Rising self-made singer, songwriter, and producer Franchise shows off his potential on a superb reinterpretation of the Alessia Cara gem, “Here.”

“In this song, she’s searching for an experience with more substance – something deeper – something that really stimulates the soul. It’s something that I really identify with and something that I’ve always struggled with myself.” Hmm, sounds the song “Here” really means something special to Franchise – more on that in a moment. Covers can be really hard to pull off.  Why? Because the original is so perfect and so potent, recreating or reinterpreting only leads you back to the original.  Franchise, a new self-made singer, songwriter, and producer, is willing to take the risk, covering the Alessia Cara gem, “Here,” which he references above describing why the song is so meaningful to him. A tough choice, even given Cara’s status as a relatively young, continually rising artist, he shines on his reinterpreted version of this urban contemporary standout.

The biggest takeaway regarding “Here” is that Franchise does a superb job of differentiating his version from the original.  For one, he speeds up the tempo, anchoring the record down with a driving beat.  Keeping things interesting, he also switches up the beat, further putting his own stamp on the record.  While the production tricks are quite compelling, including some instrumental portions, it is the vocals that are the biggest selling point.  Franchise has a fantastic instrument at his disposal, and he really digs in with that expressive, explosive tenor.  Even knowing he didn’t sing the original version of “Here,” he puts enough spin and serves up enough authenticity to make you believe him.  That’s a skill.

Final Thoughts 

Covers my only go so far, but there’s a bigger takeaway for Franchise after hearing “Here.” This up-and-comer has plenty of potential, period.  Ultimately, he proves that he can sing and produce like a champ here.  There’s definitely room in the collection for a viable interpretation of a hit single such as this one.

Franchise • Here [Single] • VIBR8 • Release: 1.15.19

Photo Credit: VIBR8