WES MILLS - How To Follow The Feeling And Find Your Sound - Headliner Mindset

Episode Transcript
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Frankie (00:00):
I think it's really, really important to fall in love
with the feeling of like, doesthis feel good to me?
Because it feels good to you.
That's a special feeling.
And then you can just ride offof that

Nik Cherwink (00:24):
What's up everybody?
Welcome to the Headliner MindsetPodcast.
Today's guest is an artist thatI truly love and respect someone
who isn't chasing trends andnumbers, but is really chasing
that beautiful emotional feelingthat a really good song can give
you.
And that has led him to somepretty amazing wins, including
releasing on song hollows,labeled bit bird, releasing an

(00:47):
EP with.
Disco lines and also recentlyplaying his debut at Red Rocks.
He is also one of the hardestworking people in showbiz, as
you will soon find out.
This is Wes Mills.
To get myself, you know, famousand successful?
And it's like, yo, come back.
Like make great music and that'swhy I love you.
And that's why I was so excitedto connect, you know?
'cause I was literally, I wasjust in, you know, speaking of

(01:09):
Red Rocks, I was just in RedRock at Red Rocks a few weeks
ago.
I did a little snowboardingtrip.
I was cruising around with mygirlfriend and, and I, I dunno,
for whatever reason I was like,oh, like.
My man.
Welcome to the show, bro.
It is so good to see you.
I'm so excited to dive in withyou because, uh, you know, you
are one of the many people thatI had the, uh, the, the, the
privilege of getting to teachand work with, you know, way
back in the day working at IconCollective.
And, uh, it's been a, I don'tknow how many years since I've
seen you, and so just, uh,really pumped.
To catch up and kind of fill inthe gaps on what you've been up
to.
you know, first and foremost,bro, like I am such a fan.

(01:31):
Like I've, I've been a fan.
Like, I've always loved thestuff that you've been making,
the music you've been making,also the content that you put
out.
So, I'm just excited to talk toan artist that I'm, I'm
genuinely like a really true fanof.
So thank you for taking the timeto be here today and excited to
dive in with you.

Frankie (01:48):
Dude, thank you.
I really appreciate what yousaid and uh, I'm excited to talk
to you too.

Yeah, I mean, you know, like I was saying, this is
one of my favorite kind ofinterviews to have because
oftentimes, you know, I've hadreally, I think it was like over
a thousand students that Iworked with during my seven
years at iCONN Collective.
So many people that came throughthat program, and every now and
then, it's like I open up myInstagram and then I see, I'm
like, oh, you're.

(02:13):
Playing lost lands now, oryou're fucking, you know,
playing Coachella or whatever.
Uh, you know, for you, you justrecently played Red Rocks,

Frankie (02:21):
Yeah.

like, like one or two weeks ago?
First off, congratulations onthat.

Frankie (02:25):
Thank you.

milestone moment, I think in most people's careers
getting to play that epic venue.
Um, so I, I would really love.
To kind of like fill in the gapsof like, all right, one minute
you're a student at iCONNCollective Learning

Frankie (02:39):
Yeah,

Production.
The next minute you're playingRed Rocks.
Right?
How did we get there?
So,

Frankie (02:45):
yeah,

me back to when you went to Icon.
What year was that, that youwent there and when you
graduated?

Frankie (02:52):
yeah.
Um, I believe it was in like themiddle of 2018.
And, and I finished in 2019.

Got it.
Got it.
And then did you stay in LA whenyou graduated?
Are are you still out there

Frankie (03:04):
No, I, I never,

did you do after Icon?

Frankie (03:07):
I'll kind of set it up.
So I lived in Orange County, soI would make that commute.
every time, and I chose thenight class, so it started at
the time, like 10 o'clock and itfinished late.
So it, it was nice traffic wisebecause I think if I did any
other class it would be brutal.
So, yeah.

out how much dedication that is right there.
Driving an hour each directionand going to class at night,
like that's, first off, let'sjust highlight the fucking
commitment, you know, thesacrifice that you were willing
to make to do that.
That says a lot.

Frankie (03:39):
Yeah, man.
I think, at the end of the day,like once I realized this is
what I wanted to do, like it,all the extra stuff went out the
window and I just, I was justpurely focused on that.

Hmm.

Frankie (03:50):
But yeah, to take to, to answer your first question,
like I, I remember showing up toIcon on the very first day and
being scared outta my mind justbecause I had never really dove
into music.
Like, uh, my friend helped me,make demos just to get into
Icon.
'cause I didn't know how to makemusic.
I remember on the very first dayof Icon, I think it was PD

(04:11):
talking about like.
how we put an EQ in Ableton andbecause it's, you know, they
start from the basics, you know,Ableton 1 0 1, and so let's
throw an EQ on this.
And I remember raising my hand,I'll never forget, I was like,
Hey, what is an eq?
And I remember the whole class,like turning around and being
like, who is this?
And how did he get in here?

(04:32):
Um,

You

Frankie (04:33):
so like.
Zero, zero.

Wow.

Frankie (04:38):
but I wanted, I, I, I remember my friend trying to
teach me stuff before I went andI, I said, I don't really wanna
know,'cause I don't wanna createbad habits.
'cause I, I thought so highly ofthe school and I just wanted to
like, I wanted them to be thefoundation of what I learned
and, and just go up from there.
So I think I was just really,really hungry going in.

yeah.
Take it back one step further,like what made you so clear that
this was the path that youwanted to go down?
You hadn't really even startedproducing yet, but you were
like, I want to fucking do this,and you really committed
yourself to it.
Where, where did that decisionin that commitment come from in
the first place?

Frankie (05:13):
Um, I saw a Chainsmokers concert like a year
before, and I said.
I don't know what they're doing.
I don't know how they're doingit, but I want to do that and
I'm gonna find every waypossible to figure out how to do
that.
So I wasn't even in the musicrealm, like at all.
I was, I played sports my wholelife.
I played college baseball, likeI was not into EDM whatsoever.

(05:35):
But, uh, I.
I just started to ask aroundand, and kind of found a friend
through.
A friend who found, I found outabout Icon.
It was just really, reallyorganic.
It, it was, was never reallyforced and I have no idea how,
how it all happened.
It's really, really crazy.

tell me more about that moment when you, you were
like in the crowd, just watchingthem do it.
Like what actually was happeningin your mind, in your body.
I'm always so curious to knowabout like, the moment that
decision is made almost fromlike a divine orchestration
place, you know?
But what happened in thatmoment?
'cause that's a pretty powerful,pivotal moment in your life.

Frankie (06:12):
Absolutely.
I, I feel like it's one of thebest days of my life just
because of the, the feeling I, Igot.
I think they were playing liketheir new album at the time.
I think it was like the albumthat had like Paris on it and
they were like, debuting thisnew music and just remember, you
know, them saying this, this newmusic.
And them being up on stage andthe fire going off and I was
just like, man, like that is thecoolest thing I've ever seen.

(06:35):
I just thought it was so cooland, and I think like, just my
whole life, I always just wantedto do something big and just
like wanted to do somethingreally fun and something that I
really wanted to enjoy.
And at that time, you know,coming fresh outta college, I'm
like, I want to do this.
I didn't really know what Iwanted to do, but I'm like, I
wanna do this.

