Meet MadameFraankie, a Multidisciplinary Artist Creating Beyond the Limits

Sometimes in life, you don't always know how people’s lives will intersect with yours. How what feels like chance encounters may actually be tiny glimpses into the future. I went to college with MadameFraankie, and though I didn't know her well then, what I did know was that she always had a guitar with her. She was usually hanging out with her friends and was rarely not smiling. There was a natural warmth around her, a welcoming presence, and when MadameFraankie gets on the call in a crisp white tee, the first thing I notice is she still has her warmth. Her smile is bright and familiar, though I can honestly say, this may be the first real conversation we’ve ever had. It sounds absurd to say that from tangentially knowing someone but the University of Memphis is a big school. With a black fist pick in her hair, we dive in and I realize quickly that she is someone who is cultivating a life many artists would envy. 

In many ways, you could tell what her first love really was, music and really the guitar. Now this love started young, and like many of the brilliant artists I know, she could play guitar before she ever owned one, stating she has never been more obsessed with a thing. With obsession comes passion, and passion brings greatness, and greatness is where creativity really gets to show out, but let me not get ahead of myself and tell you more about my chat with MadameFraankie.

She is the marketing director for TONE Memphis, an art and culture non-profit elevating the full spectrum of Black communities in Memphis (they are pretty sick you should check them out here), a photographer, and a musician, but what’s really dope about these hyphens is the way they all intersect. As I mentioned before, MadameFraankie is rarely alone and now more than ever you see the collaborative space she’s fostering. She is working with her peers, snapping photos on trips and around her city, collaborating with other artists all while conjuring up her own musical magic in her head, and she feels lucky and grateful for that fluidity. 

“Inky Binky Bonky” photo by MadameFraankie

Dominique: So yes, just tell me ALL the things about yourself. 

MadameFraankie: I work for TONE as a marketing director. TONE is a Black arts nonprofit organization about creating platforms for Black voices and Black storytelling, and we do that through art exhibitions, concerts, artists development, music residencies, or writer's workshops and stuff like that . . . just all the kinds of ways we can tap into Black creativity to make sure that they have a platform to do the storytelling that is necessary, especially in this very Black city. 

For photography and music, maybe it's like a parallel; they're one and the same. Photography is a very observant type of art. I'm learning about what I'm looking for, really, the ways Black people interact with one another, like touch, fellowship, or even basketball. So it's like catching those moments that are really special, and putting those in a frame and calling it art. Because it's also like a conversation that focuses on the common things in life that aren't in most art. 

Nice so now let’s talk about the other side. When it came to your first encounters with music, did it feel new and exciting, somewhat sacred? What was the feeling that came with getting to have that control for the first time over the radio?

I kind of wish I could tap into it more often because it felt very all-encompassing. Like everything is vibrating. You're listening to the music and it becomes your world; whatever that is, you kind of lose it as you grow up. But when you are a kid stuff really means a lot and you can feel it, you know what I'm saying?

“Night Car” photo by MadameFraankie

And I do. There are plenty of times I wish I could go back to the childlike feeling of music or creativity. You didn't think about it, you heard it, you felt it, and you made it. The connection is neverending. With us talking about all her many modes of creativity we boiled it down to her favorite, “Guitar is certainly my main my main squeeze.” And as we segue into music you’ll see that many of these principles bleed into our everyday practices and real life. 

First, what would you say your musical gift is? Secondly, what would you say your gift is in life, and how have you been able to grow and mature it?

My musical gift? Maybe my ear, which is what I started with. You know, being able to play what you hear. It's just like hearing something and then being able to be like, 'Okay, I have no knowledge, theoretically, how to do this, but like, I know how to translate what's in my head to the guitar.

A life gift given to me to give to others is space. Space to share what they're thinking, to process a thought, to feel. Music exists in a space too, yes, space! Space to speak, to think, to dance, to move, to like, whatever but maybe it's space.

How do you think you got there? Like that's, that's such an expansive idea. It's something that I would say yes, that is deeply a gift. Many people feel like we're fighting right now for space and acknowledgment of just humanity. So how do you feel like you got to that point where you were like, This is what I want to give people.

