When we tune in to Quite Frankly every night at 7PM, we only ever see half of what’s going on in that department of the old parachute factory. About twenty feet away from Frank’s studio, his brother Anthony is busy perfecting his own life’s work – the musical sensation Ten Second Songs. In the interview below, Anthony shares his story, and gives us a peek into his world. Enjoy!
Q: Your career can be divided into two phases: pre- and post-2014, the year you went viral. Let’s start at that crucial point. What happened?
A: I created my YouTube channel, Ten Second Songs, and uploaded my first video: Katy Perry’s Dark Horse in 20 Styles. I didn’t share it at first, and instead just let it sit there for the weekend. It felt kind of deflating once it was finished and uploaded, because I didn’t have high expectations. It got 10 views and 1 like from just sitting there, but then I decided to share it. I saw that a big Facebook page called ‘Life Buzz’ had shared a similar, but much less sophisticated video than mine, and offered them a free jingle to share my video as well. They loved it, shared it, and it went viral. I got 100,000 subscribers in the first week, which set me on this path as a musician and content creator, and that’s what my life has been ever since.
Q: Where were you, and what were you doing when you realized the song was a hit? How did it feel?
A: Well, it took a minute for it to take off. It only had 10,000 views when they first shared it, but after two days it was clear what was going to happen. I was in the old studio, and was working on some Bon Jovi parody for someone. When I took a break and checked my phone, I saw 99+ notifications on my email. I had never seen anything like that before, so I immediately got kind of a weird feeling, and it all happened at once. It felt like everything was happening at the same time, a total dopamine overload. An America’s Got Talent producer and an editor from Rolling Stone wanted to talk. Then Frank called me on the intercom, and told me I was number two on all of Reddit, which at the time was a huge deal. In 2014, if you were in the top five on Reddit, you were breaking the internet that day. Anyway, then I left the studio for a tattoo appointment, to get the last tattoo I ever got actually, and as the artist was working, the other guys working there kept checking their phones and telling me how such and such celebrity kept tweeting my video out. You also have to keep in mind that going viral back then was much different and much more difficult to do than it is today. It wasn’t algorithm-based, but was much more authentic, so you felt it more. The whole thing was overwhelming.
Q: Was the unique crossover style of Ten Second Songs always your plan, or was that an idea you developed later on?
A: The idea started two years prior. I created a Fiverr profile called Ten Second Songs. I was thinking about what I could sell for five dollars, and developed the idea of a custom songs business. I told people I would perform songs in any style they wanted, and found a market. I created content for birthdays, podcast intros, and just whatever people wanted. The Ten Second Songs YouTube channel was originally created with the intention of simply promoting the Fiverr business, but it blew up and took on a life of its own.
Q: How much of your content these days is self-inspired vs. requested by the audience?
A: It’s mostly audience-driven, which I like, because that’s what social media is all about. People like to see that they’re involved, and it generates a lot of engagement. Being able to play off the audience and creating that feedback loop just feels so natural. That said, I still like to create pieces based on my own ideas, which is more like art to me, and art is different than content. Content is meant to be consumed, so the goal there is to create something that you hope will pop off, whereas you should have a totally different approach to art. Art should be something that you have a vision for, and when you put it out, some people will like it, and some people won’t. That’s just the way art works, and I’ve accepted that.
Q: What was the coolest feedback you ever received from a fan?
A: I’m obviously very grateful for all my fans, and the nice things they say about my work, but I honestly can’t think of specific feedback that really stuck with me. It’s just not something I like to dwell on, because I feel like taking that stuff personally, even when it’s good, can pull you off track.
Q: Aside from the Katy Perry hit, which pieces are you most proud of?
A: Definitely Bohemian Rhapsody in 42 Styles. Eminem’s Rap God in 40 Styles still holds up, but Bohemian Rhapsody was one of my more ambitious undertakings, because I did almost all the music myself. The producer helping me mix it was just mixing it. He didn’t add anything. When I listen back to it, I think if I had my current producer working on that, it would sound way better. However, I still did it by myself and I think in those earlier videos, even though it didn’t sound perfect, the allure for the audience was that I was just one guy doing everything.
Q: When you aren’t creating music, what do you usually like to listen to?
A: It really depends. If I’m on a long drive, and I need to stay awake, probably something heavier, like a metal playlist. New metal, old metal, I like it all. When I need to be relaxed, a lot of my default is instrumental jazz music and synthwave. Just something chill, because to be honest, I spend so much time working on music, and I have to hear a song over and over again to the point that I get sick of it. After a long day of working, I just don’t want to hear anything with vocals on it.
Q: How has the music industry changed over the course of your career, and where do you think it’s headed?
A: More and more people are getting their start in the industry through social media today. I see so many bands getting their break on TikTok and Instagram especially. Sleep Token, for example, has been around for several years, but they got their official break into the mainstream pretty recently, when one of their songs became a popular TikTok sound, where all the e-girls and e-boys were using it for their videos. They started to get this ‘cool kids’ hype, and they’ve continued to snowball from there. That’s the power of social media, and you absolutely need it to be successful today. This is a totally hybrid industry now, unlike back in the 90s when you needed to be on MTV and sign with a record label.
Q: What advice would you give to young musicians and content creators?
A: Just put stuff out there. Don’t wait until you can afford special kinds of equipment. Make sure that your presentation is interesting and you look good. Even if you’re just using your phone, make sure you’re lit well. Do something that’s going to make you stand out. Make it snappy, make it funny, make it entertaining. Make it engaging in some way. Experiment, and when you find the thing that picks up and actually gets some viewership, and people are giving you feedback, and you start getting a lot of followers, keep doing that thing that got you there, and do it to death. Don’t be afraid to beat a dead horse, because the way social media works, the majority of your actual views will not come from your followers. Repost and repurpose your content often, because you’re constantly going to be reaching new people.
Q: What are your goals for the future?
A: As of right now, I just had a writing session with my producer, and we’re working on creating an Anthony Vincent solo album. It’s an interesting process, because I’m really exploring which direction I want to go in as an artist. I think about how, if I were to see myself, just my name, what does that sound like? What am I bringing to the table? I’m working on figuring that out. So, this year, I’ll be doing a solo album, but we’re also dusting off a vault of tracks that we’ve done with the band, Set the Charge. For me, that old music is more experimental and raw, and I just want to put it out there. I also have some plans for taking the Ten Second Songs videos to the next level, and doing some live performance stuff, that could potentially turn into a live version of what I’ve been doing for years on my YouTube channel. The idea is to just get a bunch of really good musicians together, and improvise songs on the spot in front of a live audience. That said, I’ve learned to always leave room for surprises.
Bonus Q: Finally, since this is an interview for the Quite Frankly Bulletin, will you please share a fun fact about your brother that his audience might not know?
A: When we were kids, Frank was actually a soprano vocalist. He sang in a Christmas opera musical called ‘Amahl and the Night Visitors’ as part of our community theater. Frank was the lead role, and he sang in a super high-pitched voice the entire time.