Yeah,

Frankie (06:54):
this.

you're like, I know I don't wanna sit in a
fucking cubicle all day.
You know,

Frankie (06:59):
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
And I, and, and playing sports.
I, I was just always out, so Ijust wanted to do something, you
know, that was out and about andthat,

Yeah.

Frankie (07:10):
it's really crazy, how that one moment like really
shifted my whole entire mindsetforever.

Mmm.
That's so cool, bro.

Frankie (07:17):
Yeah.

man.
Well thank, thanks for sharingthat.
Now you go to Icon and you spendlike a year there, right?
I think it was just a yearprogram at, at that time.
And then obviously one year isnot really enough to get good at
making music, especially whenyou're starting from ground
zero.
So,

Frankie (07:33):
Yeah.

what did life look like for you post icon?

Frankie (07:38):
I remember going back and talking to a teacher after
I, I finished, because now I'mlike, okay, like you said, what
do I do now?
And I remember like, okay, sowhat do I do next?
Like, who do I talk to?
What do I, what do I do?
And then I remember him justsaying.
Just make great music and justbe you and just kind of just go.
And I think for anyone like thatsounds so cliche and, and anyone

(07:59):
who's listening, it's like, I, Iknow that like, that's, that's
so much easier said than done.
But like, I really, really,truthfully, like felt like I, I
dug deep at the time and waslike, I just want to be myself,
and if I'm not enough, then I'mnot enough.
So I'm just gonna try and belike the best version of me, uh,
with the way I, the way I createand the way I create music,

(08:20):
create content, create music.
So, um, I think Covid was bigtoo, because obviously wasn't
working.
So I was just at home and I justwent like crazy, crazy during
that time.
Um, and then that's kind ofduring that time is when I, I
thought about starting the WestMills project during Covid.
I.

Yeah.
Honestly, man, I think that'ssome of the.
advice that anybody has given onthis podcast and really broken
down into the most simple waypossible, but make great music
and be you.
Because a lot of people were,are so caught up in figuring out
like what's.
What's the strategy?
You know, what's, what's thecontent strategy to blow up to

(08:59):
get myself, you know, famous andsuccessful?
And it's

Frankie (09:02):
Yeah.

back.
Like make great music and that'swhy I love you.
And that's why I was so excitedto connect, you know?
'cause I was literally, I wasjust in, you know, speaking of
Red Rocks, I was just at RedRocks a few weeks ago.
I did a little snowboardingtrip.
I

Frankie (09:14):
Yeah.

around with my girlfriend and, and I, I dunno,
for whatever reason I was like,oh, you gotta check out this guy
from Icon, like, he's fuckingsick.
Like, this music is dope.
And we were, we were just likecruising through the mountains,
listening to your music and Iwas just like, it's so good.
The music is fucking good.
It makes me feel good and happy.
And I'm just like, yeah, this isgood shit.
That's where it's gotta start.

Frankie (09:35):
Yeah.

don't have that, none of the rest of it matters.
You know what I

Frankie (09:39):
Yeah.

so, make, make great music and you obviously
really put time into figuringout, you know, how to make great
music and, you know, definitelywant to talk about, quote
unquote the brand as, as well.
But you

Frankie (09:49):
Yeah.

that part of just like being you, you really are
just being authentic in, in thatside of it as well.

Frankie (09:55):
Yeah.

but okay, so you took that advice and, what did
you do with it?

Frankie (10:01):
Well, I, I, uh, like, I, like I was just kind, kind of
telling you it was, it was moreof a mentality shift from there.
I was like, okay, like what do Igotta do to just be undeniable?
And I still tell myself that tothis day.
Like, if you want to be who youwant to be, then you just have
to be.
That guy put all excuses aside.
And so I, during ICO or duringum, COVID, I just really, really

(10:26):
like focused on that, focused onmaking music.
And then, uh, the label Bit Birdhad like a compilation that they
were, they were doing.
And uh, and I signed up and Idid that.

And, and, and that was, that was as West Mills,
that was like when you just

Frankie (10:42):
Cor

the West

Frankie (10:43):
correct.
So I hadn't released anything.
I hadn't released anything yet.
Actually, I had released, I, Ihad, I had released two songs
before that actually, but theywere, it, it was just
independent.

How long were you making music from when you
started at Icon to when youreally actually started this
project and started releasingmusic under West Mills.

Frankie (11:02):
So probably about like a, like a year and a half.

Okay.
Yeah.
Really

Frankie (11:08):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I actually had, I had, I had aproject before West Mills that,
uh, like about like a yearproject, and then I just from
met.

you had only been making music for about a year
and a half before you

Frankie (11:21):
Yeah,

Yeah.
That's, that's, that's prettyimpressive, you know?
'cause I feel like it usuallytakes a lot longer for, for most
artists.
So were

Frankie (11:28):
Yeah.

really getting after it on the production side
of things.

Frankie (11:31):
I was trying.
Yes.
I was trying.
And, and it also, it, it alsohelped because, um, I went to
school with, who is now my wife.
And so during that time ofCovid, we were like totally
helping each other.
And I wouldn't be where I amwithout, without her because we
just were together just bouncingideas off each other constantly.

you went to Icon with your

Frankie (11:52):
Yeah.
Yes.
My wi my, my wife, her, hername's Diane, but her artist's
name's Willow Wild.

Oh, hell yeah.
Shout out Diane.
Dude, I, okay.
I'm having my mind blown rightnow.
I had no idea that you guys weremarried, man.
Well, congratulations on that.
That's so rad.
Um,

Frankie (12:10):
That, that, I mean, I can't, I, I can't leave that, I
can't leave that piece out.
That's a huge, huge piece.
And I think for the longest timewe, we tried to kind of keep it,
keep it really separated justbecause we wanted to have our
own I identities and we feltlike we weren't, you know, our
projects weren't.
Um, there yet to, to reallylike, be out there with it
overthinking it, really probablynot a big deal.

(12:32):
But, um, but now I, I like, I, Ifully embrace it because that
I'm not where I am without,without her period.

how has she supported you in, in growing
this project and just being apart of your, your life in the
process?

Frankie (12:48):
I think, I think especially early when you're
coming up, you have so manyquestions and, and you're like,
you're overthinking everything.
You're wanting to, what should Ido with this?
How should I do this?
When I, it could be something assimple as posting when I post
this, what do, what should I dofor the caption?
And like through the years, Ijust have felt us grow so much
in the way of like, like we,like we just talked about a few

(13:10):
minutes ago, like it doesn'tmatter.
Just be yourself, share yourlife with people, share your
music with people.
So, so like through that, I feellike, um, like the
communication, the connectionthat we've had and the growth
that we've had together hasallowed us to, to really like,
understand and I feel like I'mso excited to keep, keep going
and, and understand even moreso,

Wow,

Frankie (13:30):
yeah.

