MUMBAI: Oliver Francis is giving the world something it has never heard before – perfectly meshing together melodic hip-hop, trap, and pop. Earlier this year, he kicked the door open to his new era with “Toxic Paradise” and now, he is gracing fans with “STAR”. Fans can stream it here smarturl.it/OFSTAR and watch the music video here: smarturl.it/OFSTARvideo
After amassing 100 million-plus streams, selling out shows, and receiving acclaim from Elevator and more, he widens the scope of the genre, fusing that boy band-esque sound to gritty trap.
Written in Missouri in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Francis self-produced, self-engineered, and self-recorded the track, as well as directed, shot, and starred in the video, with assistance from his creative partner Aaron James Simpson. Sonically, Francis brings together 80s synthesizers and Atlanta trap piano loops, pushing boundaries in new and creative ways. “In my opinion the song is super upbeat and fun but also a bit dark and twisted,” Francis shares.
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Throughout the song, “STAR” lyrically explores themes of boastfulness, followed by introspection, as well as more spiritual themes such as heaven, hell, and temptation. The track rounds out nicely by giving a big “f*** you” to those critical of Francis’ work, and those who attempt to diminish his growth.“I wanted to break out of the box and try new things sonically and lyrically.” And a lifetime dedicated to music enabled him to do just that. Hailing from the small town of Ashland, MO, he grew up listening to Green Day, skateboarding, and obsessing over alternative culture to the “very conservative Midwestern landscape.” Raised by musicians, dad played guitar and performed worship music in church—where Oliver also picked up the drums. Listening to punk and emo, he played in numerous bands with the dream “to become a famous rock star.” He worked as a janitor for five years as he quietly wrote and recorded music. Taking the reins as a producer and artist, he introduced himself in 2017. Off his ‘Essentials’ EP, “Aahhyeahh” posted up 39.5 million Spotify streams followed by “Anti-Grav”, “Gemini”, “3 Deep”, and “Chernobyl”—all of which also cracked the 10 million mark on Spotify. In between, he packed shows on tour and dropped three albums, culminating on 2019’s ‘The Adventures of Oliver Francis’. Praising the latter, Elevator predicted “[he] is destined to become a superstar.”Working out of his bedroom studio, he has officially expanded the sonic palette for this next chapter.