I've witnessed different moments, where I guess I feel like people aren't being honored. Like, you didn’t make space for their experience when you don’t step back or when you're rushing people. It's like why not step back, and give them some space to work through a thing or talk through a thing or just figure something out, and then see where we can go from there?

MadameFraankie is someone who is not only creating space but also taking up space. She has been sharing her work, especially when it comes to guitar for years consistently via Music Mondays. It seems crazy but it’s also extremely inspiring to stick with something that long. It certainly has led to her growing fame in her city of Memphis as a leading instrumentalist.

My ego’s always like, ‘Yeah, I can be whatever I want to be’. But, anxiety kind of, you know, she's a funny girl. So I had a moment where I'm watching folks share their work while I want to share my stuff. But, I was asking myself questions like ‘Can I share my stuff?’, ‘Is my art good enough to share?’. I then began asking myself why I beat myself up trying to get it to a certain point before I can share, and what happens when I do that. It's like, ‘Well, I do this thing. I make something that is perfect. And then I'm like, that's perfect, and now I want to make something greater. And then I made something else that was great . . . it just came to be one of those things of being like I need to just start making videos, whether it's perfect or not, and that in turn will put me into the realm of people who are sharing things that are good. that's how Music Monday came to be.

I was going to bring this up a little later, but we're going to bring it up now because we're talking about it. Music Mondays! How many weeks have you been doing Music Mondays?

Oh, my gosh, it's 2023; we might be entering year seven. I feel like it's one of those good quirk/bad quirk things because one thing about me, I can commit to something. When it comes to Music Mondays, I’m kind of like, ‘If you don't do this then what? Why? You’re going to stop?’ And it's really like a stop for what? Unless I have an answer for that like ‘Oh, because we're gonna pivot to this’, but it still feels like you’re gonna stop just to stop doing it? That doesn't make no sense.

So, that's how it really has been? Just like, what else would I be doing? 

Yeah, I've been able to be consistent in doing Music Monday, and even though sometimes you know, I'd be tired. I'm like, ‘Oh, I don't feel like thinking and coming up with a song or finding a song and learning how to play it, or coming up with an iteration or whatever’. But I know that this is part of it. This is how you grow. This is how you get better. And so, if I choose not to do it, it’s like ‘Are you opting out of learning new music or playing the guitar?’ And in those instances, I say to myself, ‘It sounds like you're having a stint of laziness, girl, and when you get over that, you go find yourself a song and put your video up’.

Do you think it'll ever be a moment when you don't want to do it? Has there ever been a time where you're like, “I don't want to do this anymore; I have to switch”?

I will say we're creeping up on that. I'm ready to make and release some of my own music. So in some ways, yeah I have considered what it is for me to retire that practice, but when I really think about it, I really can't make sense of that because would I just pivot into Music Thursday instead? Why would I stop? I just literally can't make it make sense.

There's so much music in the world, so if I don't do anything else, I have to interact with music in order to accomplish this. It's a practice, a discipline. So, in those moments where it's like ‘this isn't exactly that fun’, it’s a reminder that it is a discipline. It’s about growing your craft and learning more about music. Honestly, it's rewarding like 95 percent of the time, so it's fine. 

Untitled” (self portrait on 120mm) - MadameFraankie

Speaking of rewards, how would you define success?

I define it by my own standards because you can look at other folks and be really confused about what you got going on. But I think it's about 85 to 90 percent gratitude for the now, the journey, and the process. Then the 10 percent, or whatever number, is actually getting there. Setting goals, accomplishing them, progressing, and moving forward make up that ten percent to me. 

Have you always been in that mindset?

This just might be the most articulate I’ve been about it, I guess. I don't know why Drake is always my example for this, but it’s like ‘You don't have to be Drake.’ Looking at the world and realizing there are so many levels and places to do things. You don't have to be Drake; you can be you. And if ten copies or ten tours a year will make you happy and make you feel successful, you've been successful. 

