Tony Scott: 0:13

Welcome to The Jay Franzi Show, a behind-the-curtain look at the entertainment industry, with insights you can't pay for and stories you've never heard. Now here's your host, Jay Franze.

Jay Franze: 0:42

Well, hello, hello, hello and welcome to the show. I am Jay Franze and this is your backstage pass to the entertainment industry. This week we get to talk with an up-and-coming country music recording artist.

Jay Franze: 0:55

We get to talk with Malachi Gagnon. We'll talk to him about how a gift of a Taylor guitar from his father started his career, what it's like writing with the greats of Nashville, and we'll discuss his confidence when it comes to playing live. Now. Malachi, he may only be 16 years old, but he has jumped onto the scene with a core following and millions of downloads. He is a great guy, a fellow New Englander, and I can't wait to talk with him tonight. So if you would like to join in comment or fire off any questions, please head over to jfranzycom. Now let's get started. Malachi sir, how are you?

Malachi Gagnon: 1:34

I'm great today. How are you doing?

Jay Franze: 1:35

I am fantastic, sir. I cannot thank you enough for being here. I am looking forward to this. It'll be fun to talk to a fellow New Englander.

Malachi Gagnon: 1:43

For sure, for sure. Thanks for having me.

Jay Franze: 1:46

Well, let's go ahead and dive in. Sir, Can you tell us about the tailor that your father bought you and how it kick-started your career?

Malachi Gagnon: 1:58

That guitar is. It still hangs up on my wall. I will never get rid of that thing because it's amazing. It's kind of started me off on sticking to Taylor's. I have a Martin now, but I do love Taylor's. It was like the second guitar I technically had, because the first guitar I had was a little plastic one. That's where I started. But once I started getting into it, my dad's like all right, let's go get one that works, and so it's just been on my wall for a few years now, but I love taking it down, playing it. It just brings me back to when I first started. I had a guy named Walt who is my dad's closest friend, but he's become real close with me and he taught me basically all the basics and then I took it from there and it's been a lot of fun, though.

Jay Franze: 2:41

So do you still play it live or anything?

Malachi Gagnon: 2:45

It's pretty special. I usually keep that for. If I'm feeling a little risky and I want to play something different, I'll take it off, but I don't play it live. I stick with my current Taylor.

Jay Franze: 2:58

Nice, so what model is it?

Malachi Gagnon: 3:01

I don't think I can tell you that one. It's class something. I can't remember what that one is, I know. The one that I play now is 414CE Nice.

Jay Franze: 3:12

Very cool. Taylor's are one of them. It's my favorite acoustic. The tailors always have that shimmer and a little sparkle. It's like they dance above the music and they have a way of standing out when you're playing with a full band, whereas a Martin has just got that real full fat sound. So when you're playing solo it fills up the room.

Malachi Gagnon: 3:31

Yeah, I record with the studio's, studios martin, usually because I I like the. It just feels right for the songs, usually it has a nice tone to it. But when I play live I'm playing my taylor all day. It's, it's, it's, it's my baby, you know so that's pretty cool.

Jay Franze: 3:47

So what inspired your dad to buy that guitar for you?

Malachi Gagnon: 3:51

he was kind of like the back of it, like of my career, because he's he's super supportive. He uh kind of like kicked me off by saying, like you can do it, because I I had never I had never sung in front of people before until during the pandemic I picked up that plastic guitar kind of like playing around or whatever, and uh, we had some friends over who we've done life with, so it wasn't like violating any uh covid stuff, but we were just having fun we did no, covid, you're right no, no, we're all good.

Malachi Gagnon: 4:22

Um, yeah, and so we, uh, we were just doing a family talent show, basically, and I was like, what am I gonna do?

Malachi Gagnon: 4:29

Like I wasn't confident in the guitar yet, so I just grabbed a karaoke machine and I started singing. I was doing you Are the Reason by Calum Scott, and I had never to that date, I had never sung in front of them other than in the car, but no one hears you there and in the shower and no one hears you there. So I had never done it before. And they were all like, like you can do it, and they were a little more confident in me than most people should be. But, uh, they were excited and I was like, okay, yeah, I can, I can do it then. And so I had, um, this really strong group of people who I really trust were all kind of behind me and my dad saw how passionate I was about music and just in general, and he was like, all right, let's do it so you, you waited till roughly 2020 to start singing and realizing you can sing in front of people, but did you ever sing in church or anything like that?

Malachi Gagnon: 5:25

never before that no really yeah, I, literally I did once, oh, I mean probably two years before that. I think I can remember because that was the first song I had written. Two years before that I think I can remember because that was the first song I had written, but it was like I wasn't really singing and I had spent like the day at the beach or something, and so I didn't feel good at all and so I was like wicked tired, wicked sick. And then I'm like singing my dad's, like oh, the song's nice, but but um, yeah, so I had never until then, I had never done anything music wise other than listen to it, and I obviously loved music my entire life. There's, there's a reason I'm doing it now, but I had never sung it before that.

Jay Franze: 6:03

Let me tell you how great it is to hear somebody say wicked.

Malachi Gagnon: 6:07

I. It's become, um, since I moved back here about a year ago, it's become since I moved back here about a year ago, it's become a staple in my vocabulary. For sure it's wicked pisser.

Jay Franze: 6:17

I love it, so anyway. So you learned the guitar. How long did it take you until you felt comfortable enough to perform playing the guitar in public?