First off, shout out Icon Collective for bringing
people together and, and ma mama matchmaking.
I, I wonder if there's any othermarried couples that have come
out of Icon.
I feel like there's gotta be acouple others.
Um, super cool.
But also I love that havingthat.
That person next to you to, youknow, when we get in our heads
and we start second

Frankie (13:50):
Yeah,

overthinking or whatever, it's just like having
somebody that, that also reallygets it to, to be a support
system for you and, and be adifferent voice, uh, to kind of
combat some of those, thoseother voices that we have.
You know, I think

Frankie (14:03):
absolutely.

you know, it really brings up something that
I'd like to talk about more onthis podcast because I, there
oftentimes is this mindset withartists that.
I can't be in a relationshipbecause I have to be a hundred
percent dedicated to my musicand to my

Frankie (14:19):
Yeah.

And I think it, you know, it's funny'cause when
I look back at so many of theartists that I know that are
massive, I'm talking, You know,slander Sullivan King Jaws,
like, you know, all these dudesthey had, they had girlfriends
for 10 years.
There was always, they were witha partner, which I think it's
really incredible to have thatsupport system as you're chasing

(14:42):
your dream.
If you're with the right person,they're not gonna be a
distraction.
They're gonna be somebody that'slike.
In your corner to help you andto support you.
You know?
And like I feel

Frankie (14:50):
Absolutely.

that I have a partner now when I'm like, yo,
my life.
I'm like, I am succeeding somuch more with somebody in my
corner because you know, you'renot, you're not doing it alone.
So really seeing

Frankie (14:59):
Yeah.

that perspective of like partnership, you know,
it's so, uh, for anyone outthere that's struggling, that's
like, oh, I don't have time fora partner.
It's like, honestly man, youknow, maybe having a partner
could be one of the best thingsfor you'cause you're

Frankie (15:11):
Yeah,

just spinning your wheels by yourself all the time,
you know?

Frankie (15:14):
yeah, yeah.

Love

Frankie (15:16):
I, I agree.

So, so you had, that song Holos label, bit Bird.

Frankie (15:21):
Yeah.

you, you got on a compilation for that.
That

Frankie (15:23):
Yeah.

of the launch of the West Mills project.
Uh, and then where did things gofrom there?

Frankie (15:29):
So from there,

I.

Frankie (15:31):
I, I just reached out to, uh, Thorwald, who kind of
runs Bit Bird and because he waslike on the email string, I ob
obviously I knew who he was, butI didn't know him personally.
So I just reached out, I thinkvia email and said, Hey, can I
send you music?
And then he sent me his WhatsAppand he said, yo, like, yes, send
me music.
And I remember.
At the time, I didn't have abunch of music.

(15:53):
I just had one song that Ireally liked and it was called
the Tendo 64.
So I sent it to him and he endsup going.
Okay.
I really like this.
It was like a, it was like oneof those moments where I waited
like a month.
I didn't think he was gonnarespond, but I, he ended up
responding and then he was like,let's do a, let's do an EP out
of this.
After, after I released thatsong, and I wasn't really like,

(16:15):
prepared, so I remember likepiecing that project together,
but I was feeding off of like,just, just the feeling of that
first, first song.
And, and I, I just, yeah, I, Ithink there was.
There was four other songs orthree other songs on that EP and
uh, and they were all just kindof pieced together like month by
month if everything at thatearly stage, like I'm still,

(16:38):
like you said, learning, it'sonly been like a year and a
half, two years and, and gettingthis opportunity to release an
ep and, and I think that's why,I think that's why that feeling
at that time was so specialbecause it wasn't like super
planned and well thoughtthrough.
It was just like.
This was really inspiring me.
Right now, let's just go withthis feeling.
Let's just go with this.
Let's just go with this.

(16:58):
And it's still probably myfavorite project I've put out.

Mm mm You're talking a lot about feeding the
feeling.

Frankie (17:05):
Yeah,

Tell me more about that.
It sounds like that's a big partof your creative process.
You know, feed, feeding thefeeling.
What does that actually mean andlook like for you?

Frankie (17:16):
I think, I think that is the.
Thing for my creative process,like I, I would say there's
people out there that are somuch more talented producers
than me, and when I get instudios with people, sometimes
they often like get caught upin, in technicalities.
And I, I love to haveconversations with them.
Not saying I'm better by anymeans, but just like, hey, like

(17:38):
let's just focus on how this,this feels.
I think it's really, reallyimportant to fall in love with
the feeling of like, does thisfeel good to me?
Because it feels good to you.
That's a special feeling.
And then you can just ride offof that I feel like that's also
what, like, creates people'ssound, I think.
And I think that another likething with sound gets gets
really like caught up and mushysometimes.

(17:59):
Like, you know, I'm trying tofind my sound, or this is my
sound.
And it's like, dude, your soundis simply like.
What you love.
If you love that snare, if youlove that synth, if you love the
way that sounds or feels, you'regonna probably oftentimes go
back to something that feelslike that.
And over time just ride on that.
Ride on that and like thatnaturally creates, I feel like

(18:22):
your sound.

Wow.
Yeah, dude, that brings up areally great point.
It's like everybody's lookingfor, how do I find my sound?
What about, how do I find myfeeling?

Frankie (18:32):
Yeah.

What's your feeling?
What if we, what if we'rechasing, chasing that

Frankie (18:35):
Yeah, I, I, I, I mean, I agree.
I mean, I, I, I, I remember, Idon't do it as much anymore, but
I, I used to like look up, uh,like old PS two or Nintendo 64
visuals on YouTube and justwatch it and then be like, I
want to create what that feelslike to me.

Mm

Frankie (18:52):
Like, what, what?
Like that, that fuzziness, what?
Oh, that feels like the, uh, afuzzy bass.
Or, you know,

Yeah.

Frankie (18:58):
he's grinding on that.
Like, I don't know that, that,for me, I'm very visual.
So like that, that aesthetic,that old aesthetic really,
really like inspires memusically.

yeah.
In your Instagram bio it says,uh, nostalgic dance music,

Frankie (19:14):
Yeah.

it's very clear that you have.
for your sound, for youraesthetic, even for the feeling.
I've also seen other people kindof try to do this in saying
like, I've,'cause I've helpedpeople build their, build their
brands and stuff.
And this has come up beforewhere like, oh, I want to have
a, a nostalgia kind of brand.

(19:36):
feel like you have really justdone that so well, I guess, tell
me where the inspiration forthat came from.
'cause it's, it's.
It's so clearly felt in yourbrand and even in your sound
too.

Frankie (19:51):
Thank you.
Um, I would say the biggest, thebiggest piece is I used to be a
childhood actor when I wasyounger.
Um, I was on a.

wow.

Frankie (20:00):
I was on a TV show called That, so Raven, when I
was a younger, when I was a kid.
And so I was constantly around,um, just, just act actors and I
feel like I was, I was like kindof forced to be like a, an adult
at a young age just because thatbusiness is very like, go, go,
go.
Um, and because of that, I feellike I, like, you know, as a kid

(20:21):
you, you kind of have like a lotof like fuzzy memories, but I
remember those memories werereally, really crystal clear
just because I had to like lockin And I think that like.
In turn really translated to,you know, my adult adulthood
life, where like I reflect a loton those times.
Even when I played sports duringthose times.
'cause I remember driving to LAwith my dad leaving at 6:00 AM

(20:43):
getting to la, getting home atlike 7:00 PM and going straight
to football practice, likeputting my pads on in the car
And like that to me, like I knownot everyone has the best
childhood.
Um, but I was blessed to havereally, really good, uh, family
around me and just, just wantedto give me the best childhood I
can.
So, so because of that, I, itreally inspires me because that

(21:04):
was such a special time in mylife, just, just being able to
do a lot of really cool things.