I think I spent a season reminding myself of that. And now, it's just like a fact: you don’t have to Drake to be successful.

Success is coming for this rising star. With her first release out this year, O.M.D., I wanted to talk through the process of creativity. How she feels her story has gone so far and what she hopes for the future.

Tell me about the release of O.M.D.

O.M.D. is an interpretation of a Nick Hakim song called Miss Chu. And whenever I do pop-up shows, it's one of my staple ones that I have on my setlist. It always really resonates with me, I just really love how that song feels. And usually what happens is I listen back to the song that I got the inspiration from being like, ‘Oh, you guys aren't really the same’. Also, I don't know if this is a conversation that I'm having with someone that I miss through the guitar or whatever, but I mean, I'm pretty proud of that single.

What do you feel your work says to the world about you? 

I think it goes back to that space thing. It’s a feeling I want all my music to possess, like an introspective thing that happens as you’re listening. I've heard folks mentioning what they've experienced [of my music], and they said it’s therapeutic. Like, a very hypnotic kind of thing. You're listening and you just kind of get lost in the vibrations of the sound. While the actual subject will shift, I think the textures and vibrations that I want to use, I always want [my music] to feel like something you get lost in. Where you can put it on, lay back, center for a second, or feel my feelings or whatever . . . you know?

What themes are you always looking to pursue in your work? Are there any?

In general, I don’t know if this is explicit or not, but sexual tension. 

I feel like there’s a story to that. What brought you to that point? 

Let me say that I believe sexuality is a power. What lives in that is a confidence, a chest high, like you’re smelling yourself, and I love that. I love that for everyone! So like even if you're at my show, not to say that you'd be at my show getting hot and bothered, but like I do want you to you know . . .  mmmmmm, you know? [chuckles] 

That is such a specific thing to have the theme be sexual tension. I wish people would own that! But speaking of shows and your music, how do you know when a project is ready? I mean, you released O.M.D. Did it feel ready?

It did! That might be the first time that I was like, ‘I think it's done’. And wow, what an addicting feeling! For it to be done and released? I literally am obsessed. This is what people were raving about. It’s like a whole process to get here. There are so many options in the world. So many plugins, so many programs, and so many things that people have to like beef up their music. But, going back to the Drake example, you have 150,000 plugins, but in your spirit, all you need is a guitar, a bass, some drums, and some pads in the background and you’re finished. And because I love this song so much I was able to key into the things like what does this song need, does it feel true to me, is it resonating in my body, and do I like this song. And thats another thing, I want people to like this song, but I wanted to make sure I could catch a vibe to it, myself. 

Ah, okay. So, one scenario is that you know it’s finished when you feel like you can groove to it. And the other one is when there's nothing else to add like there are no other elements.

Anything else would just be like you're just adding things because you have the ability to add things. Oh my God! Let me just share because I watched this TikTok of this guy drawing little doodles one day. And he was just talking to people like, ‘This is me drawing a doodle. And now the doodle is done. How do I know it's done? Because I said, it's done. Here's another one. Let's go again.’ He just kept doing it. So, it's literally just, when you say it's done, it's done. No matter what anybody else says, it’s done because what I set out to do is complete. I really try to internalize that.

I love that. I feel like that's actually really hard, especially for artists, because many of us are like, ‘But it could be better. It doesn't have the right whatever’. And, I think that in the era where everything gets posted, everything can be ripped apart. You can have people critiquing your work.

I know I sound very clear-headed. Absolutely not. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was like, I'm done. I've experienced what it feels like to be a perfectionist and compare. My body is ready to just release some music; let's give it a shot. 

When it came to deciding to officially release something on streaming, what brought you to that point? Because, I mean, Music Mondays have always been there, for a long time now. And, you've been putting up your photography. So, what made you think, ‘Oh, let me do this officially now’ and in this way, to become the artists you always thought you were?