Malachi Gagnon: 6:28

Probably three quarters of a year. I wouldn't say like a full year, but you know almost a year. And then I was like all right, I think I can do this.

Jay Franze: 6:42

Really so you learned enough about the guitar to play within a year.

Malachi Gagnon: 6:46

I mean not like crazy, but I could play chords, and so I was like all right, we got this.

Jay Franze: 6:51

Yeah, I ask, I have a. I've tried to play guitar. I'm not very good at guitar, I play bass guitar but my daughter, I bought her a Stratocaster. She's 14 and she literally just got it. So she started playing a song the other night, just pulled something up on YouTube and was playing it by the end of the night and I was like you got to be kidding me.

Jay Franze: 7:13

And it wasn't like a difficult song, she's just playing the rhythm but just the simple fact that she could pull that off on her own without any lessons, just on YouTube, I was, I was pretty impressed.

Malachi Gagnon: 7:23

Yeah, it's definitely a gift.

Jay Franze: 7:25

I think um technology. We talked briefly about technology, but I think technology is accelerating things like the learning path of like playing guitar. You just for sure.

Malachi Gagnon: 7:36

I mean that's how I got like fully apted with it is watching marty schwartz. He's really good at what he does. He's on youtube. I would watch like oh you know, I want to do seven summers by morgan wallen. That's easy, I can just watch marty do it and then I can do it. So it makes it makes it really easy. I mean it's like all on your phone, it's just right there so you can just hop on, do it yeah, I know she said something that they said well, let me grab my tuner.

Jay Franze: 8:01

She goes no, I've got this app on my phone and I'm like, oh thanks, you know I feel useless, killing me. So you're playing more of a pop country style, which is pretty cool. It fits right into today's country music. But you're playing more of a pop country style, which is pretty cool. It fits right into today's country music. But you're also writing with some of the Nashville greats. Can you tell me a little bit about that?

Malachi Gagnon: 8:23

Yeah for sure. I wrote. Probably about a year ago now I wrote out in Nashville with David Ray Stevens and Phil Mosley and they were amazing guys. I mean that's just one thing to say. They're great guys, but they are legends. I mean David wrote Son of a Sinner for Jelly Roll or with him, and I mean that one did really well and David's just great at what he does, phil too, and another guy, brandon, was with us and they all did really really well and it was really cool to just watch them work, because it's a different thing than what I usually do.

Malachi Gagnon: 9:00

I usually sit in my room, you know, just playing my taylor guitar and, uh, doing my thing, just writing whatever comes to mind, and there you kind of have to have more of a structure to it and you have to it and you can't be stubborn. You're working with other people, which is kind of a weird concept to grasp when you're a songwriter, I feel like. But it was a lot of fun to just get used to that and sit in a room with some of the greatest writers out there and just learn. I mean they all have had experiences that I haven't, and so I'm able to hear their stories and they put words to it. I put words to it. There's, you know, four different guys throwing different ideas out, and everyone has a different instrument on them, and so it's kind of just a good, good vibe, you know. Just everyone has something going.

Jay Franze: 9:52

It is pretty cool, vibe, you know just, everyone has something going. It is pretty cool. So let's um, let's talk about the writing sessions that you had where were your writing sessions?

Malachi Gagnon: 10:02

black water on music row right there next to soundstage yep, yes and uh, we were just in there in their studio and just hanging out. We recorded the songs there too, which was really cool because they were talking, like the engineer was like, oh, her out, or something. I was like whoa, let's start back at the dolly parton thing, uh, and so that was kind of a weird. Like you know, you're in the place where some of these people that are like legends and inspirations of mine that have just played there and it's like it's such a weird, like it's surreal. It really is. I mean, a lot of what has happened, I mean, in these past years of making music is surreal, and so if I use that word a lot, I apologize. It's true, it's super surreal. I still can't believe it really is.

Jay Franze: 10:59

I mean, recording in Nashville is a experience all to its own. We talk about that quite frequently, of how amazing it is and what the musicians are like, what the studios are like. Do you, um, remember the name of the engineer?

Malachi Gagnon: 11:11

I can't remember his last name. I think it was Joel is his first name. I can't remember because we spent most of the time writing and then I wasn't there like post stuff. We kind of just recorded the live band and I put in some ideas. That was another thing that was weird is they did live. Like everyone played at the same time, which is such a it was such a out there idea for me that I I didn't expect it, and so we were kind of like all talking, we walk in the band's, like all right, yeah, I got this, this, this, and so they go out and they start playing. They get it first try. I'm like, oh, you know, because usually it's. You know, I play my acoustic and then we have drums, electric, my voice and then whatever instruments we want to add. They all did it right off there. I was like what Whoa?

Jay Franze: 12:04

It's an amazing process, right? I mean, you write these songs. Let's talk about that. You write the songs you write with these killer writers I mean these guys who have written every song under the sun. So how much time did you guys spend during the writing process?

Malachi Gagnon: 12:20

um, I think we, I think it was two days of writing and so it was a bit like from 10 to probably seven or eight in the evening and just writing it was probably 95% writing, 5%, not you know like whatever else came up, like eating, that was pretty important.

Malachi Gagnon: 12:48

We forgot once we were all in the zone we were writing Summer Love and we were just like in. We were all in the zone we were writing summer love and we were just like we were in it, we were writing, and then we're like, oh right, we were supposed to eat like three hours ago.

Jay Franze: 12:59

we should probably go do something now let's pause and talk about that for a minute. Did you go get food or did you have it catered in?

