An Interview with Frankie J.

It seems like the R&B singer/heartthrob known as Frankie J. has been breaking barriers and defying stereotypes his entire career.
Not only is he from the Southern California city of San Diego - which has never exactly been known for nurturing or cultivating R&B artists - but he's also a Latino singing music that's predominately made by African-Americans.
However, neither of these things has particularly hurt him - the latter in fact, may increasingly become an asset with the way demographics in the U.S. are shifting.

Latin Fanbase

In fact, he's been able to cultivate a sizeable Latino fanbase. He was an original member of the Latin band los Kumbia Kings, and has also released two Spanish-language albums as a solo artist, the latest of which, Un Nuevo Dia (Spanish for 'A New Day'), was released earlier this year. Un Nuevo Dia debuted at No. 9 on The Billboard 200 albums charts in June; the second single from it will be "Por Favor," a duet with Sin Bandera.
Frankie says he'll continue to cross over between the two languages.
"I definitely see myself in both markets," he said during a phone interview while on his way to pick up his SUV, which just had some work done on it. "For me, I grew up with Spanish in my household. I've always been catering to Spanish speakers."

Early Influences

Frankie, who grew up in the heavily Latino area of southwest San Diego, said although he's Latino, he listened to all kinds of music growing up.
"I listened to a lot of the Latin Hip-Hop," he said. "As far as R&B, I listened to the Bobby Browns, the Bel Biv Devoes, Dru Hill, Jodeci. In Hip-Hop, I listened to LL Cool J, Run-DMC - my uncle was a big MC Hammer fan."
But despite being a rap fan, Frankie has always been best known for his tender ballads. But that's about to change: his third English-language album, Priceless, is due in stores Oct. 17, a represents a slight shift in direction for him.

'Urban Appeal'

"A lot of people know me as the balladeer guy, but I'm definitely going more urban," he revealed. "I never really had a chance to do that before, but I definitely want to go for more of an urban appeal."
To that end, the first single off of Priceless, is the Mannie Fresh-produced club banger "That Girl." The song, which features the rapper Chamillionaire, is off to a hot start and is already in heavy rotation at urban stations around the country.
Priceless will be the English-language follow-up to 2005's The One, which peaked at No. 3 on The Billboard 200 and so far has sold 875,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Houston, Hip-Hop Hotbed

Besides appearing together on "That Girl," Chamillionaire and Frankie have something else in common: they both live in Houston. Although he was born and raised in the Tijuana/San Diego area, Frankie, who turns 26 in December, moved to Houston about three years ago, he said.
"You get a lot more for your money here," he said. "Also, my management is here - it's much easier for me."
And life in H-town has definitely played a part in the direction of his music. Frankie says he has seen first-hand how the town's become a Hip-Hop hotbed.
"I definitely have. I've seen it in the clubs. The nightlife in Houston is crazy," he said.
Besides Chamillionaire, other rap artists who call Houston home include Paul Wall, Mike Jones, Lil' Flip and Bun B and Pimp C of UGK.
"All of them are exploding," Frankie said, a sense of admiration in his voice. "It definitely has a big influence on this record. It has a lot more club appeal."

Future Plans

As far as the future, Frankie said one artist he wants to collaborate with is Shakira: "That's an artist that I admire. Working with her would be awesome." Also: "Pharell with the Neptunes. He's one of the most phenomenal producers out there."
As for the near future, tracks under consideration for the second single off {i]Priceless are "Never Let You Down," featuring Bone Thugs N Harmony and "If He Can't Be," which samples "Eyes Without a Face," an '80s song by pop-punker Billy Idol.

LoMcXimo de la Musica

Also coming up, Frankie will participate in the LoMcXimo de la Musica concert tour, which begins on Wednesday. The tour, which will hit 12 cities in three weeks, also includes Latino acts Luis Fonsi, Nina Sky, Orishas and Jeannie Ortega.
The tour starts in Phoenix on Aug. 30 and wraps Sept. 24 in Washington D.C. Then, roughly three weeks later, Frankie's Priceless, will be released. The title of the album comes from one of the songs on the album, which was produced by Brian Michael Cox.
The song's about love being priceless: "Priceless is just such a strong word," Frankie said. "It's just such a perfect word. It's a universal word. To me, this album is so priceless."