So this has happened once before. It's crazy how long you sit in a certain season before you feel that the next season happen. So going back on this very quick little journey, the guitar piece of being like, I'm gonna start playing my guitar in public happened when  I got a phone call and somebody asked me to do a gig.  And then I remember being like, ‘Oh, no’, and the reason I'm saying no is like I just felt I wouldn't be ready or I don't know if I have enough talent to do it; it was just a lot of doubt. But my skill level at that point, I'm sure I could have been completely fine. 

So after I got off the phone, I was like, ‘What are you doing this for if you're not going to share even this part of it for the public? I was like, ‘Are you going to stop playing guitar? If not, and if this is what you want to do, let's get started. Same thing with my own music. I have tons of music and ideas on my computer and I know that one can do that for themselves but I didn't know that I wanted to share it. And it's like, ‘Are you just gonna keep making all these ideas and like, doing nothing with them when you know that you want to share them.’ I was literally fed up. I was like, ‘I want to release something. I'm going to do it. Whether it's perfect or not.’ It's very much a Music Monday type of thing, and it ended up being something I'm very proud of. I just got to enter the next stage of my music career.

I actually want to hone in on that specifically. It seems like a graduation, this is a new phase or a new stage. And especially talking about when you said you could feel it in your body, what was that feeling that made you do this in a new way, even more public than before? Can you name it?

Emergency! It felt like an emergency and annoyance with myself. It felt like now or what? I’m ready! I'm literally holding all this stuff inside of me. But now, I feel one less song; it literally feels like I gave birth. It's done; there's no going back. I do not have to think about that song anymore. I don’t have to go back and tweak or pretend to turn some knobs. That's what this is about. You sit down, you make something, and you release it. Wow. Sign me up. 

Emergency, that’s such a specific word. Something’s that urgent. It's kind of like when you have an out-of-office message and you're like, it's never an emergency. We're not like not doctors. But for you, releasing music was an emergency; that was a real moment. If you could map your creative career so far, with moments or projects representing key landmarks, what would you say led you to this moment of releasing O.M.D.?

The short stint, or the ‘I bought my first guitar when I was . . .” 

The long story! 

Oh [laughs loudly clapping] the long story. So, I got my first guitar, at about 12 or 13. And that was an obsession in itself. I've never been more obsessed with the thing. I feel like to this day I can be pretty project-obsessed. Again, this is very helpful and detrimental depending on how I spin it. But I knew how the play the guitar before I had one, and that led to being obsessed with learning different songs and ignoring school--while doing the best I could--and taking my guitar everywhere I could. 

However, there was a moment in college where I went long periods not playing it, and it was a pivotal moment where I was like, ‘Are you done playing guitar?’ I had to sit down, reassess, and make space for playing my guitar because, in college, there’s so much going on. You can’t take the guitar to class, or you foolin’ around with the folks. So I had to make an active decision to play. 

Then fast forward to TONE, and I get a call, asking me to play guitar for a program called ‘Fiber’ at TONE. At that moment, it was like, ‘You said you're gonna be a yes girl. So, let's give it a shot.’ So in doing that, it was a beautiful performance, and it entered me into this world where I was able to connect with these other Black artists and grow my performance skills. At this time, my Music Mondays were still kind of new, so I was doing that, getting to know people, and starting to get booked for certain gigs.

And, somewhere in the midst of this, I had gotten different DAWS (digital audio workstations) to work and create my own music. I had GarageBand; I had Cubase for a second, and I finally buckled down maybe two or three years ago and got Ableton, which is what  I'm working on now and what I completed O.M.D. on. 

Do you want to continue collaborating and working with other artists on their music, or is the focus on releasing your own stuff? 

That was some of the thought, too. ‘Are you going to go for it, or just be the guitar player for these folks and for their projects or the stage guitarist?’ I think I do want to continue doing that, but I also want to make a name for myself. Like truly a solo artist and start bringing lyrics into the music and grow what it is for me to do a solo show. I don't know if that means doing a Tame Impala thing, where he makes all his music, does live shows, and brings a drummer and bass player on stage. 