Malachi Gagnon: 13:06

I think we had it delivered and it was pizza. It was pretty good pizza.

Jay Franze: 13:11

You don't get pizza in Nashville. You disappoint me.

Malachi Gagnon: 13:14

I don't. No, no, no, okay, so we did go. Let me think. I can't think of the name it's like you're backpedaling now Place.

Jay Franze: 13:23

You're a New.

Malachi Gagnon: 13:24

Englander, and you're getting pizza in Nashville.

Jay Franze: 13:26

I was disappointed. The only good place that had pizza in Nashville was Joey's House of Pizza, and they closed. They were from New York. They were a New York family that just made the best pizza ever, and it was right off Music Row too.

Malachi Gagnon: 13:37

It was awesome, that's cool, we had Martin's Barbecue. Yeah, well, there you go. That's from being in Nashville. You get some barbecue.

Jay Franze: 13:43

Okay, you made up for it. That's cool, we're back on track. So you spend a few days and you're recording these songs, and then how long from when you finished writing the songs till you go?

Malachi Gagnon: 13:58

into the studio to record them Next day. Really yeah, we spent three days in Nashville and it was right, right, record and we recorded two of the songs there right off, like just back to back.

Jay Franze: 14:15

And the producer.

Malachi Gagnon: 14:17

was that spencer? No, spencer is out of clear track in clearwater, florida, which is where I've done uh, I think now it's 12 songs, because those were the only we did two in nashville and all the rest of them that I've recorded, even the ones that aren't even out yet, I did with them Nice.

Jay Franze: 14:33

So who was the producer in Nashville then?

Malachi Gagnon: 14:36

It would have been Joel as well.

Jay Franze: 14:38

So Joel, the guy who engineered, also produced. Do you remember any of the musicians that performed on your project? Now look at my buddy. We need some, some names. We need to know who they are yeah, I, I can't remember the I can't remember the. It was just a moment for me oh yeah, and it goes by so fast it was.

Malachi Gagnon: 15:03

Yeah, I I do have a regret. I wish I lived in it a little more rather than focus like work. You know, I wish it was more of a moment I lived in.

Jay Franze: 15:15

Well, you're young enough that you're going to have about 500 more of those moments, so you'll learn from each and every one of them. You know not only how to improve your craft, but how to sit back and enjoy it a little bit. Same thing with playing shows. I'm sure the very first show you played you were probably nervous, and you weren't as in the moment as you probably could have been. That type of stuff comes over time. You're in the studio, you record the songs, you work with Joel Did Joel mix the songs as well?

Malachi Gagnon: 15:44

That was Jim Cooley. He's yeah, I've got a full name there. He's really good at what he does. He did while we were there, I heard one of Taylor Swift's like Taylor's version albums being mixed. I was like whoa, whoa, whoa. So that was like a weird like. I was like who is?

Jay Franze: 16:03

that All right, so he just won some points with my daughters. That's good, I like that. So, yeah, no, I mean, the talent in Nashville and the records that these people work on is just absolutely amazing. The things you see every day of the week, it's just something different. And then, what's the process for release for you when you're done recording? Was it by single or were you trying to put together some sort of EP or album?

Malachi Gagnon: 16:29

I do singles. Right now I'm kind of just sticking to singles. I just recently signed a pre-song distribution deal with Sony, which is really exciting for me. It'll be my next few songs, so that's really really cool, but that'll be just the singles as well. So right now we're just sticking to singles. Wait until a few years from now, probably a year or so, I don't know why I said a few, a year or so until we, you know work on a bigger project, because I've got 2024 basically finished. I don't think I need to record anymore, because what we have now gets us to November. So we should be good there. But uh, if I, you know, throw one in there.

Jay Franze: 17:10

You never know, you never know it's a crazy way of thinking, right? I mean, if you're doing nothing but singles, you just have to have one every so often in order to keep moving. So, as you say, it gets you through November, which is a pretty good amount of time. I mean, we used to work on albums that could take anywhere from a year or two to get 10 to 12 songs together, and then you go out and promote those songs for a long period of time. So as technology changes, so does distribution and everything else.

Jay Franze: 17:37

That's pretty cool that you're able to do that. So you've got all those singles and you're starting to release them. What kind of feedback have you received?

Malachi Gagnon: 17:45

Pretty well received. I, uh, I had originally started with covers so I could just build an audience. And then I got to my first single. I had written it and I was like, all right, let's do this, we could, we can, we got this. So I put out craving me and it was well received, mostly from my friends, uh, which was very cool, uh, and then the followers that I had. I had grown covers, so that was a. It was cool to put out the first one and then the feedback that I've gotten over the two years that I've done it is that every song is a step in like a good direction. I'm progressively getting better, I'm growing, which is what I want to do. That's my goal is to always be growing in some way, whether that's stylistically or just in general. Physically would be nice too, but we'll get there.

Jay Franze: 18:37

That's too funny. You are still young, sir, you know, and don't rush it, because the rest of us wish we could be back to where you are.

Tony Scott: 18:44

Yeah.

Jay Franze: 18:45

I mean, you talk about your craft of songwriting and your talent and all that stuff, and it progresses over time. You will continuously get better. However, for you to be as talented as you are at this stage in life is pretty impressive, but your songs reflect that. The songs are built on story and Nashville and country music is nothing but story. So how important do you feel that that story is for for your music?

