At just twenty two years old, indie pop up-and-comer Christian French embarked on his first headlining tour last year, named for his 2019 EP “Bright Side of the Moon.” On February 27, the singer-songwriter kicks off the follow up, Bright Side of the Moon Tour Part 2 with a gig at SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, his debut Santa Barbara performance.
As Mr. French recounted the experience of last year’s personal milestone in an interview with the News-Press, the singer said the Bright Side of the Moon Tour was unlike any of his prior tours. This time, audiences were at his shows to see specifically him and for the first time, the crowds sang his lyrics back to him. That many of his closest friends were with him on tour just made the experience all the more sweet.
“It’s just went so swimmingly. All my best friends were with me and it’s been so much fun,” he said.
Originally from Indiana, Mr. French began music when he was required to take either band or choir in middle school. He ended up taking both and one day in the latter class he was intrigued when one of his friends played piano and sang Sara Bareilles’ “Love Song,” which he had learned from tutorial videos on YouTube. Mr. French then started doing likewise, learning how to cover songs by watching online videos, and by the time he got to high school was recording his own covers and posting them to Soundcloud.
When he first started writing his own songs, Mr. French’s tunes largely consisted of what he called “comfortable love songs,” but at this point he doesn’t write anything that he isn’t one hundred percent sincere about.
“I literally can’t write a song anymore if I don’t completely mean it and put my whole heart into it,” he said.
While attending Indiana University, his music gained the touch of Indiana producer Triegy and the two self-released their first single “Fall For You.” This was followed up by the singles “Dying Alive,” “By Myself” and “Done from the Start.” According to his website, after relocating to Los Angeles Mr. French teamed up with grammy-nominated producer Dru Decaro to make a series of singles that included “Love Ride” and “Superstar.” Looking back on his first days in L.A. to now, Mr. French said he knew nothing about the music business when he first arrived in the city but has since learned it at a comfortable rate.
He said, “The progression has been palatable for me. It hasn’t been all at once.”
From his most recent single “Time of Our Lives,” to the eponymous track of his “Bright Side of the Moon” EP, and surprisingly, the breakup song “By Myself,” Mr. French’s music contains an apparent outlook of optimism. The singer said this perspective is central to who he is and called conveying it “the main goal of writing my music.” He added that it’s detectable in not just his song “Bright Side of the Moon,” but also the EP as a whole.
“The whole theme of my ‘Bright Side of the Moon’ EP is to look on the bright side… Fans have latched onto it and it inspires me to keep writing more of that kind of music,” he said.
That spirit of optimism that drives Mr. French to create more songs is also one he aims to generate onstage. Next week, he hopes it uplifts his first ever Santa Barbara crowd.
“I hope they can separate themselves from whatever is stressing them out in their day to day lives and just let loose,” he said.
Tickets for Christian French’s February 27 concert at SOhO Restaurant & Music Club cost between $12 and $45 can be purchased online at www.sohosb.com. Doors to the venue will open at 8 p.m. and the show will begin at 8:30 p.m.
email: jgrega@newspress.com