Wow.
How

Frankie (21:11):
Yeah.

like background as a child actor and kind of coming
up in the entertainment industryhas influenced or affected your
current career as a DJ andartist?

Frankie (21:24):
I think it, it, it's impacted it in a big, big way I.
Yeah, I think you're able tojust see, just cut through the,
the noise a little bit quicker.
See, see whose, whose intentionsare true.
See who's some people are, arein it for the wrong reasons.
And I'm never, I'm neverdisrespectful, but it's just
like, I think it's reallyimportant to keep, you're circle

(21:45):
tight, essentially.
People who you trust around youand, uh.
And, and just, just kind of likebe you through that because it's
really easy to get taken.
Oh, like you should do this.
This is super sick.
Or you should work with thisperson.
This is super sick.
You should do this.
And I think it's like, you know,just like, do you want to do
that?
You go do that.

Mm.
Yeah, man.
You know, I, living in for 13years and working in the
industry as well, I, I noticedalong the way it was kind of
like a.
It's kinda like your bullshitdetector gets stronger.
You know, it's like you almostdevelop this sixth sense for how
to read people and, and theirintentions and just the, um, you

(22:24):
know, people that are reallylike solid and grounded and
authentic versus, you know, alittle bit more, know, and, uh,
yeah, lost in the, in, in the,in the game and the chaos of all
of it.

Frankie (22:39):
Yeah, I, I definitely think that, that my childhood
helped me detect that for sure.

Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, man.
Um, okay.
So.
It's, it's cool to hear that yougot, you know, you really got,
uh, some label support in

Frankie (22:55):
Yeah.

the

Frankie (22:56):
Yeah.

I imagine that that probably helped, helped to
get some legs, um, relativelyquick.
Quickly.
Also, man, I mean, just, just tohighlight and reflect.
It's like you look back to themusic, it's like, well, you were
making good music.
You were following.
feels good rather than, what doI think I should be making?
Like what's happening in thescene?
You know, like a lot of peopleare studying the formula like,

(23:19):
okay, how does this work?
Making music from the mindrather than making music from
the heart and the soul and theenergy and the feeling, which I
just gotta throw in as well.
It's so clear and obvious.
When I see you in like your liveshows, which I can't wait to
attend someday, but it's like,it's so clear that you're having
a fucking blast up there.
Like you're actually, you know,like your, your head's not like

(23:40):
buried in the dday gday decks.
Like you're smiling, you'rejumping, you're laughing.
It's like.
That energy is infectious.
And so the crowd is having fun.
I think it's in the studio too,when you're like, I'm, I'm
feeling something.
I'm excited.
There's a certain feeling I'mputting into this.
That feeling is gonna be felt onthe other side.
And so

Frankie (23:56):
Yeah.

the energy and the feeling, uh, it's, it's so clear
that like yeah, you're just,you're tapped in, man.
It's really cool to see.

Frankie (24:04):
Thank you.
Thank you.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I, I, I do, I do have fun.
I love it.
I love it.

yeah.
So back to what we were sayingas far as getting label support.
You know, you're making greatmusic in the first place.
There's an energy around it,there's a feeling around it.
That energy and feeling is beingfelt by, by Bit Bird, and you're
starting to get recognized bylabels.
I imagine that that probablyhelped.
Helped you get a little morejust, a attention and some

(24:31):
momentum in your career versusprobably just throwing out self
releases.
And I guess, I guess my questionis how did working with a label,
you know, support you in thoseearly stages of your project?

Frankie (24:44):
Yeah.
Um, tremendously.
Uh, bit Bird.
I, I, to this day, like I loveevery single one of them.
They, they've helped me and, andmore importantly, they just
believed in me because Iremember like asking to hop on
Zoom calls because I wanted toexplain what I wanted to do with
the videos, or I wanted to dothis.
And they were always like, itwasn't just like a one per

(25:06):
one-on-one convo.
Sometimes you have that and thenyou, they'll hear you out and
go, okay.
But it was like they were boughtin like six of'em, like
listening.
So at that time when I'm comingup, like.
When people believe insomething, like, it just, it
just feeds, it just feeds you.
It, it, so it, it really likehelped me because I felt like I
was believed in from them andfrom there they, they brought me

(25:28):
on, on sons tour, like throughthat, through releasing with
them.
So that was really what, like Ifeel like kickstarted me to get
out there through them.

Hell yeah, man.
I mean, it's

Frankie (25:38):
Yeah.

such a beautiful part of DJ culture, right?
Is just like putting the nextgeneration on, you know,
getting, getting, you know, onpeople's labels, getting to have
those opening, you know, tourslots or whatever.
So, super cool that you, thatyou created that opportunity for
yourself.
I'll say.
Um, do you feel like also you'resaying how they were really

(26:01):
bought into you?
I would imagine that you alsohad to have a level of
conviction about yourself thatgot them to buy in and, and be,
as you know, as bought in aswell.
Do you feel like that was anelement to it?

Frankie (26:16):
For sure.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I, I, I oftentimes felt likecrazy for the, the, some ideas
that I would present, you know?
Uh, but then again, I would justlike, just ride, just ride with
it.
If you think it's cool, just,just do it.

Yeah.

Frankie (26:31):
know.
Uh, you're constantly growing.
Some of the things I, I did, Idid a few years ago.
I'm like, I, I'm growing anddoing something different now,
but I think it's all part of it,which is really cool because I
was.
I was thinking differently then.

yeah, a hundred percent.
A hundred percent.
And that's a great point, man.
You like, can you, you gimme anexample of how you feel like you
were thinking differently?

Frankie (26:54):
I think like, like for instance, I did a video where
like I, I was like, I want to bea tennis player because I named
it Grand Slam.
So I wanna be a tennis playerand then I want to be a coach
and I want to put on a fakemustache, I was so inspired by
like the visual aspect of like,trying to create the feeling of
what that music felt like.
And I, I think it's just more oflike a mature thing.
Like I just want to like, justlike dial dial that back.

(27:16):
I didn't really know who WestMills was in the beginning.
To me, west Mills was like an,uh, alter ego, like something I
wanted to be like that, like I'mFrankie, I wanted to like.
You know, have fun and, and, andallow Wes Mills to be something
I just have fun with.
But, um, I think over the yearsI've realized that like Wes is,

(27:38):
Wes is me and I have to allow,like if I want to be wacky or if
I want to do something that's alittle different than someone
else, like, dude, that's justyou and you're weird.
And just embrace that ratherthan trying to let it be an
alter ego.
So it's, it's kind of, it's kindof like naturally.
Been who I am be.
Be I like, I've allowed it to bewho I am now.

Yeah.

Frankie (28:00):
Yeah.

like it.
Well, I can see where some ofyour, uh, acting background has
come into play here as well ofbeing like, oh, like you kind
of, kind of created a, acharacter in a

Frankie (28:10):
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.

having some of these, these ideas, which I
think is great to point out, isyou also were.
Not just thinking about thesound and the music, but also
how do I want to visuallypresent this, right?
And even having a, you know, a,a bit of a character, a bit of
this idea and these, you know,kind of fun wild things that you
want it to do from a visualperspective as well.
Which, you know, obviously Ithink.