Malachi Gagnon: 19:12

Oh, extremely important. I think that sits at the top, like for when you, when you're making a song, that's what I think should be like top priority, especially in the genre that I'm in. I think that should be like you know, if you don't have a good story but a cool melody, it's. You know it works but you're not doing much with it. It's kind of just exciting. You know cool melodies. If you knew both, that's like you found it right there, you nailed it. You have a winner. But I mean, yeah, exactly, but the stories that I write right now, a lot of it is based around like stories I build and what I would do in certain situations. Because I'm young, I haven't had all that much experience only a few of them have been. You know about my own experiences, and so it's uh, it's more if I hear something from my friends they're talking about like this situation there and I'm like I could use that they're like venting to me.

Malachi Gagnon: 20:06

I'm like, oh, I could. Yeah, no, that's right yeah, friends are gonna be like stop doing this exactly you're gonna be the taylor swift of your friends, that'll be awesome yeah, I'm the taylor swift in the friend group, for sure that's pretty cool, one of your, one of the reels I saw of yours.

Jay Franze: 20:23

Um, I think it was Think About Me. You were walking along a beach. What beach was that? Hampton Hampton Beach. It looked familiar. So I was wondering. I think, and this goes way back, you were walking along a wall like a cement wall. That was there and I posed for a photo on that that wall, like right where you were walking for an, I say, album, for a cassette cover, back in probably 89, something like that. That's awesome. The connections, buddy, the connections never stopped yeah, it's just a little bit so that's really cool.

Malachi Gagnon: 21:02

Yeah, that's right. I mean you're right on. Yeah, that's right where we were.

Jay Franze: 21:05

That's too funny. I also saw you had a little bit of a horse riding accident. What happened there?

Malachi Gagnon: 21:11

We were recording Psychopath and I don't remember whose idea it was it was with. Spencer Bradham is my producer, but he's also my videographer. He works with Bison Films. It's Drake Sweet as well, and videographer who works with bison films, it's, uh, drake sweet as well, and you know, I don't remember who threw it out there. I think it was a collective idea. Like horses would be cool. So me and and taylor, the girl that was filming with me, we were like, yeah, let's hop on horses. She had ridden a horse before, I hadn't well, I had, but you know that I was like what? Two at a carnival and they're like pulling the thing, and so like I I had never done this before and the lady's like you got this. I was destroyed in that comment section. It was like a 50 50. It was like half of the equestrian community was very supportive, like good job, staying on. I wouldn't have done that.

Malachi Gagnon: 21:59

The other half was pretty upset that I said I almost died, which I mean technically it could have happened. It could have happened.

Jay Franze: 22:05

Would have been a an extreme situation.

Malachi Gagnon: 22:08

Yeah, exactly, but it could have happened and people were upset that I didn't have spurs on and I was wearing Nikes and like, oh the gear, where's the helmet? I'm like. So I took notes. I have notes written down now on what I'm supposed to do next time I ride a horse, which I'm not not really focused on doing that right now. It was pretty traumatizing, I uh, I believe so these horses weren't trained, obviously, for filming stuff, which I guess we should have looked into and a drone flew just slightly too close to that horse and it spooked it and it was like what's that thing? And so it takes off and I started hitting the road. You know, I was like I got it. I didn't have it.

Tony Scott: 22:47

I stayed on it, though, so we were fine.

Malachi Gagnon: 22:49

I had my eight seconds and I think I think we're good. It was horrifying and everyone like I get off my brother's laughing at me. I'm like, dude, that was horrible, why did you take a video of it? So now we have like six different angles. Everyone's like, oh, that's become. I look back and I wish I put like music behind it so I could promote something, because that's like my biggest video now, of course. But you live, you learn. Next time I have maybe a horseback riding accident, I'll put psychopath behind it.

Jay Franze: 23:22

Let's not get to it next time. It's crazy. I mean, I'm the same way you are. I've never real I've ridden a horse maybe three, four times in my life, and every time I do it's usually just trail riding with a bunch of people, and I always ask I need the one that is so slow, and it's always the biggest one, the biggest horse possible. I'm like are you sure this is the one?

Malachi Gagnon: 23:45

they get you a stepstool to get on it, it's like a full, like 10 foot ladder You're like, and my wife laughs at me.

Jay Franze: 23:51

She laughs at me for everything, but she laughs at me for that. So I am um, I'm not a horse rider, sorry but hey, that's all right, let's talk about, um, the shows you've been playing. So because, again, I mean I hate to keep going back to it, but you are a young man and you are what are you? Still 16 at this point.

Malachi Gagnon: 24:12

Yes sir.

Jay Franze: 24:12

So 16 years old, so very young to have such a career and, like I said, it's very impressive. But what's really impressive to me is the stage command that you have, because you're playing shows and you're commanding presence on that stage as if you've been playing for years. So what do you attribute that confidence to?

Malachi Gagnon: 24:33

I don't know what you saw. I walk out on stage for the very first time and I was like dumbfounded I had like this big, like dumb spot like buddy.

Jay Franze: 24:42

He's trying to help you I had.

Malachi Gagnon: 24:46

I had deer and headlights. I was like what? Because I had people there that were here to see me and I didn't I hadn't processed that before, I hadn't seen a crowd. I was like, all right, there's, my friends will be here. They were, they were there. I. That wasn't a no, they weren't, they were there, but it was also, you know, you know more people that weren't my friends and I was like what do I do with this? And so I sang that first song was like I mean, I was just laughing the whole time like I couldn't believe it.

