Today, American Idol alum Francisco Martin has unveiled his 2nd EP Manic, out everywhere today via 19 Recordings. The 6-song EP is a collection of emotionally-raw alternative, pop-rock. For the San Francisco native, the songs represent a new era of liberated creativity. To celebrate the release, the singer has released a visualizer for its latest single “Narcissist,” which finds him reflecting on his own “manic” moments.
“’Narcissist’ is based on a character that I’m all too familiar with,” Martin explains. “It shares thoughts and feelings I have during some of my “manic” moments. When you’re in a manic episode, you feel like the world is all about you. We crave the idea of being ‘liked by everyone. It’s great that our generation is living in the age of the Internet, but it distorts our reality of who we are and how people perceive us. It’s a song about today’s social climate and how it affects normal everyday people. Me singing about being a narcissist isn’t literal, it’s a metaphorical symbol of our generation and how we can turn to narcissistic tendencies when we’re not taken care of and don’t feel like we get the love we deserve, because at the end of the day, ‘who doesn’t want to be loved?’”
Narcissist Visualizer
Francisco made Manic during a three-month pause after being thrust in the public eye, and he finally had a chance to gather his thoughts as an artist. He created it with his co-producer/good friend Nick Sarpa in Francisco’s apartment studio setup.
Francisco announced the Manic EP with the anthemic track “Nobody Listens To Me!.” He followed it up in May with the romantic “KISSING ON A BALCONY.” He said, “This song is about crazy f—— love. When you feel infatuated with someone you barely know.” On the most recent single “hate you to love myself,” The singer was found coming to terms with some destructive past behavior. “I was a terrible person to be around during 2021,” he admits. “I was constantly on the brink of anger and anxiety and fell a little too off the deep end and I hurt people I love.”
MANIC EP Tracklist
1. Split Personality
2. Narcissist
3. freak show
4. KISSING ON A BALCONY
5. hate you to love myself
6. Nobody Listens To Me!
After his first-ever tour, Francisco realized he had a desire to be his authentic self in his music. To that end, he worked feverishly in his apartment at all hours of the night on his new EP while facing complaints from the neighbors. Throughout the EP, Francisco shares personal reflections on mental health, relationships, angst, and human disconnection in the age of connection. “This EP is close to my heart. I know it’s a risky move, but this is my truth. As long as I am an artist, I will continue to push the limits,” he says.
“I am not afraid to share what is in my heart with brash honesty,” Francisco adds. “I want to push boundaries. People see one version of me, and I want them to see all of me. I am ready to come out of my shell as an artist and show who I really am as a person.”
Manic Playlist
Francisco first gained recognition on American Idol season 18 in 2020 where he placed Top 5. From there, he quickly released a few singles before embarking on a fall coast-to-coast tour. To date, Francisco has released several singles, including “Swollen,” which has amassed close to 8 million streams across all DSPS (6 million on Spotify).
Francisco also co-wrote American Idol season 20 Top 5 finalist Fritz Hager’s original song “Hearts Align”
The singer is currently touring the country in support of The Score and Dreamers and performing material off of the Manic EP. For more information and to purchase tickets please click HERE.