(28:33):
and at least anyone that's beenlistening to the podcast knows
that that is just becoming moreand more of a, of an important
part of somebody's project as webecome more, you know, kind of
social media driven.
But you were already thinkingabout that kind of from the
beginning.

Frankie (28:48):
Yeah.

As you're, you're explaining, you know, it, it, it
definitely has evolved.
I think as any brand does it, itevolves just like we do as
people.
The things that we're into acouple years ago are, are, are
going to change and shift towhat we're into now.
Uh.
but did you have a pretty clearidea of the brand?
Like when you launched theproject as far as, you know,
the, the visuals kind of the,the idea behind it.

(29:12):
was that, was that vision prettyclear for you from the
beginning?
Or was it more of an organicevolution?

Frankie (29:18):
100% organic evolution I had,

Mm

Frankie (29:20):
no idea I was making lo-fi music.
My first release with West Millswas lo-fi, completely lo-fi.
And then I remember releasing itand thinking to myself like.
What, why did I start makingmusic?
I started making music because Iwanted to perform in front of
people, and the only way toperform in front of people is to
make dance music and lo-fi, I'mnever gonna be able to be on a

(29:43):
stage and, and perform lo-fieven though I love lo-fi.
So how can I combine the feelingthat I love from lo-fi and try
it and, and create it in a dancerealm?
And that's kind of how itstarted.
I think in the beginning it was,my music was a lot more like
grungier and, and.
Yeah, it's, it was very lo-fiinfluence.
So to answer your question, no,I didn't have a clear vision.

(30:04):
Um, even like the characters,like, it would be as, it would
be as simple as like, Hey Diane,can you come in the backyard and
just like, film me real quick?
I want, I just, I'm thinking offthe dome, like, okay, I'm gonna
like do this and then I'm gonnacome over here and point on this
angle.
I think it'll be cool, like tomix it up and then it just kind
of like naturally just like,like, okay, let's do this, let's
do this to where now.

(30:25):
To where now, like I, I amtrying to create a, like a
world, a universe of, of thatlike, even though it is me now,
like I am embracing like thosecharacters and I want it to be a
part of like a story and I wantit to like move forward and, and
create like.
A whole story of where itstarted and where it will, will

(30:46):
continue to go and, and justthe, the new, the new characters
that come and the new music andyeah, like I, I, I've, the
vision's very clear now, but it,it took a long time to get
there.

yeah, yeah.
It, it's, it's kind of like youcan only see, you know, like
when you're, there's themetaphor that like, when you're
driving at night, you can onlysee a couple hundred yards ahead
of you.
You can't see the whole path.
I don't know, I don't know wherethe brand is going.
I don't know where the rest ofmy life is going.
I'm can just see what, what'sthe next step and,

Frankie (31:12):
Yeah.

that will eventually kind of lead me to.
To seeing what's ahead fromthere.
So we have to kind of trust theprocess in that sense.
Um, but yeah, man, that's, it'sso cool to hear because like, I,
I remember seeing your contentYeah.
Even a few years ago where I waslike, oh, like doing some fun
shit.
You know, like the, Dan you,like, you got some dance moves,
you got like, you got a thing,you know?
And, and, and now one thing I Ilove also is like, you've also

(31:33):
got a style, right?
You've got a, you've got a swag,you've kind of got some dance
moves and some stage presenceand, and you know, you've got
the fun content.
There's also like a very clearfashion style that you have.
That you have found for yourselfas well, which, you know, a
great element of branding isconsistency.
It's like there is, there is aconsistency around it.
It's a piece that I think a lotof DJs aren't really thinking

(31:58):
about.
If you, especially if youcompare, you know.
That genre, which is sort ofwhat I, what I call kind of more
the, the where the new kids onthe block as far as like
mainstream genres.
Dance music is obviouslymainstream now, but before that,
you know, we had pop rock, hip

Frankie (32:13):
Right.

know, hip hop rappers, they fucking care about
fashion.
They dress the part, you know, apop star when they come out
like, yo, they're not wearingjeans and a t-shirt.
They're coming out looking likethe, the styling is, is super
heavily focused and it's sort ofthis element in for a lot of.
know, electronic music artistthat hasn't really been a part
of it.

(32:33):
Um, so it's just cool to seeyou, uh, like leaning into that.
Like, yo, like, let me, let mehave a look and let me have some
style and some swag and somefashion, which also is super
aligned with your brand as faras like, nostalgic kind of, you
know, dance music too.
So I think you've

Frankie (32:46):
That's sick.
That's sick.
Thank you.
I,

Yeah.

Frankie (32:49):
I just like love like, uh, Adam Sandler and like Shy
LaBuff and I had always thoughtthose guys were so cool.
I remember like just looking atpictures and be like, dude,
they're just wearing whateverthey wanna wear and they're so
cool.
And, uh, it kind of went alongwith that, like, yeah, I just
was, I, I thought for a while,like.
I just had to like, dress apartfor a dj.
He's like, no, lemme just, lemmejust dress without how I want to

(33:11):
dress.
And, I think the, obviously thenineties have a big, big
inspiration in that, but it,yeah.
Adam Sandler, shout out AdamSandler.

Adam Sandler is, is on the, is on the, uh,
fashion mood board of,

Frankie (33:24):
Correct, correct.

man.
I love it.
And it's so cool.
'cause it's, it that'sauthentically you.
I think a lot of people arelooking outside of themselves of
like, oh, what are, what's coolright now?
What are other people wearing?
You know, what, what's happeningin the scene?
Or whatever.
And basing their creativedecisions off of that as opposed
to looking at like, yo, what.
What do I like and what do Ifuck with and what are, what are
my inspirations, dude?
Also, yeah, shout out AdamSandler.

(33:48):
Fucking Top.
I'm remembering now back to likeBilly Madison and Happy Gilmore.
Like I was,

Frankie (33:54):
Yeah.

was running around the house with the guitar
pretending, like playing likeAdam Sandler, like Hanukkah
songs when I was young too.
Like, you know what I mean?
So good dude.
So, so funny.
so, okay, so now you know.
As I said before, you, you justplayed Red Rocks and that's
huge.
That's massive.
You're starting to, to kind ofget out and, and tour and play

(34:15):
shows.
I saw that you're assigned toUTA for your, um, for your
agency, so you have a team

Frankie (34:20):
Yes.

Now, when did

Frankie (34:21):
Yeah.

start to come into place and how did that happen?

Frankie (34:24):
As far as UTAI do, I do, I do.
Yeah.

the manager probably came before the agent.
As,

Frankie (34:34):
Um, it was, it.

Yeah.