Malachi Gagnon: 25:15

I found my footing, I locked it in and I sang the second song. I sang craving me, which is my first single, and people sang that back, which was like a surreal feeling and I was like whoa, like I, I wrote this in my room what a year ago. And you guys are just singing it back to me. So it's kind of a a weird feeling. But once I I found it, I kind of like I had been to a few shows and so I knew what I like to see at shows.

Malachi Gagnon: 25:44

I like feeling like I'm one-on-one with the artist. That's like a cool feeling. You feel very personal. But I also like moving around and like having a good time. If the performer's having a good time, I'm in it, like I'm enjoying that, and so I did as much as I could to make them feel like they're here. I read some signs signs, which was fun. That was a cool thing. Yeah, I just I, I watch other artists and what they do and it's kind of like studying, like if you played sports. It's like watching you study what other players do and how it. Watching tape. I watch what, uh, watch what my fellow performing artists do, and I'm like all right, let's see how bieber did it when he was my age. Like he did it a little different than I did. I did sing baby, though I sang baby just to get people going and, uh, I sang that rap like it was my job, because it was. That's funny.

Jay Franze: 26:39

I mean, you talk about inspiration, so let's talk about that for a brief moment, like who inspired you? Who are the ones you look up to now?

Malachi Gagnon: 26:47

yeah, I would say to jump into music. It would be like sean mendez and morgan wallen, which are two spectrums, but uh, it's true, they they had a lot of, I guess, influence on me and so that was kind of like the jump into it. Now, as I get older, get older, it's an artist who's, I mean, having the time of his life a fellow New Englander right from down the road, noah Kahn. He was, I think, vermont, which is pretty cool. He was like he went to Hanukkah High School he's a kid from down the road and I went to his show.

Malachi Gagnon: 27:25

I went to Noah's show in Montreal and it was like kind of weird to see this kid from down the road, I guess you could say is selling out arenas and it's like you know, if he can do it, that's a cool inspiration, like that's the dream. Right, there is like is you know, he put his mind to it, he put a lot of work behind it and uh, so it's cool to see that pay off for him and it's really exciting for him. But it's also like, uh, all right, no, we got this. This is what I dream to do, this is what I want to do with my life, and so if god keeps opening doors, that's, you know, that's the dream it's funny.

Jay Franze: 28:03

You mentioned skiing in vermont. That's where I learned how to ski. You mentioned going to Montreal. I was about your age when I started driving up to Montreal every other weekend just to go explore. Back then you didn't need a passport so you could just drive right over the border. That's right, I'm old, but you can go up to Montreal and hang out and listen to people you know talk French and not understand.

Jay Franze: 28:27

So it's. It's a cool experience. It really is, but with these influencers, or these people who are influencing you. Are there any one of those that you would like to collaborate with?

Malachi Gagnon: 28:36

there's one? Uh, obviously, no, it would be cool. Just, you know, new englander, um, one I didn't mention who I mean has a, I think, kind of a grasp on the world, I would say is Post Malone. He's obviously a legend, but just to like be in a room with him, I feel like would be such a vibe. I feel like he's, he just seems like super cool dude, extremely creative, which would be cool to work with, just writing, and so that would be kind of like the dream, I think would be a song with post malone where we just do our things together. You know, I mean, he's he's got a very unique voice that I I am, you know, I adore his voice. He's very good at what he does and, uh, he's just, uh, he's great. I would say he gets to legend, legend status and he's really good at what he does.

Jay Franze: 29:26

Already. I mean he's doing a country album.

Malachi Gagnon: 29:29

Not yet. I'm saying he could get there.

Jay Franze: 29:30

Okay.

Malachi Gagnon: 29:31

I think at some point in the future he could do.

Jay Franze: 29:36

He's on the right path for sure, yeah, for sure.

Malachi Gagnon: 29:39

He's kind of proving that he can do whatever he wants with this country album. He just did one with Morgan Wallen which was it's like topping the board right now, I think, and so that's really cool.

Jay Franze: 29:52

I watched a couple of reaction videos recently of some of his music and people are just dumbfounded all the time about how good he does.

Malachi Gagnon: 29:59

Yeah, it's crazy his reach in genres. He goes from rap to pop to like an r&b almost, and it's like then he does folk with noah and then country. He sang with reba mcintyre at the acms the other night. It's like what is this guy doing? He does whatever he wants and he's got a grill in and he's doing a song with morgan wall and it's like what's?

Jay Franze: 30:26

his appearance does not look traditional country for sure but oh yeah, but I think that's where.

Malachi Gagnon: 30:31

That's where the genre is going. It's just like whoever has that dream to tell stories.

Jay Franze: 30:37

I think is really what it's about well, I'm glad it's going back to talent versus looks. Yeah, the talent comes through for sure oh yeah, for sure, you know.

Jay Franze: 30:45

You know, when I grew up especially when MTV started cause I was there for that change, um, but looks was the biggest thing. You know, you had to look good versus sound good and, being a you know engineer and producer myself, I wanted to work with people who had the talent, not just the look. And for the most part, you know working in Nashville for the majority of my career, I was able to work with some extremely talented people. Yeah, but I mentioned again you being young and you're at the start of your career and you're just now writing songs. You're writing with some heavyweights and you've got millions of streams already. So I mean you've got some extreme streams already. So I mean it's, you've got some extreme success going on with your stuff.

Malachi Gagnon: 31:30

What kind of?

Jay Franze: 31:30

challenges do you see at the stage of your career?

