– Believes better laws should be implemented to protect artistes and their music
By Shaquawn Gill
The world of music continues to evolve around us every day. In the music industry, Guyanese artistes continue to rise among the ranks, with names like DrewThoven and Ckush becoming household names with their melodies and lyrics being recited by the masses.
Another artiste of similar standing is continuing to increase in his popularity. France, whose real name is France Harris, is a young Guyanese artiste who is making a name for himself in the musical realm. France has captivated the young population with his musical twang and cunning lyrical expertise.
In his most popular release titled “Normal Freestyle”, France makes reference to very known Guyanese norms among the younger generation and is able to grasp their attention through the use of sly metaphors and similes.
The music video for the single has now amassed over 6,000 views on YouTube.
In an interview with the Big Smith News Watch, France recalled his love for music starting from an extremely tender age. “As a child, I would always find myself tapping my feet and dancing to the reggae music my dad would play at home,” he explained.
France mentioned that he grew up listening to popular reggae artistes such as Garnett Silk and Bob Marley, both of whom he credits for shaping his own music career and style.
During the interview with this publication, France reminisced on the first time he made music of his own, and how that moment will always be a pivotal one that he will never cease to remember.
“The first song I did was recorded in 2017…in Canada. I wasn’t even going to record, I just ended up in the studio with a cousin of mine and I did my own song on an Alkaline
beat. I named it Fruit Ninja,” he grinned.
However, France explained that one major thing that has changed from the time of his first song to this point in his career is his level of commitment to his craft. France explained that he has understood that he must first take his musical talents seriously for others to take him seriously as well. “One thing that has changed from then to now is me being serious with the
craft…if I’m not serious about what I’m doing, nobody else will take me serious,” he said.
The 21-year-old musician highlighted that beginning and upkeeping a music career, especially in Guyana, is miles away from an easy task. “It is quite difficult and requires lots of sacrifices,” France mentioned. “But once you believe in yourself and your craft and you do it for the love of the craft, any sacrifice you make will be worth it,” France encouraged.
Though there are a myriad of sacrifices that must be made to upkeep such a career, France noted that the industry in Guyana is not as lucrative as it seems. This, France says, is because of the poor implementation of relevant laws and policies so that artistes can properly profit from their music.
“The music industry [in Guyana] is not lucrative whatsoever. We do not have the laws in place to ensure our artistes are sufficiently [imbursed] for their talents…[this is] why a lot of our musical legends route their music through Europe or the [United States of America],” France detailed.
France is advocating for the implementation of adequate copyright laws so that Guyana’s music industry can be bolstered. Additionally, France has said that he ensures that all his music has a
message, despite his graphic language use in some of his lyrics.
“Between all those, I always ensure that all my songs have a message…it is [always] important for one to unmask the explicit and grab the message inside [my music],” France urged.
The budding musician is urging potential young artistes to persevere in their desire to do music. Though it is not easy, France says, anyone interested in being involved in the music industry must persevere, though many obstacles will be hurled in their direction.
“There are going to be a lot of times where you are not seeing the results of the majority of the work you are putting in, but I would advise a person to continue to put in the work
and you will eventually reap what you sowed,” he said.
All of France’s music can be found on YouTube, Soundcloud and Audiomack. He is expected to make his Apple Music and Spotify debut in
the near future.