Frankie (34:36):
Yeah.
But the, this new managementthat I'm with is, is fairly new.
Um, I did a few trials, and theonly reason I want to say this
is for anyone listening who's.
Kind of looking for that orwanting to know about that.
Like, I, I think that like inthe beginning, you, you like
really want a manager and, andsomething that someone really

(34:57):
close to me, Al always told mewas like, that's something that
you attract.
Um, I.
That's not something that you,you search for.
And so I think I did a few trialruns.
Every trial run I did, I stillrespect and talk to everybody.
I, I did them with, but at theend of the day, it, it wasn't
like, it just, it's just like arelationship.
Sometimes when you break up withsomeone, it's just like, not

(35:18):
necessarily no hard feeling,it's just like.
Maybe they don't get the visionor I don't get where they want
to take the project, or maybethey didn't have time for the
project at the time.
But, um, yeah, I think it'sreally important just to, to,
like I, I've been saying likejust really just focus on the
music and being yourself andthat will naturally come.
So I didn't really get a managerthat I, uh, that like it set in

(35:41):
stone until about a year and ahalf ago.
Um, and they.

about that management team that made you
decide it was a

Frankie (35:48):
I it was just all things aligned

Mm-hmm.

Frankie (35:52):
and everything that I was saying to them, they
understood and they were excitedabout it, and they wanted to go
help, just launch it as, as farout as it could get to people.
You know, obviously where I'm atright now.
Um.

Yeah.

Frankie (36:06):
So, yeah, they just really, really believed in the
project and I feel like theycould make the moves that I
needed to make right now to, togo to the next, to the next
level.

And, and what do you think those moves are for
you?

Frankie (36:19):
I would honestly say that that, that it's more so,
it's more so just alignment withthe brand, more so alignment
with the brand than likenecessarily help, uh, obviously
they can help you speak to otherlabels or, you know, get
connected with UTA.
Like obviously I don't have, Ididn't have connects with UTA,
so, but I was more referring tojust like being aligned mainly.

Mm-hmm.
But as far as, um, yeah, justthe next moves for someone at
your stage, uh, to kind of getto whatever, you know, there's,
there's levels, right?

Frankie (36:52):
Yeah, yeah.

different kind of, kind of levels to this career.
And, uh, as you're lookingforward to the next chapter, to
the next level, and, you know,kind of strategizing with
management, like what is thestrategy for you to get to the

Frankie (37:04):
I got you.
I got you.
I got you.
Um, yeah, so, uh, the strategyis I am going to do a mini tour
this summer.
Um, which I've never, never donea headline headline show yet, so
I'm really excited about that.
Um,

are you coming to Austin?

Frankie (37:20):
I'm not,

date in

Frankie (37:22):
I'm not, but I just, but I just was in Austin.
I wasn't,

do

Frankie (37:25):
I

that,

Frankie (37:25):
was in Austin recently.
I was in Austin recently.

Well, all right.
Next time bear hit me up, bro.
Um,

Frankie (37:33):
but yeah, I, I, I think like just, okay.
Yeah, I think like, just liketrying to write off of, like you
said, like doing the, the RedRock Show.
It's like, okay, we got a lot ofeyes on this.
That's the, that's a going,that's more so the, answering
your question, the strategy, um,and then trying to build off the
momentum and, and go and, and doa headline tour her.

it's important, I think, especially for someone
like yourself where it's likethere is this element of you
want to show and, and.
I guess I'd love to hear yourperspective on this,'cause I
would think that it's kind oftwofold where first and foremost
you wanna show fans like, yo,this is what it looks like to
come to a show.
It's gonna be hella fun andwe're gonna jump up and down and

(38:13):
we're gonna get wild and crazy.
And this is the music you'regonna listen to.
Like you've got a lot of goodcontent.
You've got that like 360 setthat you did that that's, you've
got a lot of good footage fromthat on your Instagram where I'm
like, I see that and I'm like.
I want to, I want to buy ticketsto go to this show.
That looks

Frankie (38:26):
Yeah.

fun party to go to.
And so it's important one to, tobe showing the fans, you know,
that, and I imagine also kind oflike to promoters as well to on
the other side of it, of like,hey, like this is, you know, you
wanna book this guy, you wannahire this guy'cause we're, we're
doing, you know, this is what itlooks like at a, at a West Mills
party,

Frankie (38:44):
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
I think the content is, is big.
Like, that was like a chance wetook on that 360 set.
Like,'cause, you know, it'sexpensive realistically to, get
that kind of content.
Um, but it was like aninvestment that, that I think
that paid off because that venuefirst off is incredible.
Shout out, box pack, box packin, uh, salt Lake City, Utah.

Sick?
Yeah, it looked like a dopeshow.

Frankie (39:10):
And, and so I, I, I do feel like that kind of stuff
really, really helps.
It's like, if you knowsomething, you know it's gonna,
it is gonna look cool.
I say invest and, and go for it.

Yeah.
Yeah, that's a big piece.
I mean, we've, I've been havingthat conversation more and more
on the podcast and especiallythe more, yeah.
Artists that I talk to that area little further along into the
game is they get it.
It's like it, especially in thebeginning.
Reinvesting whatever you'remaking back into the project,
you know?
Um, it's like there's so muchto, can kind of just take your

(39:44):
fee and be like, cool, I like, Imade some money this weekend.
You know, nice.
But it's like, or you can just,you know, dump it all back into
the project and be like, cool.
How can we do a better, youknow, stage production?
How can we get some extra.
Pyro, you know, how, what,

Frankie (39:57):
Yeah.

the videographer and, and just, you know,
reinvest anything that we'remaking to continue to push the
brand forward.
It's the same really for anybusiness.
You know,

Frankie (40:06):
It really is.

business in any

Frankie (40:08):
It really is.

you're like, don't take a hundred percent of those
profits home and go buy a newcar or whatever.
It's like take those profits,put it back into the business,
and that's how you actuallyscale everything.

Frankie (40:19):
Yeah, and also just like kind of understanding where
you are at the time too.
I feel like that's importantbecause obviously everybody sees
high, have high, high hopes forthemselves and, aspire to be
something, something big andgreat, but, but you kind of
gotta like know where you areand piece, like you said, back,
back into the project and investand that will slowly, or quickly

(40:39):
build it up.

Yeah.
Yeah.
And something I want to, youknow, point out as well is, you
are, you're working with UTA.

Frankie (40:46):
Yeah.

of the top talent agency for electronic music in,
in the game and in the scene.
a lot of people are reallyfocused, so focused on social
media content.
How do I build my numbers andget my numbers up to a point
that eventually an agency willbe interested in me, but like I.
have less than 10,000 followersstill on Instagram, at least I
don't know what

Frankie (41:06):
Yeah.
Yeah.

the rest of yours look like.
So just to kind of point out oflike, oh, it's not just about
kind of vanity metrics, whatwe'll call them, right?
Like, like,

Frankie (41:14):
Yeah.

what do you think it is for you that's allowed you
to have a booking agent?
With one of the best agencies inthe industry while still having,
you know, what we might, youknow, no offense, might still
consider kind of relatively lownumbers compared to, you know,
other, there's other people thathave 50,000 followers and like
no agent, you know.

Frankie (41:32):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I, first of all, I'm veryblessed to have the opportunity.
I feel really, really.
Really blessed to have theopportunity.
I think when I met with UTA,like it, the music was obviously
like we, something we talkedabout because that's the most
important thing.
But we really just talked aboutthe project and they were really
excited about who West Mills isand they wanted to know what

(41:53):
that looked like, where thatcame from, and they were really
excited about what that couldbe.
and that was mainly like the,the initial conversation, which
was flattering because like wesaid, it was like just always
like a character to me.
And it's something I have funwith, but obviously that
resonates with people and theysee that.
So yeah, I was really thankfulto see that they were excited
about it when we spoke.