Malachi Gagnon: 31:35

Um, obviously school, cause I'm, I'm 16. So just kind of navigating, making sure that I live life and not just focus on music, cause that would be really easy to do is like just lock myself in my room, write a new song, cause I could do that, I could get away with that.

Jay Franze: 31:51

Do you think being in school helps you?

Malachi Gagnon: 31:56

Socially. Yeah, I think it could be. It's pretty important to be socially active, I guess is a good way to say it. It's still like know how to interact with people is important to me?

Jay Franze: 32:09

Well, of course. But I mean, I'm asking you like does it help you to have a team of friends who are out there helping you spread the word?

Malachi Gagnon: 32:18

Oh, yeah, for sure. I mean, my friends are extremely supportive, which is really cool. I go to a smaller school and, uh, it's cool to see how supportive they are, even if they aren't like the biggest fan of, like the type of music I make. They're all like on my side, on my team, like you know, reposting stuff and being like, hey, you know, my friend I mean my brother as well is probably he's more of a promoter than I am. He'll like see people. He's like guess what this guy does? I'm like let's like take a minuteer than I am. He'll see people and he's like, guess what this guy does? I'm like let's take a minute. We're at the mall, man, I just need some shorts. We don't need to promote right now, but he's like he makes music and he's like my biggest fan. So, yeah, I should probably do it too, but he's my biggest fan, best friend, so it's cool to have him around. But I mean, having people like my friends in my life is really important to me. Yeah, for sure.

Jay Franze: 33:06

Well, I just think about it. Right, those are the ones who are sharing stuff, like you said, even if they don't listen to it. They're just impressed to have a friend who's succeeding and is talented, and they put that word out. So it turns in from being one person to two, to three, to four, and it just keeps multiplying, and I think that might have some something to do with the amount of success you're having. You're up over four million streams on spotify. That's a goal that bigger artists are striving for, and you're hitting it at 16 years old. So if you feel like staying in school is the challenge and I agree with you, it is a challenge, especially when you're performing music. So how do you fit playing shows around being in school?

Malachi Gagnon: 33:49

Weekends is kind of the thing I'm good at doing homework, but staying up to date on it is tough. I just kind of, like you know, I utilize the time that I have in between classes to do homework, and so I can like use the weekends for whatever's necessary.

Jay Franze: 34:07

Well, that's the beauty about country music, right? I mean, the majority of the shows are played on weekends. A lot of the artists that I work with, or even the musicians the studio musicians I work with it used to be that if you were a studio musician, you didn't go on the road, and if you're a road musician you didn't play in the studio. But now the studio musicians are hitting the road, so they work through the week and then they go out with an artist over the weekend and then they come back and work through the week in the studio and go out over the weekend. So I mean, that's a pretty cool genre for you to be in, to be able to do things like that, especially at the stage of your career where you're juggling school. So talking about shows.

Jay Franze: 34:44

What's your most memorable show so far?

Malachi Gagnon: 34:48

um, I mean the first ones obviously like that's, that's really cool. It was like a, it was a. Also, it's a very I feel like it wasn't a very normal first show experience. It was like it felt like I was at, you know, you know, you know the Hampton Ballroom Casino I do. Yes, sir, that's obvious. That's a dream. It's I, that's like, I want to play there for sure. That's like a cool, that's a cool venue, it's like, but that's kind of like what the new world in Tampa that I played, it's it's.

Malachi Gagnon: 35:23

You know, it was obviously small, it wasn't that as big as the Hampton one, but you know, it was like pit style, like standing room only kind of thing, and uh, so it was like it was a really cool, just like out there experience. You know, it was just kind of like out of body. You're watching it all go down in front of you and you're like this is happening, like how is this? Even I think I did better at taking that in than the Nashville thing, but I mean that was like that was. I mean that was so crazy to me that I was on stage playing with a band, like in front of people who were there to see me and it's like I couldn't grasp it. I literally I still can't that people would want like to do that. That's like so weird to me, but it's really, it really is a blessing. It's um, it's a really really cool thing just in general.

Jay Franze: 36:14

Well, it is cool, right? I mean, what did you do to prepare for that show?

Malachi Gagnon: 36:19

uh, I should have eaten. I should not have skipped that part. I did, I did. I ate like a potato chip or two because I know that's good for your voice. And I didn't eat. And I should have. And I regret it because I had a coffee and then, like two herbal teas or whatever. Throw a coat. That's what it was. Throw a coat. And I am a man of faith. So I prayed, asked for some confidence, remembered who I was doing it for, who gave it to me, made sure to glorify him on stage and I went out there and I think I did pretty good for a show. I was scared out of my mind but I think I did all right.

Jay Franze: 36:59

That is funny. So when the show was over, what was the first thing you did?

Malachi Gagnon: 37:03

I went to Olive Garden.

Jay Franze: 37:04

Tell me you're not Italian.

Malachi Gagnon: 37:06

I'm not. I'm not.

Jay Franze: 37:07

Italian. Okay, because if you go to Olive Garden as an Italian, that's like Cardinal Sin.

Malachi Gagnon: 37:12

It is a Cardinal Sin. That's pretty bad.

Jay Franze: 37:14

It's like going for pizza in Nashville. Okay that's not.

Malachi Gagnon: 37:17

I went to barbecue too, so I made up for it.

Jay Franze: 37:19

You did. That's right. You made up for it. I'm sorry.

