

The fastest growing region, according to the report, is Latin America, which saw a big pickup especially in Brazil and Mexico. Asia and Australia came in as the second largest region for combined physical and digital revenue.

The K-pop explosion was also represented in the report, with an 18 percent rise in music sales in South Korea, which can be credited to breakout years from groups such as BTS and BLACKPINK. 

IFPI's full "State Of The Industry" report can be read here.

Closing The Gap: How Latina Artists Are Combating Gender Inequality In Urban Music

 

 

Jared Leto

Jared Leto

Photo: Lorenzo Agius | Design: F Inomata

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Jared Leto On 'America,' Halsey & "Rescue Me" jared-leto-america-working-halsey-rescue-me-more

Jared Leto On 'America,' Working With Halsey, "Rescue Me" & More

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We go behind the scenes with the Thirty Seconds To Mars frontman to chat about the band’s latest album, creativity, collaboration and more
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Dec 31, 2018 - 9:52 am

Actor and musician Jared Leto may have made his name in Hollywood with major roles in films like Requiem For A Dream and Dallas Buyer Club, for which he won an Academy Award, but music has always been his main passion.

Leto formed alternative-rock group Thirty Seconds To Mars with his brother Shannon back in 1998, releasing their cult-classic, self-titled debut album in 2002. Since then, they have toured the world several times, filmed music video epics and recorded four more studio albums. Their latest LP, America, released on April 6, features tons of collaborations (Halsey, Zedd and ASAP Rocky all make appearances) and experimentation with new sounds, including a greater emphasis on pop and dance influences.

Jared Leto Talks 'America,' Halsey & "Rescue Me"

Leto recently visited the GRAMMY Museum in his hometown of Los Angeles to go in-depth on new music and more in a conversation at the Clive Davis Theater. Before the event, we caught up with the singer and actor, who revealed his favorite track on America, what it was like recording his first-ever duet (with GRAMMY nominee Halsey), his approach to making music, and more.

Lenny Kravitz On His Biggest Influences, Love, Creativity & More

Music Educator Award

Photo: WireImage.com

News
Finalists Announced For 2019 Music Educator Award incredible-educators-10-finalists-announced-2019-music-educator-award

Incredible Educators: 10 Finalists Announced For 2019 Music Educator Award

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Meet the nation's best music teachers in the running for The Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum's ultimate educator honor
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Dec 12, 2018 - 12:30 pm

For students of all levels, the benefits of music education are clear. But it's the teachers providing the instruction who make the most lasting impression.

Today the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum announced 10 finalists for the 2019 Music Educator Award, which recognizes current educators, kindergarten through college, who have made a significant and lasting contribution in the field of music education.

https://twitter.com/CBSThisMorning/status/1072852732049018880

NEW: We're revealing the 10 music teachers who have been selected by the @RecordingAcad and the @GRAMMYMuseum as finalists for the 2019 Music Educator Award.

Details: https://t.co/HeIYt8pvDD #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/5DYCvsSuv0

— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) December 12, 2018

Coming from 10 cities across six, these 10 names represent the nation's elite music educators, and were selected from over 2,800 initial nominations from all 50 states.

  • Jeremy Bradstreet, Dublin Coffman High School, Dublin, Ohio
  • Victor de los Santos, Santa Ana High School, Santa Ana, Calif.
  • Elizabeth Hering, Churchill High School, Canton, Mich.
  • Henry Miller, Sierra Vista Middle School, Lake Forest, Calif.
  • Amy Rangel, Glendale High School, Burbank, Calif.
  • Jeffery Redding, West Orange High School, Orlando, Fla.
  • Scott Sheehan, Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School, Hollidaysburg, Pa.
  • Mickey Smith Jr., Maplewood Middle School, Sulphur, La.
  • Craig Snyder, Penncrest High School, Garnet Valley, Pa.
  • John Weatherspoon, Lake Worth Community High School, West Palm Beach, Fla.

The award is open to current U.S. music teachers, and anyone can nominate a teacher—students, parents, friends, colleagues, community members, school deans, and administrators. Teachers are also able to nominate themselves, and nominated teachers are notified and invited to fill out an application.

From these finalists, one recipient will be selected as the sixth annual honoree and be flown to Los Angles to attend the 61st GRAMMY Awards and various GRAMMY Week events. The nine additional finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium, and the schools of all 10 finalists will receive matching grants. Fifteen semifinalists will receive a $500 honorarium with matching grants as well. The matching grants are made possibly by the generous support of the GRAMMY Museum's Education Champion Ford Motor Company Fund.

Does all this make an incredible music educator come to mind? Nominations for the 2020 Music Educator Award are now open at grammymusicteacher.com

Education Champions: 2019 Music Educator Award Semifinalists Announced

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Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy.