Incorporating elements of country music AND Latin music, Frank Ray‘s highly-anticipated debut album is truly one-of-a-kind.
According to a recent press release,”Mixing his signature rhythm, spice, fun and always relatable, honest lyrics, the debut is his introduction into mainstream country music stardom,” and we seriously couldn’t agree more.
“This album is my grand entrance to the country music world,” the talented singer-songwriter shared. “This project is a perfect reflection of who I am. I have finally figured out my voice, and this is what I have to say. I look at this album like a quilt I knitted. Each stitch represents a person I love or an influence I admire.”
Backstage at the 50th Annual CMA Fest, Celeb Secrets reporter Melanie Rooten talked to Frank Ray about everything relating to his long-awaited debut album, giving us some behind-the-scenes secrets surrounding his self-titled project AND some of its beloved songs.
One of the most notable features of Frank Ray’s debut album is the fact that it encapsulates elements of Hispanic culture, ultimately staying true to the emerging artist’s roots.
“People that are familiar with my music and in my show, they know the diversity that we have and kind of the variety they get, and that’s what you’re gonna get with this album,” Frank dished.
“This album is like the best representation of who I am as a person [and] as an artist. It’s so well-rounded. It’s the best body of work I’ve put out. It’s so musical, it’s refreshing [and] it’s fun, and I usually joke and tell people, ‘If you don’t find a song that you like in that album, you’re kind of dead inside a little bit,'” he shared with a chuckle.
As far as the actual contents of the project, “It’s not just country music, right? You got the mariachi music, ranchera, Tejano stuff. You got the cumbias, you got the R&B… That’s stuff I kind of grew up listening to, and so all of those have, you know, made me the person that I am today,” the one-of-a-kind artist revealed to us.
In addition to this, “You got some traditional country sounding stuff, you go into the Latin vibes, you get the more kind of pop soul hooks, you got the family oriented stuff, you got the party songs, you got the sad songs. It’s got everything, and I’m so excited about it and I can’t wait to, you know, share it with people,” he concluded passionately.
@frankraymusic Hola cholas! Go on a hit that link in my biography to PRE SAVE my upcoming album and get yourself a little taste of the glory coming atcha on July 7th! #country #newmusic #frankray
The country crooner then went on to elaborate on a few of the project’s beloved songs, with a strong emphasis on Frank Ray‘s sixth track, “Wasting Your Words.”
According to the press release, Frank “is a sucker for a sad song, which lead to the birth of the pensive ‘Wasting Your Words.’ Intermixing fun and sultry vibes, the song paints a picture of how a couple keeps their spark alive, despite distance,” and we are seriously obsessed.
“There’s a song called ‘Wasting Your Words.’ People that are familiar with my music have heard a song called ‘Streetlights’ that’s got a really Latin heavy kind of vibe… I tell people that if ‘Streetlights‘ had an older, sexier brother, this is this song. Like, it’s so great, it’s fun, it’s catchy and it’s so musical, the talented singer-songwriter revealed to Celeb Secrets.
“The arrangements almost sound like something out of a Disney movie. It’s incredible [and] I can’t wait for people to listen,” he gushed.
Then, the rising country star gave us a behind-the-scenes look into the writing process for Frank Ray, sharing how exactly the album came to be.
“I was fortunate enough to surround myself with writers that are really familiar with who I am, and we always just have great chemistry, and so when you have that kind of camp, the music just comes out. They’re able to draw those elements out of you,” the New Mexico native dished.
“We had a very, very clear vision as to what we were trying to do, and I think we nailed it, and it’s gonna be great,” he concluded with a grin.
Aside from the release of his highly-anticipated debut album, Frank Ray has big plans for the remainder of 2023, with TONS of live performances on the way.
“It’s been an incredible year so far. We’ve been on tour with Old Dominion since January. That tour is shortly here gonna come to an end… Festival season is among us, so we do all the festivals [and we’re] going all over the place, and then, of course, we have a fall tour lined up,” Frank explained to us.
When asked what fans can expect from one of his legendary performances, the 36-year-old revealed, “It’s fun. Yeah, we definitely pride ourselves in that. I think my band and I, we just thrive on stage… We’ve been doing it for years now [and] I think we’re really, really seasoned to what we do.”
“The crowd engagement is fun, the tequila is had [and] beers are flying all over the place. It’s a good time. It’s just party, party, party, and every now and then we’ll pull on your heartstrings a little bit, but then there’s more party. You know what I mean? It’s a fun vibe,” he continued with a beaming smile.
“We incorporate some of the Latin stuff in there too, so if people aren’t dancing, you got a cold black heart. You gotta change that. Just come out to a Frank Ray show [and] we’ll help you out,” the budding country star concluded.
Even though Frank’s schedule is jam-packed for the upcoming months, he wouldn’t change it for the world, ultimately sharing his gratitude with Celeb Secrets.
“This is what we signed up for, and it’s a dream come true, really. I get to live it every single day,” he gushed.
@frankraymusic THE BIGGEST PARTY OF THE YEAR ⚡️ #CMAfest #countrymusic #latino #fyp
With his plans for the rest of the year aside, Frank Ray also has some massive goals that he dreams of accomplishing throughout his time in the country music industry.
“I think long term I really want to have a big impact in country music, right? I think it’s important, not just for me and my team and all the work that we’ve put in, but it’s important for the culture. It’s important because there hasn’t been representation for the Hispanic community in this genre for a very, very long time, and so it’s a torch that I carry with honor,” Frank explained passionately.
He then continued, “I think the only way to really kind of validate that as well, outside of staying busy, is to gain some hardware, right? So I want to get some ACMs, I wanna get some CMAs, I wanna get some CMT Awards. Like why not, right? Not for the vanity of it, but because of what it represents.”
In addition to this, “I definitely want to, you know, jump on another tour with another major artist,” the soon-to-be country legend shared with Celeb Secrets. “I mean, Kenny Chesney, if you’re not doing anything, call me.”
While we count down the days until the much-needed Frank Ray and Kenny Chesney tour, be sure to check out our full interview with him from CMA Fest 2023 below to learn more about his self-titled project.
Be sure to send us a tweet at @celebsecrets and/or leave a comment at the bottom of this post to let us know your thoughts on Frank Ray and his debut album (and don’t forget to tell us which track is your favorite).
Afterwards, be sure to connect with the emerging artist on Twitter @FrankRayMusic, Instagram @frankraymusic and TikTok @frankraymusic so you can stay up-to-date on ALL of the exciting things he has in the works — You won’t want to miss a thing!
LISTEN TO FRANK RAY HERE:
With reporting credit by Melanie Rooten. For more coverage from CMA Fest 2023, click HERE.
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