This year has been tough for everyone, particularly those involved in the music industry. Given that mass gatherings are out of question for the foreseeable future, a live concert or a night out in a club seems like a distant memory, not just for partygoers but for artists themselves. As a result, many are planning for and looking forward to a much better 2021 with the allure of a new start particularly appealing
to one aspiring DJ from Belfast, who has decided a rebrand is the perfect way to kick off, what is hopefully, a much more prosperous new year.
Meet
Franky Mac, an 18-year-old radio and club DJ from Northern Ireland, who, despite the stop start nature of this year, is making waves across the province. Many of those are provided on air, given that he already has his own weekly radio show on Bangor FM, ‘Bangor Fresh’ which he hosts every Thursday from 3-5pm playing the hottest hits and some great throwbacks. He is equally comfortable behind the decks as he is behind the
mic, having played live across Belfast in well-known venues such as The Botanic Inn and Time,
as well working with the Kremlin and featuring on the line up for last year’s Dance Night at the Feile.
Given what he has achieved in a relatively short space of time, its unsurprising to hear that Franky has a fantastic 2021 lined up, with goals of moving forward in the radio industry and returning to playing live. I caught up with Franky to hear allabout his rebrand, how he adapted to the challenges presented this year and the exciting projects he has coming up.
LM: So Franky why the rebrand and could you tell us a bit about where the name came from?
FM: The new full name is Franky Mac and to be honest, I need a new name going forward as Cormac on its own never really stood out. Franky is actually my middle name and Mac comes from Cormac, so it worked out pretty cool!
Does it signal a change in direction with regards your career as a DJ?
Definitely. 2020 has been terrible for both my radio and DJ goals. It’s pushed things back a bit, but we are hoping for a big change in 2021 radio and DJ wise.
I’m sure many of your plans were put on hold as a result of this crazy year. Did the time off from doing shows and gigs offer you the space to reflect and look at how far you’ve come, but also how far you’d like to go?
Of course, it really made me rethink a lot of things and it has shown me not to take things for granted. I’m a strong believer in things happening for a reason, so if I wasn’t supposed to make a stride in 2020, it wasn’t meant to be.
Music for many people was a huge tool in helping them to escape during this difficult year, were you one of those who found it beneficial?
I don’t think there is a single day where I don’t have music on! I’m so happy that artists were still working hard on releasing music throughout the pandemic and it really helped me find new content, not just for radio but also for when clubs reopen, as lotsof bangers have been released.
Are there any live performances this year which you watched and were really inspired by?
I’m really happy so many live sets happened throughout the year from so many different artists. It was cool for me to watch them and be inspired by them as a DJ myself. It really motivated me to do my own live sets on my Instagram account and these were great for me as they allowed me to continue doing what I love, despite clubs being shut.
The only real downside to playing a set on an Instagram live was that if you played a bad song which your viewers didn’t like they would switch off instantly and you lose them, whereas if you play one bad song in a club packed full of people, no one is going to leave the dancefloor, they’ll wait it out for a good one! It was different for sure, but fun to try out and see how it can work well.
What are some of your favourite genres?
I’ve always been a huge house head! I play house songs not just in the clubs, but all the time on the radio too and the listeners on Bangor Fresh seem to love it.
Since the last time we spoke you’ve gone on to present a weekly show on Bangor FM, how have you found being on the radio each week? I’m sure this year was particularly challenging?
Well, this year has changed a lot as a radio DJ on Bangor FM. Half of the year was live and half wasn’t, which was hard because it’s a massive passion of mine being in the studio doing the show. It did, however, make me realise and appreciate just how much people have supported each other throughout the industry. Hopefully 2021 will have a different direction on whichever radio station I’m on…
What are some of your current favourite artists or songs to play on the radio?
I really can’t choose! So many albums and singles have been released this year and I love them all. If I had to pick one artist, I’d say Flume, I’m a huge fan of his at the moment.
Finally, what are your aims for the upcoming year and longer term?
Well hopefully by the end of the year I’ll be in a different position radio wise. I’m in talks with a few different commercial stations in the UK but it’s hard because of COVID. I can see this clearing up quite quickly though and hopefully I can make big moves after that. I think I just need to trust the process, I’ve had so many different DJs, from stations around the UK helping me out in trying to move forward which is really lovely to see. For now, I’m continuing on Bangor FM and I’m hopeful that clubs will be open as soon as possible so I can get back playing live.
