Fran Vasilić: "'Say Yes to Heaven' has been in my queue pretty often since then"

What is your name and where are you from?
My name is Fran Vasilić and I am from the island of Krk in Croatia.

Tell us how you started making music.

One of my mom’s friends started her own summer guitar course for the local kids on the island, so the summer from 3rd to 4th grade I went there and loved it, so when summer was over I didn’t want to stop going. My teacher decided to continue the course for me and two other kids who wanted to keep going once a week during the school year, too. I was also writing poetry since elementary school and some of it is even published in some Croatian poetry books.

I kept playin' guitar and writing poetry separately for most of my life and I only combined music with writing later on during the lockdown in 2020. I wanted to learn how to produce music during the lockdown, and my goal was to make one complete song from start to finish. However, the lockdown kept getting extended, so I ended up with a whole album which I called “Retrovizor”.

Tell us a little secret (almost) nobody knows about you.

I don’t drink.

Open question: tell us something you want to share about yourself.

I’m currently working on my second album and am expecting it to be out in late 2024 along with some tour dates, so keep up with my socials for any updates, it’s my best work so far.

Tell us the last song you’ve listened to, and tell us something you like about that song.

I was in the car with my best friend and he played 'TiK ToK' by Kesha. I love the early 2000s nostalgia in that song.

Which song of your own is the most significant to you and why?

'Hypotheticals' is the most recent one, so it’s the one that I relate to the most. It’s one of the songs that I fully wrote, produced and recorded on my own and also my most popular song.

I think I’m one of the rare artists who actually love their biggest song. In the song, I talk about always looking for problems and not accepting that I can just be at peace, and that’s something I still deal with and am trying to fix.

What album (or albums) have shaped you the most as an artist and generally as a person? What impact did they have on you?

Oliver Mandić with 'Sve Najbolje' and The Strokes with 'Is This It'. I feel like The Strokes were my gateway into indie music. I found them through Tumblr, but didn’t really give them a shot until I had a conversation with a friend who knew my music taste really well and he finally convinced me to listen to 'Is This It' from start to finish.

That album shaped so much of my identity and who I am, even today, as an artist. Through early 2000s I discovered indie rock, and then indie pop and synth pop and because of all of that I make the type of music that I make.

Oliver Mandić on the other hand was an icon in Yugoslavia. He didn’t fear playing with his style or gender even in an ex-communist regime and his songs are unmatched.

Name a song lyric that has inspired you and tell us why.

Mitski said “My love is mine, all mine”. I feel like a lot of music today talks about desperation in love and losing yourself in love and I’m guilty of that as well. Mitski sings about love in a completely different way, because the love she has for other people is still her love. It gave me a lot of perspective, not only in the way that I write and think about love, but how I experience it.

Is there a song people wouldn't expect you to like?

I love Lana Del Rey and I talked to a fan recently after a show and she was really surprised that I liked her. But yes, Lana recently released 'Say Yes to Heaven' and it’s been in my queue pretty often since then.

Any new music you are listening to right now?

I’m currently making my own album, so there’s a lot of listening and relistening to that. But I also really like the new Hemlocke Springs album!

Who is your dream collab with and why?

Tereza Kesovija, she’s a living legend. “Moja Posljednja i Prva Ljubavi” is the prettiest song ever written.

You've created a playlist for us, to give us a peek into your inspirations. Tell us about it!

These are the songs that I never stopped listening to since I discovered them. Some are older, some are more recent, but what they all have in common is that they are timeless and every time I listen to these songs I learn something new about me or about the song or about music or about people.