(42:14):
So it was more so a brand.
Like they really fell in lovewith the brand and, and, and
they're like, and the musicaligns and so this just makes
sense and we wanna support this.
So,

good dude.

Frankie (42:23):
yeah.

Because what, what, what we're really getting
at at here, I think a lot ofpeople are like, they're so
focused on the numbers, right?
Where, or they think that likeagents only care about numbers,
labels only care about numbersor whatever.
And so everyone's sohyperfocused on how do I get
these numbers up?
And it's like, no, no.
Wait a minute.
Let's go back to like.
Like, is the product there?

(42:44):
Are you making really goodmusic?
Are you making some shit that'slike really got that feeling
behind it?
And do you have a vision?
Do you have a vision for wherethis is going?
Do you have a really clearidentity as an artist?

Frankie (42:57):
Yeah.

do you have that own level of conviction in
yourself?
Like do you believe in it?
You know, like if you have thosethree things of like, yo, I've
got great music, I got a reallystrong idea of who I am and
where I'm going, and I fuckingbelieve in myself.
You're getting, you're gettingsigned, you know, and it's not
like, how can I, how can I makecontent that's gonna get as many
eyeballs as I can and get myfollowers up, you know, from

(43:19):
this like kind of frantic, uh,hamster wheel that I think so
many artists are on,

Frankie (43:24):
Yeah.

just such a great, such a great proof of that,
that, you know, great music, a,a good brand and vision and, and
just belief in yourself is, isgonna be more attractive than
somebody that just has somevanity metrics.

Frankie (43:38):
For sure, for sure.
And it, and it's tough because Ifeel like you, you are
constantly on social media andthat's just a part of, that's
just a part of reality now, andyou're, it's a constant influx
of just.
Music, especially if you followpeople.
I just can go on my TikTok orInstagram and I, I just, I see a
lot of, I just see a lot of liketrends and stuff like that, and

(43:59):
I think that's what I've alwaystried to stay away from.
Not saying at all that's bad,but I feel like that's what,
like I was always afraid of.
I.
Doing something, a video andlike it blowing up and then
like, it was just a really coolvideo.
But like there's, there's no,like, there's no soul and heart
behind that.
And I'd never, like, I thinkthat's why I, I personally tried

(44:20):
to always stay away from that.
But hone honestly, I've seen alot of really successful
projects, you know, grow fromthat too.
But, uh, social media is, isvery, very interesting.

I mean, dude, I'll, I'll put myself in the
same category.
I'm like, don't even have 6,000followers on Instagram yet, but
dude, like.
Not, not, not to pat my ownback.
I've been crushing it with myfucking business this last year.
You know what I mean?
Like I'm getting clients all thetime.
working with a ton of people,like making a huge impact.
seeing people make massive leapsin transformations in their life

(44:54):
and in their career.
And I know other coaches, I'mlike, that's.
You got, you got tens ofthousands of followers and like,
you're not even a full-timecoach yet.
You know what I mean?
It's like, it's not about, it'snot about the, the quality and,
and or the, uh, the quantity ofall of those numbers.
It's like, what are you actuallylike doing with them, you know?
If out of those, you know, I'drather have 5,000 fans that are

(45:14):
actual true fans.
They're super engaged, they'resuper fans, they love you,
they're gonna buy tickets toyour shows.
Than have a hundred thousand,you know, views.
And I, I've had people that havegotten a million views on a
TikTok before and gotten no newfollowers out of it.
You know, like that's cool, yougot eyeballs.
But it's like, that doesn't meanthat they're fans.
There's a big difference.

Frankie (45:33):
That's literally, you just took the words outta my
mouth.
I, I have to remind myself thatall the time.
It's just like.
It's, it, you're, it's investingall around.
I just feel like if it comes, itcomes and I'll be really
thankful, but I'd rather, like,at the end of the day, like, if
music ends tomorrow, I couldjust be like, okay, cool.
Like I, I, I just stuck with myguns and I wanted to do what I

(45:54):
wanted to do, and I'm, I'm okaywith that because at the end of
the day, my identity is not inthe West Mills project.
My identity is just in who I am,and I, I just.
Really, really enjoy makingmusic, and I just want to be
able to provide for my familyand do what I love.
Like that's simply all, all Iwant to do.
So, yeah.

Wow.
Dude, I love that you justbrought up the identity piece.
Because I think that that'sreally huge and, and I've seen
it with artists as you continueto grow.
And you know, especially, it'slike you have, there's you and
then there's your artistproject, and

Frankie (46:32):
Yeah.

those lines can be blurred where, you know, your
whole life becomes about thisproject and you even have a name
where it's like, people don'tcall you your real name anymore.
Everyone's calling you, youknow, you're like, okay, Wes,
Wes

Frankie (46:45):
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.

Wes.
kind of lose sight of realityand it takes over and it can be
a really unhealthy place becauseif it's doing well, then you're
good and you're happy, but like,you know, then you're then may,
maybe the project's not doingwell, and now your whole life is
in shambles.
So I think it's really importantto keep that degree of
separation.
And just remember it's like, no,like I, you're, you're Frankie,

Frankie (47:08):
Yeah.

is a project.
Like I have a

Frankie (47:10):
Yeah,

know,

Frankie (47:11):
yeah,

so.
Just remembering that like, thisis not you.
It's not your life.
It's like even saying, it's likeI am an artist.
It's like I am a person thatmakes art.
You know?
There's a

Frankie (47:22):
yeah.
Yeah.

between that, you know, if my whole identity is
wrapped up in this thing, it'skind of a dangerous place to be.
So I just, I love that you've.
You've created that distinctionbetween you?
because we see it all the time,you know, people that just get
really lost and really losethemselves in it.
And, um, yeah, just rememberingit's like, oh, this is, this is
just a, a project that I'm doingand it takes me on adventures
and it makes me money.

(47:43):
But at the end of the day, likeI, I know who I am as a person,
as a human first and foremost.
And my life, my, this isn't ahundred percent of my life.
I think that's important.

Frankie (47:52):
Yeah, I, I agree.
I agree.

So I wanna know.
For you, obviously.
you've had such a great careerso far, and the project has,
has, has done, you know, reallywell so far and, and also still
Yeah.
Just, just getting warmed up andit's getting really great
momentum right now and a lot ofcool stuff is on the way.
what would

Frankie (48:14):
What would you say have been some of the biggest
challenges?

that you've faced along the way so far?

Frankie (48:19):
I would say the biggest, the biggest challenge
would just be like, timeinvested into the project
because I have.
Been working a full-time jobthis whole entire time while
doing this, and, It's just like,it's just tough sometimes to
manage that.
Especially like, you know, beingin a relationship like we talked
about earlier and really tryingto be like, how can I be the

(48:39):
best artist?
How can I be the be the bestprovider?
How can I be the best husband?
And piecing that all together.
And I know that's not, I knowmost of the people who are, are
producing or younger, evengirlfriend, how can I be the
best boyfriend?
Um, but just like allocatingtime, um, that's been the
biggest challenge to the projectand like utilizing that little

(49:00):
time I have.
To, to try and, and yeah, fullyutilize that time.

