Interview: Frankie Bird Creates Beautiful Nostalgia On “When We Were Young”

If you don’t listen to Frankie Bird yet, then there will come a time when you finally do, and when you look back at the glowing feedback she’s gotten, you’ll admit “everybody was right.” But no worries, because we’re about to put you on! Now is the perfect time to join Frankie’s journey as she releases the lush “When We Were Young,” a stunning reflection on youung love and the loss of the carefree energy it provided. Her lyrical talents take center stage as she pulls you right into the story, looking back at this romance years after “time dried [her] tears.”

“I wrote this song about the fallout of a relationship and friendship I had after mixing music, love, and business, and all the repercussions I faced after being warned not to,” Frankie tells TREMG. “It’s about longing for simpler times; when you’re young and free before life’s complications get in the way, and wondering if you’ll ever get that back.”

Following her previous single, “Twenty Nothing,” “When We Were Young” is Frankie’s second step under a new name and into a new era of her artistry. It’s let her become more open and thorough than ever before, honoring and building on her work as FRANKIE while also taking more risks and creating something more authentic to her current self. The results are simply beautiful and really showcase what an incredible artist Frankie is, shining in a new, shimmering light.

“I’ve grown immensely as I’ve gone through a major metamorphosis reintroducing myself with this new music,” Frankie explains. “I’ve never trusted myself more and my inner voice. I wrote every song on my guitar in my house leaning into my songwriting capabilities, I searched and found musicians I wanted to work with to help create this new sound, I followed my gut that I needed to completely start over which was really scary, and worked on becoming the kind of artist I’ve always wanted to be with the music I’m most proud of.”

You can find “When We Were Young” on your favorite streaming services now, and get to know Frankie Bird on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and her website! Keep reading for more from our conversation with this mesmerizing singer-songwriter.

Hi Frankie, congrats on your new single, “When We Were Young!” How does it feel to share the song with the world?

It feels amazing! “When We Were Young” was the first song I wrote for this new project that got me excited about making music again after feeling stuck. It’s one of my favorites from this new batch so to finally get to share it with the music video feels so rewarding.

What does “When We Were Young” mean to you?

I wrote this song about the fallout of a relationship and friendship I had after mixing music, love, and business, and all the repercussions I faced after being warned not to. It’s about longing for simpler times; when you’re young and free before life’s complications get in the way, and wondering if you’ll ever get that back. 

“When We Were Young” has so many amazing lyrics, with one of our favorites being “I’m lace, you’re leather, our promised land turned into sand.” Is there a certain line that you’re especially proud of?

I love that line! So happy it stuck out to you. I also love the line “I still recall all the calls we made that night.” In the first pre-chorus, it refers to the breakup and walking away from everything we had built together, as in calling it all off. But in the second pre-chorus, it’s about reminiscing on the highs of the relationship referring to literal phone calls when we’d make every night. I like the different meanings behind the same lyric. 

If you could show “When We Were Young” to your younger self, how do you think she’d react?

I think she’d dance around her bedroom with glitter on her face lip-syncing. I was very much that kid with a karaoke machine in her room filming every performance, mostly embarrassing, at every age on her camera. In all seriousness, I think she’d be super proud that I’m still writing songs on my guitar and that I get to share them with the world. 

“When We Were Young” is the perfect anthem for making memories this summer – what songs have been some of your personal anthems this summer?

I’m a big Taylor fan so I’ve been going down the Speak Now rabbit hole lately, but the new Blake Mills album just came out and I recently saw him live which was amazing. 

How do you feel you’ve grown as an artist since closing out your chapter as FRANKIE with the Cocoon EP in 2021?

I’ve grown immensely as I’ve gone through a major metamorphosis reintroducing myself with this new music. I’ve never trusted myself more and my inner voice. I wrote every song on my guitar in my house leaning into my songwriting capabilities, I searched and found musicians I wanted to work with to help create this new sound, I followed my gut that I needed to completely start over which was really scary, and worked on becoming the kind of artist I’ve always wanted to be with the music I’m most proud of. There’s a lyric in “Cocoon” that says, “So I’ll leave this with you and when I return I’ll be brand new,” and that’s exactly what happened.

Speaking of FRANKIE, how did you know it was time to step into a new era as Frankie Bird? Has your approach to your work changed since the shift?

I always wanted to be known as a singer songwriter but got thrown into the pop world and followed that route since it was working out for me. During the pandemic, I was all on my own and had no one to make music with, so I went back to my roots and picked up my guitar. I wrote all this new music and searched for the right kind of musicians to help bring these songs to life. I didn’t want a pop sound anymore and wanted to create what I had always heard for my songs. I met these 3 incredible musicians, Jake Jamieson, Thomas Lea and Austin Myles Grant, and when the 4 of us got together, magic was made. I then decided to change my name because it felt like a new chapter, book really, for me and I wanted a name that fit this new music. After a lifetime of my family always calling me their songbird, Frankie Bird was born.

For anyone who isn’t familiar with your music already, which of your songs would you recommend to them to get a feel for who you are as an artist?

There are two songs that are out under Frankie Bird which I would obviously recommend; “Twenty Nothing” and “When We Were Young…” But some of my favorite FRANKIE songs are “Blink,” “Strangers,” “Coping,” “The Hard Way,” “When I’m Ready,” and “Chaos.”

What can your fans look forward to in the rest of 2023?

Tons of more music! It’s all done and ready to go so look forward to more songs, more videos, more shows. The story has just begun!

By Madison Murray
Featured Image: Courtesy of 2b Entertainment