Malachi Gagnon: 37:23

I went down and met some people. I said hi to my friends, thank them for coming, because that was like that was cool, and then, a lot that they came, met some people who were there to see me, which was surreal, and I got to sign some things, which was like okay let's talk about that.

Jay Franze: 37:37

What kind of feedback did you get?

Malachi Gagnon: 37:39

people were impressed and a lot of surprise, like what just happened? Um, kind of looks for my friends like dude, you just did that and I was like I know right, it was a lot of good feedback. I got some good constructive criticism from the people who are like in the industry and like close to me, people that I trust with like I mean, I'd say, my life, people that I trust to guide me.

Jay Franze: 38:05

Those same people that put you on a horse. Yeah, but that was more to guide me.

Malachi Gagnon: 38:07

Those same people that put you on a horse. Yeah, but that was more of a me thing. I was confident in myself. I was like I can do it, I can do this, but I couldn't. I did better at singing on stage than riding a horse, though I'd say I mean, you know, maybe not you killed it.

Jay Franze: 38:24

So let's talk about that. You get off. Your, your friends, your family, the industry, people you know, gave you the feedback. But what about the ones that didn't know you, like didn't know you personally? They came for you but they don't know you personally?

Malachi Gagnon: 38:36

they were really excited for me. A lot of them had been following me for a while um, just my journey and stuff and so it's cool to get their feedback in person. They were talking about how like it's cool to see how how far I've come from, talking about how like it's cool to see how far I've come from even like a couple months, and it's just like exciting to watch it all play out in front of them, and so that was really cool.

Jay Franze: 38:56

And you said you signed stuff. Did you sign anything out of the ordinary?

Malachi Gagnon: 39:00

No, no, no, no, no, just foreheads. No, I'm just kidding, it was all like like tattooed right there on the spot. It was fantastic. Yeah, exactly, I had my guy come out larry, didn't tattoo. No, it was like shirts and hats and stuff. I had a merch table. We have some merch. You know, I want to get out there. I have a monkey. There's a monkey on a shirt with my name on it.

Jay Franze: 39:20

It's like that's awesome I could sell that so how involved are you in the social media aspect of building this audience?

Malachi Gagnon: 39:30

I, I run my account for sure. I I make sure that, like I keep up with it. I do a lot of instagram. I should probably do better at tiktok it's just like I need to get better at that, but I do stay up on instagram. I usually post a couple stories a day. I just like keeping interactive, you know, and keeping like in touch, I guess, with people, and then just posting a video almost like every other day, whether it's promotional or just covering something or a song that I wrote, or post like what's going on in life, like the one with my mom at the Bruins game.

Malachi Gagnon: 40:02

I gotta you. I. What's cool is the following that I have they care about, like what's going on, and so you know I can post something like that and they like it. It's so it's cool. But I do, I do, I, I, I work at promoting, I do. All right, I think I'm getting there.

Jay Franze: 40:23

Well, that's what I was going to ask you. I mean, do you take any sort of strategic approach to posting on Instagram?

Malachi Gagnon: 40:33

Or I mean do you have any sort of system behind you? Not fully, I kind of just like whatever feels like all right. Yeah, I'm going to post something On Instagram. I like keeping like on stories going. I like keeping something going. I have like a thing. I post like a picture of a dragon rubber duck that I have in my Jeep. His name is Puff. It's not referencing anything, it's just Puff the Magic Dragon, and he sits at the front of the Jeep and I take a picture and post whatever song that I've been listening to. So kind of like keeping something going at all times, so just keeping it loose. Yeah, I kind of keep it like real. What's going on? I'll post a video.

Malachi Gagnon: 41:11

I accidentally almost stole a cup from a mexican restaurant the other night. Uh, I walked out with it and I was like I was thinking I said to my mom and I went to take a drink. I'm like that's not, I'm not supposed to have this, so so I posted that I just post whatever's going on, but I have no marketing strategy fully. On Instagram I obviously post the videos of me lip-syncing, which isn't revolutionary, but I do it and it's fun. I love putting them together.

Jay Franze: 41:40

I was going to say how do you feel about it? Does it feel awkward to you?

Malachi Gagnon: 41:44

Yeah, no, it's wicked. There were people swimming at hampton beach, even though it looks like really gloomy there. Yeah, they were swimming, and so I was like I had to like you know, I was like, oh, we can go a little farther this way. Right to film this one, because I don't want to be standing in front of people while I'm doing it. It's uh, it's awkward, but at the same time you have to do it, you gotta get stuff going, you gotta get stuff up, and so I'm I've become more comfortable with filming that stuff. The woods one that I did the other day I know one was around so I was pretty comfortable running through the trees. I kind of like let my inner hobbit out and I was like let's just. You know I was booking it through the woods and it was, it was enjoyable, it was a lot of fun.

Malachi Gagnon: 42:23

I do like shooting, like music videos. I love shooting those and I'm gonna do more this summer. For sure you can do short form music videos really and you have like what. I think a minute is what you should probably stick to on Instagram, but I mean you just quick, it's promotional, it gets your stuff out there, people will see it so and it's fun to do so. It's not even. It's not that bad.

Jay Franze: 42:45

well, it's also engaging, and I mean it's to go ahead and give people an opportunity to get to know you and get to know you as a person as well as an artist, and then it gives them a chance to interact with you. Something that artists didn't have in my day was the ability to reach directly out to an artist and get a response instantaneously. I mean, there's times where I'm reaching out to people and I'm getting responses back within seconds. It's a pretty impressive thing, and I know people have their own views on social media, but it can be a very, very good tool.

