Meet Grace Franco of East Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Grace Franco

Hi Grace, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I began my musical journey in junior high playing the clarinet in the youth orchestra. However, music was always a big presence in my childhood years before that. My mother was always singing in the house to songs from the 70’s and 80’s and my older sister was always blasting 90’s rock, pop, hip hop, rap and r&b. My family has always loved and cherished music so it was inevitable for me to want to sing and make music. When I was 16 I got my first guitar after asking for one constantly, so my older sister bought a cheap Yamaha guitar and amp combo off a friend in college and gave it to me for Christmas. Since then I couldn’t put it down. I wrote dozens of songs and learned how to play and sing from studying many bands and singers that I loved. I never considered myself a musical prodigy like Jimi Hendrix or Mozart, which discouraged me from studying music in college. Instead I chose to get my BA in film and I attended San Francisco State University. I don’t regret it though because studying film really taught me about how important a message and a story are in any type of art form. Fast forward to when I graduated college, I moved back home to Santa Barbara, where I grew up and was born and raised. I auditioned for a local pop-punk rock band and that’s really where everything started for me. Through that band I really learned how sing and write songs. Then after being in that band I moved to Los Angeles to really pursue music all the while still playing guitar and writing my own songs. I auditioned for another band and that’s really where I was able to make even more progress as a vocalist and songwriter. We played a few gigs around town and recorded a demo but it didn’t really go anywhere. The band dissolved and I was left on my own to figure out what I wanted to do next. At this point I really dived into the open mic scene and focused on bare bones songs with just my voice and guitar. Through the open mic scene I met a very talented artist and musician named Neptune. I credit him for opening the world of music producing to me and I am forever grateful and blessed that he appeared in my life at that time! Neptune for years produced his own music and recorded on his own as well. He showed me the gear he used, the music editing program he had and computer to get so I could create my own set up. That was the biggest turning point in my life; learning how to do it all myself and shape the sound and music I really wanted to create. Since then I have been producing, writing, singing and composing all my own music under the name Orchestra of Illusions. I didn’t want to be limited to just referring to myself as my real name, I wanted the music and the message to be greater than me, so Orchestra of Illusions was very fitting, The meaning is open to interpretation but at the core Orchestra of Illusions means, an orchestral sound that tells the story of how we can break down oppressive systems and the illusions they create.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely not been a smooth road but even though the road was rough, so many valuable lessons and knowledge was gained. The most difficult part of it all at the beginning was being reliant on others who already had music composed for me to write lyrics and melodies to. That was the situation in the bands I was in, they wrote the music and I only wrote lyrics and melodies. But once I learned how to record, compose and produce my own music, I really felt freedom creatively for the first time, and I got to have my own input with the musical composition. I didn’t have to wait around for others or limit myself to being just a singer and songwriter. The other part of the struggle was having to work a day job in order to purchase the necessary studio equipment and instruments to record. It’s definitely not cheap and I really had to work hard at many day jobs to save up for my current production set up.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in creating unique and intricate electronic music which includes custom soundtracks for short films, commercials and feature films as well as producing music for my project called Orchestra of Illusions. I’m currently also aiming to expand and produce for other artists, bands or singers. I currently have a single out called “Freedom Trance” as well as two short film soundtracks which can be found on Bandcamp for purchase or Spotify for streaming. I’m most proud of my short film soundtrack for the short film, “Brown Bag Special” which won best Original Score from Santa Barbara Shorts Film Festival. I think what sets me apart from others is the way I produce and compose music. I really don’t follow traditional ways to do it! I’m completely self taught, I don’t know music theory but everything I do is with instinct and drive. I also trust my ear a lot and I don’t limit myself when it comes to certain sounds or ways to construct a song or soundtrack. Sometimes it just feels like magic, and I don’t even know how certain melodies or ideas come to me. Making music is very spiritual to me, almost like channeling and pulling out something from the ether, that is true and revelatory.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Luck is something that I don’t really rely on. My journey in life has seen a lot of ups and downs, but I don’t look at it as being lucky or unlucky. It took me a while to learn how to move on from moments in my life where I dwelled on the things that didn’t work out or dwelled on other horrible things that have happened to me along the way. The only way to move forward is to have something to live for that gives you ultimate happiness and for me that was always music. I firmly believe that whatever you put a focus on, will take over and spread over your consciousness. So it’s very important to nurture your mind and fuel it with a positive purpose! I do also feel immense gratitude for my support system of friends and family that have encouraged me along the way. In that sense, I do feel lucky! But in the sense of someone opening a door for me and offering me fame and fortune, well, that has never happened! And in the end that’s ok with me because I’d prefer to be independent and free and not working under some kind of corporate music industry overlords who have a long history of being abusive to artists, exploiting their talents and forcing them to create music that is only for profit and popularity driven, which are all things that I aim to break down and obliterate.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://orchestraofillusions.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orchestraofillusions/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orchestraofillusions
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@orchestraofillusions
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6JywRJO4PfLiuCP3fKJuoi?si=SG1AJcqjQm6Na0BMU6oy_w