Yeah.
So it, what does that look likefor you?
Are, are you doing like a nineto five and then kind of working
in, in the evenings on theproject?
What's your actual

Frankie (49:14):
Yeah, so like

do you fit it in?

Frankie (49:16):
realistically my schedule, like I work Monday
through Friday from usually likeseven to seven.
I'm a UPS supervisor, so Imanage like 120 drivers.
So I usually work like 10 to 12hours every day and, uh, come
home, try and spend some timewith, with the family.
And then, uh, I usually startproducing around like 10 or 11

(49:36):
until around like.
Two or three in the morning andwake up and do it all over
again.
It's been a grind.

until three in the morning and then wake up, and
then you start work at seven inthe

Frankie (49:46):
Yeah,

So basically you don't sleep, you

Frankie (49:48):
yeah,

you

Frankie (49:49):
yeah,

hours a

Frankie (49:50):
yeah.
Yeah.
And then the weekends I just getcaught up on sleep.
I,

Wow.

Frankie (49:55):
yeah.
So like, that's been, that'sbeen my life since the end of
Icon Till, till literally, like,I think I decided two days ago
that I'm gonna put my two weeksin and just, just fully send it.

bro, first off, congratulations.
That's a big decision to make.

Frankie (50:10):
Yeah.

that it's, it's that leap of faith moment, man.
It's that least leap of faithmoment of like, all right, like
getting all of that time.
Imagine you're already doingwhat you're doing with like.
Just this, this limited amountof time and probably not the
most

Frankie (50:24):
Yeah.

fresh part of your day either.
Imagine what you'll be able todo with that extra, you know, 10
hours a day to really put intoit.
I can only imagine what'spossible, but it is, it is that
leap of faith moment thateverybody has to take at some
point.

Frankie (50:39):
Yeah.
it's definitely something that'slike, well, alright, we're,
we're gonna do this.
But at the same time, like youjust said it, like, I'm
realistically giving like 10 or15% of myself to this and I,
even if I can give 50 to 80% toa hundred percent, I, I want, I
just.
I, I just wanna look back whenI'm older and be able to say
like, IGI gave this thing all Igot and like we just talked

(51:01):
about, like if it don't getthere, then it don't get there.
And that's okay, but like, I'mgonna, like, I'm gonna sh I'm
gonna shoot for the starsbecause I just want to be able
to like give it my, my all.
And I wanna be able to say I didthat and I'm young enough to be
able to be like, alright, itdidn't work.
Let's just, let's just go dothis now and go figure it out
and do something else.

always gonna be there, bro.
They're not going anywhere.

Frankie (51:21):
No,

that's what

Frankie (51:23):
but.

when I was, when I was, uh.
You know, 22 and just graduatedcollege and decided to move to
la I had, I had a job at afinancial advising firm right
out of college, and I did it forlike two months.
And I was just like, you knowwhat?
I was like this.
I'm like, I want to, this isn'twhat I wanna do right now.
Like, I want to take a fuckingleap of faith and, and send it
and, and move to la And my wholething was, I was, I was like, if
it doesn't work out, like.

(51:45):
The, the insurance industry isnot going anywhere.
You know, like, like

Frankie (51:48):
Yeah.

none of that shit is going anywhere.
Like, I can go get a job reallyanytime that I want, you know,
if I decide I don't want to dorun my coaching business
anymore, I'm like, okay, cool.
There's 9,000 other fucking jobsI can go, you know, normal jobs
I can go get.
Um, so I, I love that man.
I'm

Frankie (52:03):
Yeah.

you.

Frankie (52:04):
Thank you.
I,

bro.

Frankie (52:06):
yeah.
Thank you.
Thank you.

today, dude.
Call them today.
Put the fucking notice in.
Say, Hey, I was just on theHeadliner Mindset podcast and
you know what I, I got, I'mfucking ready.
Two.
You guys got two more weeks ofme.
All right.
Um, but you

Frankie (52:18):
the.

here's the other point I wanna point out, out
out.
The other thing I wanna pointout is, um,'cause so many other
people are in the same boatwhere they're working a nine to
five and it's a squeeze and it'sa grind and it's tough and it's
like, damn, I get home at theend of the day and I don't have
any energy.
And it's like, okay, I just wantto, I just want to point out
like, all right, it's possible.

Frankie (52:38):
I, I, I.

is proof that like you can do it.
It, it's, there's somethinginside of you to tap into if you
really want it that badly.
And I guess you were doing itfrom the beginning too.
You were driving an icon at 10o'clock at night anyway, so
you're, you're, you're not usedto late night

Frankie (52:51):
I, yeah, I didn't, I didn't have a job while I was at
IC Icon.
I will say that I worked like apart-time job at a school
district for a little while, andthen I kind of had the same
dilemma.
I so like, sat down, I was stillliving at home with my parents
and I was like, Hey, I want tolike, give Icon my full, like
I'm paying a lot of money to gohere.
Like, I want to be able to like,really like take it all in.
And they were like, go for it.
So, um, yeah, during, like rightat the end of Covid, that's when

(53:14):
I, I started working with UPSbut ho honestly like.
All I have to say to that islike the most important lesson
I've learned.
Uh, through that time till nowis like, no one feels sorry for
you.
Um, no one, like, like at theend of the day, like, no one's
gonna be like there for you orbelieve in you like you do, and

(53:34):
like, no one's gonna do it foryou.
So like, if you want something,go get it.
Like, just go get it.
And like, it just like no one,like no one understands, you
don't have to tell anyone like.
The hours you're working oranything, just like, just go do
it, dude.
Like, like no one wants to hearexcuses, you just go get it.
If you want something, it's,it's right there.
Like I, I, I fully have likeheld onto that tight.

(53:56):
Like, I, I, if I want to getoutta UPS, then what do I gotta
do?
I gotta go and invest, go investin myself, put the time in and
go get it.
So that's kind of been mymentality.

Now that ladies and gentlemen is the headliner
mindset at its finest.
I, uh, know, in a, in a nutshellstraight up, dude, so, fuck man.
Like I said, I'm, I'm so excitedfor you.
I'm so proud of you to see what

Frankie (54:22):
Thank you.

Like, you, you have been grinding and you know,
just so.
Locked in and coming from aplace of authenticity and just,
I think just doing it the rightway, man.
And so only big things arecoming for you.
I'm so excited, man.
So definitely, keep me posted.
You better extend this, uh, minitour into a full tour so that
you can actually come to Austinso that I can see you.

(54:45):
But, uh, if not, if not thissummer, I, I look forward to, to
catching a set when the timecomes.
Um, but thanks so much forhopping on, man.
Like what a awesome story and somuch inci inspiring stuff in
there.

Frankie (54:55):
Thank you.
I really appreciate you havingme and for everyone listening,
Nick is the man.
I appreciate you, bro.
Appreciate you

soon.

Frankie (55:05):
later.

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WES MILLS - How To Follow The Feeling And Find Your Sound

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}WES MILLS - How To Follow The Feeling And Find Your Sound