Two boys from Hawaii FRANSKIIZ & LELZ, have paved their way to Los Angeles, California living out who they were created to be. If you don’t know who they are, give me a moment to break down this duo right here on PMN+. Although they are individual artists, their artist collaboration is rooted deep going back to being raised in Hawaii and going to high school at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama. They’re kind of like bacon and eggs, chicken and waffles, or steak and wine. Although good by themselves, when paired with each other it creates a more flavorful, edifying and beautiful experience.
Franskiiz and Lelz are two individual artists who both are best described as authentic. At least that’s the word that comes to mind that best encapsulates them. They’re both bona fide! At the age of 25, I have not met a lot of people who are in their twenty somethings being as genuine and real as them musically and personally. The whole theme of my chat with the boys were to “stay true” to who you are.
Francis Gora, also known as Franskiiz is a musical genius being classically trained at the age of 4. Now he is a respected singer, songwriter, producer, and engineer who has worked with so many artists. He also became the first Native Hawaiian to sign with a major record label Dej Jam Records in 2021.
Kekaulele Kawaiaea, also known as Lelz, has grown up with music surrounding him. With a gifted line of patriarchs leading the way for him, Lelz was a sponge to music from a very young age. He wrote and published a book at a very young age and it has blossomed into songwriting.
Like I said before, although individual artists, Lelz and Franskiiz bring their combined skills to the forefront to create music made for anyone and everyone who has an ear to hear. One of the first projects they created together was “San Andreas” released in 2018. With the release of “San Andreas,” it got heaps of love and attention from their peers and listeners. Their friends growing up spoke it into existence saying “wow you’re going to make it” and from then on the story wrote itself and it was in those genesis moments of making music where it kickstarted them to take music seriously.
Fast forward to now, they reside in Los Angeles, and this duo has once again, released another song “Someone Else” produced by the talented Pana. Fortunately Lelz and Franskiiz record their music at the same studio, so as they were collaborating, making their own music, and bouncing ideas off each other, Lelz had an idea brewing he wanted to share. He brings an idea to Franskiiz who added some seasoning to the idea and brought in Pana to help add some flavor into what they were mixing up.
Franskiiz told Pana, “Hey we’re doing a reggae project and we want other ideas from other artists, producers and musicians. Pana sent over three and the second I heard the beat, I immediately knew it had a lot of potential.”
From peeling back layers, stacking, and the combination of lyricism and producer talent from Franskiiz, Lelz, and Pana, “Someone Else” blossomed into a record we hear today.
I absolutely love the song and I think it is still underrated and deserves more recognition than what it is receiving currently. So, if you’re reading, go ahead and play the song as you finish reading all I have to write.
The numbers the song is receiving, although it is climbing, I think this will resurface as a record that will do numbers in the summer. Luckily, our friends and family in the Southern Hemisphere are in the heat of their summer season, so if you are looking for a summer jam to play and add into the playlist, make sure “Someone Else” is in the queue.
“There’s a lot of times where we are trying to revive and resuscitate beats and music. It was definitely one of those times where we didn’t have to do much and it was more fun.” Lelz chimes in on the creative process in making “Someone Else.”
“The meat was already there.” Franskiiz adds on.
The concept of “Someone Else” is building off on the idea of living in Hawaii and living in Los Angeles. The song has a dual meaning, referencing “we love it here, but we really love where we’re from (Hawai’i).
The metaphor of the whole thing was in relation to making it personal and have it be about someone you love or have interest in,” Franskiiz explains.
Chiming in on the creation and meaning of the record, Lelz further adds on, “the cool part was us trying to make it digestible still but different. We can make reggae for the people back home, but the niche where we can be unique in that space, is taking what we have here (LA), and then incorporating it as much as we can while also utilizing the connections from back home – the people, producers, Pana, etc.”
The song can hit home for many, especially those who are living in the moana diaspora. Many Pacific Islanders living on the mainland can relate to loving where you reside now, but also being in love where you and your ancestors are from.
With the song “Someone Else,” at first listen you’re probably thinking of someone you had romantic relationships with, but if you ask me on a deeper level, it pays homage to where your heart is really at – the island you call home (wherever that may be). There’s so much to love about living on the mainland because of the opportunities it presents, but there’s also so much to love about where you’re from. The song paired with the music video accurately describes the representation of loving two things at once.
As someone who grew up in the Bay Area of California, I always felt like I had to choose one. I had to either be submerged into my Micronesian roots or submerged into the culture the mainland creates. This song is a metaphor and depicts loving someone else when someone else wants you.
Franskiiz and Lelz touched on this idea as being raised in Hawai’i shaped who they are today as they have navigated through living in Los Angeles. “From back home, we are all hardworking people. That transition allowed us to propel us further to push ourselves more, do more, go out and meet new people.” In addition, Lelz says the biggest thing from home he applies to living in Los Angeles is, “how we are raised as people is the most important thing.” From interacting with people at a restaurant, to interacting with artists big and small, the learning curve he has experienced in his transition from island to mainland living has been “making things work for yourself.”
Lelz drops some wisdomous bars adding on, “as hard as it can get, there’s still so much opportunity to get things because there’s so much going on. It’s up to you on how you want to go about that.” It’s all about maximizing on those opportunities presented in front of you!
Lelz and Franskiiz biggest take-aways on how they were raised are “knowing how to speak to people and being respectful and doing the simple things goes a long way here (LA)…”
“ I feel like not being attached or tied down to one thing but still remaining true to who I am”
– Franskiiz
“Making things work for yourself”
– Lelz
Their abilities to be versatile, authentic, and respectful has set themselves apart from being the stereotypical artist and has brought them so far to work with many people in the mainstream music industry.
No matter who or what they have made music for and with, they continue to be authentic to who they are. In their projects you can expect variety. “At the end of the day I want to say I’ve done music across all genres. I feel like not being attached or tied down to one thing but still remaining true to who I am.” Franskiiz says on the message he wants to leave behind on his music.
Likewise, Lelz piggy backs and says “especially up here (LA) it’s very easy to get distracted or get caught up, and to Fran’s points in showing variety, it’s one of our strong suits and niches in terms of us as artists. We don’t like sticking with one genre, but being able to make it digestible and cool. It’s not just Pop, Reggae, RnB, Rap or Hip Hop, you get a bit of everything.”
With that, be on the look out for this duo to come out with more music and projects. In my opinion, “Someone Else” is one of many songs from these emerging, young artists making their mark in the music and entertainment space. Although this is an Island Reggae inspired song, Lelz and Franskiiz are no strangers to other genres of music. They have worked and dabbled into all kinds of music. Their personal interests of genres being able to blend and cross into each other have a subtle impact on their creation of music as they make music that is versatile.
In the future you can expect more utilization in collaborations with people from their home in Hawai’i. They’ve worked with so many people in Los Angeles, they are excited to be looking forward to expanding what the Hawai’i music space brings out and into the mainland. They hope to add into the movement of those who have come before and make island music more global! Not just throughout the Pacific but in other countries and parts of the world you would not expect island music to be played and heard.
Stream and listen to “Someone Else” out now on all streaming platforms! Make sure to follow Franskiiz and Lelz to stay up to date on upcoming music and projects!
