A rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer noted for her skillful, edgy, and witty wordplay, Parris Franz delivers a unique blend of hip-hop and R&B with a hint of soul-touching relatability. Her lyrics are deeply personal and introspective, drawing from her experiences to create resonant music.
Franz released her latest song, “WILL,” with a music video to accompany it, showing her listeners all the sides of her creative process.
How did your song “WILL” come about?
It’s a concept song. … It was based around the premise of “What one won’t [do], another one will.” That goes for any scenario, via guy or girl, and that’s how people go from one relationship to the next. This [partner] wasn’t willing to do this, and this [partner] will. God sends someone else that will …
The concept for the video came about through some mishaps, pivots, and things of that nature. If you notice, we shot some of it in Joshua Tree, in the desert, and then some was shot in Atlanta, as well.
Where did you get your sense of creative direction with the video?
It was a little frustrating, but I think it comes organically just being creative. … Unfortunately, when things just don’t go as planned, I’m always thinking, “How can I make this better?” I’m a thinker just by nature. I can overthink things, but I always say that helps or hinders me. I think some of the creative pieces you see in there were very intentional and then some of them just came about because it’s like that didn’t go right, so let’s see how we can fix it. Let’s see how we can do a pickup shot and make this go like this, and honestly, all those pieces came together like a puzzle. I didn’t plan certain things, but just being creative by nature and having an eye of like “I want this to look like this.” I always say I have a strong opinion, but I don’t have a forceful one, so it makes it easier for me to work with you. I’m open to ideas if I get with you, whether it’s the hairstylist, makeup artist, or the choreography, what do we need to do to make this feel organically like myself, and then you put in your elements?