Jay Franze: 43:17

So with that said, when these people are leaving you comments, are you?

Malachi Gagnon: 43:24

responding to every one of them. I respond to a lot of them. Sometimes it's like full responses. There was one video I posted.

Malachi Gagnon: 43:32

I wrote a song about my friend who passed away a few years ago and it honestly, it was hard to see the comments that you get there, because they weren't negative, they were just all like sharing their story and their like relation to that, and so, you know, a lot of them were super supportive. And then the other ones were like talking about how it brought them closure or brought like memories back and they're like thank you for these words, for words that I can say back to myself. And so I mean, I tried to respond to a lot of those. Obviously, it's been like a few weeks since I posted, so I don't keep up fully. You got I I do respond to a lot of them.

Malachi Gagnon: 44:08

Some of them I just, you know, I heart them, because what I mean if someone says like right, great, it's like I, I could respond with a paragraph on why I thank them. Uh, but I just heard it. Uh, but you know it's, it's uh, I try to keep engagement. That's like a goal of mine is to just keep it, keep it real. Honestly, that's kind of like my whole thing. It's like just be yourself, cause if they don't like you for that, that's their issue. Honestly, you're not going to change it because they don't like you. Like one person out there is like I don't like who you are. It's like cool, I do.

Malachi Gagnon: 44:42

So when you lost your, your friend what kind of effect did that have on you? It was a lot. It was suicide. So it's kind of like a weird loss because it wasn't like a natural thing where you had time. It was sudden and you couldn't tell that he was like that, like had those thoughts, he was the happiest person on earth and so, uh, we were, we were close and so it was. It was hard, it's it's it's still difficult to deal with.

Malachi Gagnon: 45:18

It's kind of brought, you know, a passion I have for mental health now, because it's something that I don't. I think it gets recognition and that's good, with a lot with social media which is really good because it causes a lot of it too, social media does, and so having people who recognize it on social media is very important but I still think it doesn't get enough recognition and the amount of like teen suicides that happen are it's too much, it's not, it shouldn't happen, it really shouldn't. That I'm not, you know, revolutionizing ideas here, but uh, it's kind of brought a passion that I've had. It brought me closer to god because, you know, I, instead of becoming angry and being like why would you not, you know, show me and stuff, I kind of felt this like presence that I can't explain, because it just it was like this extremely dark moment in my life where something that I've never experienced, which was losing a loved one, let alone to something like that, it's a new idea, it's a new concept to me. Obviously, having, you know, this comforting hold, I would say, was really, really important and it's kind of brought me a joy. You know, that surpasses understandings. It really does.

Malachi Gagnon: 46:39

I don't want to get preachy, but it is true, it really is. It helped me there, really is, uh, it's it. It helped me there, and I've spent two years trying to find words that fit how I feel and how I, how I wanted to express that emotion. I, I'm. I finally found them and I'll be releasing that song in september because it the response that people had to it, which was, uh, they needed the words, and it's kind of a a letter to his name was Ethan, so a letter to Ethan on what I wish I could have said to him in those moments of darkness, of feeling like worthless, and so it's kind of changed my view on, I mean, I would say life it's precious and you have to make sure you check in on people because you never know what they're going through.

Jay Franze: 47:30

No, you don't know, and I know putting a song together like that, you're doing it as a tribute, but it's got to help you get through things as well and help you work through it. But the fact that it can help other people by listening to that and giving them something that they can relate to is also positive. But do you feel like that's going to open a door now for you to be an advocate for things like that?

Malachi Gagnon: 47:54

Yes, I do think 100%.

Jay Franze: 47:59

All right, sir. Well, we do this thing here we call Unsung Heroes, where we take a moment to shine the light on somebody who has supported you along the way or somebody who may have helped you behind the scenes. Is there anybody that you would like to shine a little light on?

Malachi Gagnon: 48:14

Um, I got a couple of people. I won't go crazy.

Jay Franze: 48:16

I'll start playing the music if we need to pull you off.

Malachi Gagnon: 48:19

All right, yeah, my, uh, my dad and my mom are, I would say, my family. My mom are, I would say my family. My mom, dad and brother are my biggest fans. They are really just behind, like they're every ounce of what I do. I mean without them I wouldn't be, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing.

Malachi Gagnon: 48:37

Walter, who I mentioned actually at the beginning, who taught me guitar, he's been with me every step really in like in life of course, but in music he's kind of just been a good voice of reason. He loves music, great guy, and I genuinely don't know musically and just as the man who I am today, don't know where I'd be if I didn't have him in my life. Spencer Bradham is my videographer and producer, great at what he does. He's more a friend now than a business partner, which is really special. Spent two years working with him. So if you don't have someone special there, I mean you know the connection we have in that studio is amazing and so we're able to pump stuff out and just be on our A game. We took probably two songs and then we were like all right, we found it, we got it, we know each other now we're on point. So I'd say Spencer Branham.

Jay Franze: 49:35

A big thanks to Malachi for taking the time to share his stories with us and thank you for taking the time to hang with me here. I really do appreciate it. If you know anybody who would enjoy this episode, please be sure to pass it along. You can do that and find the links to everything mentioned over at jfranze. com/ episode 74. Thanks again for listening and I'll see you next week.

Tony Scott: 50:02

Thanks for listening to The Jay Franze Show. Make sure you visit us at jayfranze. com. Follow, connect and say hello.