Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Winley, AKA R3FRENCE.
Justin, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Well in a way, it all started with H.E.R.
If memory serves correctly, I was in my first semester of college when I heard her mixtape (shout out to Spotify’s Discover Weekly playlist). Everything about it captivated my attention. I became an instant fan, and what I found the most fascinating was her anonymity. The silhouetted image on her cover wasn’t just a gimmick — she was truly a ghost for a long time, even as her work began to garner popularity. Because her image wasn’t in play, people fell in love with her art first. I found, as many likely did, a depth and vulnerability in her lyricism that had seemed scarce among our generation of artists.
I’ve been a writer all my life and became an actor in high school. In addition, I’ve always been a fan of superheroes; so the concept of a “secret identity” became very attractive to me. I began to think about Donald Glover, who is probably the patron saint of this new renaissance we find ourselves on the verge of. I knew I didn’t want music to represent me entirely, so I decided to create a separate entity who would only be concerned with that. I bounced around multiple name ideas but eventually landed on “reference”. My friend Amir Royale suggested dropping the second e and making the first one a 3 — and the rest is about to be history.
I made my debut in March 2019 with “MayBe So,” which I describe as a song about this paralyzed state between “I want” and “I will,” and the all-too-common resignation of “We could’ve, but we didn’t.” With it, I really wanted to examine the psycho-emotional baggage that we absorb through our various intimate and passionate relationships, and furthermore, how that baggage keeps us from pursuing any kind of future. I was able to produce a video for it two months later. Just a few months ago on Earth Day, I released “Apocalove”, which takes a complete 180-degree turn from the themes of “MayBe So” and embraces the rapturous sensation of complete devotion to a partner. I enjoyed drawing contrast between the two songs, especially because I think of my songs as stories. And long term, I want to make it rewarding to sit and listen to my discography. I think, if I do this right, you will be able to trace a character (or several) across my body of work.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I’ve been officially writing music for two years now and had my first performance in August ’19. I would say the biggest challenge is striking a balance between advertising yourself and letting the work stand on its own. We are in an era of perpetual inundation, so the constant struggle is getting your “thing(s)” heard. I’m still working on the best strategy for that. It doesn’t help that I think a lot of artists carry envy or insecurity when we listen to someone who seems better than we think we are. But a friend of mine recently said “comparison is the thief of joy.” I try to keep that in mind.
Another challenge is playing the producer game. Everyone is trying to come up, and there is a genuinely massive array of talented producers out there. But they can be unapproachable, because theft and scams are so rampant that it’s difficult to build a relationship that isn’t just transactional, but more long-term and collaborative. As my career develops, I hope to find more open-minded engineers in the field.
Sidenote: Live shows are SO much fun. I need more of those.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
My goal with R3FRENCE is to create a vibrant and eclectic musical discography that pulls from various influences across genre and history. I take pride in being very intentional about my lyricism. I enjoy the process of whittling and shaping a loose concept or “mood” into a tangible and catchy lyrical story.
Perhaps influenced by my experiences in musical theatre, I am predisposed to crafting eccentric arrangements. It’s all a learning process, but I would say what sets me apart is my mind for performance and what really engages people on a mental level. At least, that’s what I’m trying to develop a sense for!
I’m also fortunate to have a personal history with Black gospel, which is, in my opinion, maybe the richest and most dynamic form of music in the Western world. It informs the way I think about melody and harmony. It’s also guiding me on my instrument-learning journey, and all of that will hopefully dovetail into me becoming a modest composer.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Where lucky is a synonym for fortunate or even blessed, I can say that I have been incredibly lucky. Lucky to have met and connected with a vast number of gifted, talented, hard-working and like-minded individuals who, in all their many ways, have inspired my work simply through the nature of our relationship–if not outright influence it by helping produce, mix, master, photograph, film, set design, costume, etc. R3FRENCE is mine, in name and right, but whatever affects the brand has in the future will not be entirely to my credit, and I will be happy to share it with the team that has formed around me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/r3frence
- Phone: 6464188352
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/r3frence/
- Facebook: https://bit.ly/2Vhmdxn
- Other: https://bit.ly/2HRVvER
Image Credit:
Adam of Eden Photography
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