Interview: Duxie Franklin On Inspirations, Touring, Songwriting and more!

Hi Duxie Franklin!

Tell us a little bit about yourself? 

I am a singer songwriter that is probably best categorised in the indie-pop alternative genre. I play piano, guitar, ukulele, bass and violin and I’m always figuring out new ways to write songs. I love to be creative in lots of different ways so I also draw, paint, sew, design clothes, posters and graphics and direct and edit my music videos. Ever since living in Baltimore for a year and thus missing Australia, I got obsessed with koalas – they’re kinda my spirit animal now.

Congratulations on your recent single ‘Chlorine’! What inspired the single?

‘Chlorine’ is about the activity of wallowing. There are so many ways to wallow! And where better to wallow than in the swimming pool? Something I love to do. So I guess it’s my love song to the swimming pool.

My music and lyrics often contain more than a sprinkle of quirk and I’m a big believer in letting the song dictate its own sonic direction. This was definitely the case with ‘Chlorine’, which gained some classic surf-rock vibes during the production and recording process.

You recently kicked off the ‘Chlorine’ tour. How have the shows been so far? 

It’s been an awesome experience! It’s my first tour with the band and we’ve met lots of wonderful people and had great feedback about the music. The travel can be exhausting but I love performing so I would love to do a lot more of this in the future.

The music video for ‘Chlorine’ is outstanding! What was your motivation? 

Since the earliest days of writing ‘Chlorine’, I have always pictured this magical underwater lounge room, fully furnished and flourishing. Myself, living down there, doing normal everyday things but in the unique atmosphere of being totally submerged.

My poor long-suffering videographer tried hard to encourage some (simpler) alternative music video ideas but I couldn’t bear to let go of my vision, so we busted our butts to make it happen!

How does your songwriting process work? 

It does vary a bit from song to song. Often I get this indescribable feeling telling me that I need to write a song so I’ll sit down with an instrument or a pen or my phone on voice memos and start throwing out ideas. Usually the first thing that comes out starts to stick and the song begins to take form. I’ll work on it till I can’t progress any further and then I’ll record a demo so I don’t forget it. I’ll keep revisiting the song over the next days, weeks or months until it’s ‘ready’ to bring to the band and workshop. Once we have it working, we’ll start to perform it live, after which point it may need a little more tweaking before finally taking it into the recording studio. Not every song makes it that far of course, only the good ones!

Who is your biggest musical inspiration and why? 

Tough question! Super hard to pick just one, but the early ones that come to mind are Elton John and Björk. I love their theatricality, both musically and visually in their costumes, art and on-stage performance. I enjoy the diversity in their sounds and the raw expression, particularly from Björk, in how they deliver their songs. 

What is the highlight of your musical career to date? 

Honestly, I think it’s this song, ‘Chlorine’! I’ve been working at my craft for several years now and steadily going from strength to strength. I think what we’ve created here both sonically and with the music video is what I am most proud of so far.

What is the hardest part of being an independent musician?

For me, the hardest part is fighting for attention in a saturated market with other indie artists and also against major international artists who have massive marketing budgets and teams behind them. Social media is draining and those platforms are not somewhere I would naturally choose to be pimping my content out to, but it’s one of the best ways to reach an audience so we’ve got to do it.

If you could collaborate with any musician, who would it be and why? 

Actually, I would like to collaborate with an artist who works primarily in another discipline, like Guillermo del Toro, Brit Marling, Patricia Piccinini or Meghan Boody. I would also love to use my sewing and costume design skills to make a costume for a Eurovision artist or someone like Vera Blue. I think working with artists in other fields can lead to more open mindedness and create whole new possibilities for art and audience experience. 

What is next for Duxie Franklin?

In 2025 I’m going to release the next big one – an EP or possibly even an album…? I have lots of songs I’ve been brewing and stewing over, I’m itching to get them out in the world. Also be prepared for some more vulnerability as I start to share deeper, darker, more emotive parts of the Duxie Franklin lived experience. Can’t wait!