I don't know what that means yet, but I've begun looking at venues like ‘Oh, where can I see myself?’ I went to Nick Hakim’s show in Nashville, who is just a great guy, and I was like, ‘Ah yes, this would be just fantastic. The energy in here; the lights. I would love to do something here.’ So it’s been some of that, like wanting to not just do pop-ups in certain places and do shows passively. I want to be the kind of performer folks come to see and experience.

It's true, you're graduating into your own realm. In the next few years, who do you want to work with? 

I feel like first, and I keep bringing my guy up, Nick Hakim. And then I think in three years, I feel like I can make a James Blake happen somehow, even if I'm sitting in the room. But wow, love that man. Bring it. So that's on my list.

While this is all joy and fun. Madame Fraankie recently stepped back into the learning space and is documenting the process of learning the guitar with music theory. It’s motivating and interesting to watch someone--who in some ways, has mastered their craft--go back and prove that there is always room to grow and learn. The growth also comes from some of the challenges that we have as artists. 

What challenges have you had on this journey to getting to this point?

My anxiety, it gets pretty crunk. It's gotten a lot better, but I can feel it so much. I'm able to perform, but my hands are shaking and sometimes, it feels really debilitating. When I perform, what I need the most is for the sound to be exactly what's in my head. So, when I bring that to a venue and my vision doesn’t work out how I want, that affects my concentration, contributes to my anxiety, and makes me feel disconnected. So, maybe battling anxiety and disconnection while trying to stay tapped into actually playing.

Thats real, understandable. What are you most looking forward to in the future?

I'm now completing more projects and learning the craft. I've also been very much on this journey of truly believing that I can do all this by myself. We’re told in music that you have to get your music to a certain point and then you gotta send it off to somebody else. And then that person has to send it off to somebody else before it's complete and an honorable project that can be used in these spaces. I'm just not believing it. I want to see how far I can go by trusting that what I hear is good and that if people are resonating with it, then that, to me, is a success. Again, you ain't gotta be Drake. I’m just fully committed to learning every step of this so that I can do it myself. You learn a lot and it just feels good to take something from beginning to end, send it and be done with it. [O.M.D.] was proof of that for me. This is what they say, proof of concept? I'll just keep running it and see what happens.

I love that. I feel like that’s such a key thing, especially being one of those people who feel like I don’t want to have to go through gatekeepers to put my stuff out. I do understand just doing it and figuring it out. So the last serious question. In three words, how would you describe yourself and how do each of these informed traits about you? And like what you do?

Handy, confident, and analytical. I'm very much a person who is like, ‘Let's figure it out’ and enjoys trying to figure it out. You know, trying little things and putting stuff together. The drive to figure out this music stuff rolls into the confidence thing. They kind of go hand in hand. I feel very handy and I feel very confident. I want to pass on the confidence to other people. Like our conversation about sexual tension, I want you to leave with the same thing. I want you to feel confident now, too; let me also believe that I can do anything I want to and have my chest high. The analytical thing is helpful in my constant questions and digging and searching and analyzing or whatever. 

Last thing, if you could pick seven songs to tell your story, what would it be?

Joni Mitchell, ‘All I Want’; D’Angelo, ‘She’s Always in My Hair’; Frank Ocean, ‘Pyramids’; Bobby Womack, ‘Across 110 Street’; Snoop Dogg, ‘Who Am I’; Switch, ‘They’ll Never Be’; José Alfredo Jiménez, ‘El Rey’. The first six are just energy, but the last song is my story!

“If I Ruled the World (Mustangs)” photo by MadameFraankie

As you can see, creativity is a never-ending journey, and this is just the beginning for MadameFraankie. She is still learning, growing, and sharing her creative process in multiple mediums every day. You can follow MadameFraankie on Instagram and YouTube.

If you want to see her work in person, she is a featured photographer for an upcoming exhibit with TONE called, Lens Language. TONE shares, “This photographic exhibition curated by: MadameFraankie and Kai Ross explores the depths of love and the way it’s captured from behind the lens of two Black queer femme presenting artists. Throughout this exhibition, we hope you become inspired by their art enough to see the love that exists in and around you. See y’all at the show this October.” You can find more information on the exhibit here.