Yanniv Frank is sitting down in front of a camera in New York, getting ready to do something way outside his comfort zone. He settles down at his piano and with a huge grin begins singing a short song he composed. This was Frank getting ready to become a recording artist.
I sat down with Frank right before his first EP made its debut. We were separated by a hundred miles and an unstable internet connection, yet his warmth shined through the small box on Zoom. Frank is exactly what you would expect. His smile is contagious and you can tell he knows how to work a crowd. This is not surprising given his extensive musical theater background.
Yanniv was born in New York. Just before his first birthday, his family moved to Israel and bounced between different cities before settling back down in New York. Traveling so much gave Frank an opportunity to connect with an extensive network of people from all walks of life. Something that would inspire him as an artist throughout his career.
“I've always been a performer,” Frank said. “I started doing musical theater when I was 7 and singing in that regard. [Because of my start] in musical theater I started taking voice lessons, piano lessons, and music theory as just an extracurricular outside of school. So I’ve been very involved in music for a very long time…”
Frank spent much of his childhood listening to soundtracks and running lines for plays. As he grew, so did his appetite for learning. He told a story about how in college he was so determined to take a guitar class that he traveled from the upper east side of New York to the west just to attend. This was not an isolated event.
He made his own major because he wanted to learn as much as he could. He plays the piano and guitar. He is trained in ballet, tap dance, and acting. He can cook and bake, dabbles in graphic design, and is now in grad school for puppetry. Sound like a lot? That does not even scratch the surface. However, it does paint a better picture of who Frank is as a person. If there was something he did not know about, chances are, he would find out very soon. That is why when someone suggested he write original music during an Instagram live he took it to heart.
“I was like ‘wow’ if a stranger feels like that I have the skills and talent and the ability to do this maybe I do,” Frank said. “I actually messaged her that night.. and i was like ‘hey you sort of changed my life in this moment.’”
Over the course of a few months, he composed several songs he felt were ready to be shared, but he still needed help. So, he decided to set up his piano and write a jingle that would help him raise money to record his first EP. He was finally ready to become his own artist. A month later he reached his goal.
“It was so heartwarming to see the people whose lives I've touched and can feel like I've made an impact on their life sort of reaching back out and being so supportive of this project and supportive of me,” Frank said.
The experience humbled Frank. Although his life so far was focused on building a strong community, he was shocked by the positive response. Just talking about how he felt during that time left him speechless- which was rare.
“It was very validating of this project,” Frank said. “Like yeah, there are people that believe in me, and believe in me as an artist specifically.”
Finding himself outside of musical theater was a trying process. Searching for a unique sound that highlights all the different sides of Frank was understandably difficult. He had no expectations going into the project, only that he wanted to pour all of himself into every note.
“I wrote when things came to me,” Frank said. “[The words] came to me when an emotional moment presented itself in my life.”
Whether it was a high or low, Frank chose to document what he felt in his music.
“I spent so much time working on this project in a vacuum: just myself,” Frank said. “I did all the vocals and songwriting myself and I did all the instrumentals myself too- I play every instrument you hear on the album…”
For the creation of the EP Frank enlisted the help of Carter Sanders. Sanders is a producer and sound engineer who has worked with artists like RAELLE and Corey Hales. Their collaboration happened organically, with Sanders serving as a mentor for Frank as he worked through the logistics of recording before being hired on to mix the full EP.
“[Carter] taught me stuff about music and about this side of music that I didn't know,” Frank said. “He didn't make me feel like an outsider. He really made me feel like I was in on it and welcomed me into this world of musicians.. he walked me through it no judgment.”
This chemistry is what allowed Frank to freely explore who he wanted to be as an artist. Sanders was able to take Frank’s ideas and craft a sound that, until then, only lived inside of his mind. What resulted was an album with roots in musical theater that has some folk influence. With some thought, Frank decided to call his debut EP Common Human Soul.
“I'm a little bit obsessed with the name of the EP,” Frank said. “I originally, until very late in the game, was planning on self-titling the EP... a week before we finished mixing the album I realized that there was something more to be said than just my name about this piece of work.”
Each song holds its own special meaning. From internal battles to documenting first loves, the EP highlights what it means to be human. Frank leaves the meaning of the title up for interpretation.
“It's a very personal thing that everybody has and this album is sort of letting people into my common human soul,” Frank said.
At first listen, the album can be uncomfortable. Frank’s lyrics are vulnerable. Sometimes they make you feel like you are eavesdropping in on a private conversation, but you cannot help but listen on. At the end of each song, you are left with a dozen questions about your own reality.
“The whole album is sort of working through different things about myself,” Frank said. “[The tracks are] moving from the way other people have impacted me to the way I exist in myself... letting that sit within me for a minute and then how I'm going to let that go out into the world.”
The opening song, Obedient Son, is something you could see on stage. You could picture Frank standing under a lone spotlight belting out notes to a packed auditorium. This is true for much of the EP. We talked about each track, going down the list one by one. Each song holds a story and with it a very special meaning. Frank spoke candidly and, much like the album, listening to him speak made me feel like I was in on a little secret. As if he entrusted me to hold onto this special part of his past.
That was what made him special. Who Frank is as a person was who he is as an artist. Open, honest, and comforting. He is a mesh of the things he has experienced and the lives that he has touched and have touched him. He spoke with his hands and projected his voice in a way only a true thespian could- not holding anything back. He credits his community for his accomplishments like fellow artists Gabriella Carucci and Emily Walton who continue to inspire him on his creative journey. Frank, at his essence, is what it means when people say “it takes a village.”
After a moment, Frank pauses and looks somewhere off-camera. I asked him what he is most looking forward to in his career. Although it seems like Frank has lived several lives, he knows that he still has a long way to go.
“There's still this whole world that I'm still just on the tip of the iceberg of knowing and I do plan on bettering myself as a person and a musician,” Frank said.
Common Human Soul is out now. Listen here.