Off-Kilter’s: Everything You Need To Know

It doesn’t always take reinventing the wheel to grab attention in a significant way. When attention is more precious than ever, it’s hard to stand out amongst the crowd if you aren’t the most outlandish. Doing something that people have seen before can be risky in the sense that you might not even make a splash. However, if you do it incredibly well, it can be immediately endearing. This is the delicate balance that must be managed in the streaming age. I believe that is the case with Frankii Davis and her debut EP “Sapio”—an endlessly engaging and fresh project full of smooth R&B with all the confidence one could muster. Across all nine tracks, Davis commands your attention from the start of each track until long after they have ended. It might not be retooling the archetypes of genre, but it is a standout within it. 

Opening your debut project with a song titled “Fuck Boy” is a statement; no matter what. For Frankii Davis, it is that much more impressive. As soon as the song starts, you’re already sold by the concept alone. It doesn’t hurt that the song itself is ridiculously smooth with buttery synth pads and backup vocals adorning the opening few seconds before Davis pops onto the track. And, as she does, her vocals glide over the instrumental, almost forcing you to bop your head around. The rattling drums and ad-libs crooning “fuck boy” in the background make the whole affair a killer opener. It almost functions as the Rosetta Stone to the rest of the project. 

Davis’ confidence and sultry vocals draw you in with an effortless wave of the hand, inviting you to hear her out over the course of nine tracks and 30 minutes. 

That same indelible bravado and magnetism continues onto the second track, “Hype Me Up.” The song opens with the lyric “She’s so fly / I mean, one of a kind / she lingers on your mind,” which upon first listen made me reel back for a second.  The track as a whole has that effect on you with it’s slithery piano-led verses and it’s chorus that reminds me of the Estelle deep cut, “More Than Friends.” It’s far from a bad thing. In fact, the main allure of this track for me is how much it feels like the continuation of what so many other female R&B singers have laid the groundwork for. It has the confidence of Janelle Monae with the simplicity and catchiness of throwback girl-groups like TLC. 

As soon as you get accustomed to that brand of straightforward, shit-talking R&B, Davis quickly switches pace on you with the third song, “Lights (Ft. Cache Pheenix).” Whereas the first two tracks have roots in the heart of female-led R&B, “Lights” has its eyes set on another style altogether: that of dance and club music. Through propulsive, pulsing drum rhythms and anthemic background vocals, Davis shows that she can just as easily make a club banger as she can a bedroom anthem. Again, it might not be reinventing the genre, but it’s playing with conventions in interesting ways, bolstering Davis’ strengths as a vocalist in a way that garners immediate satisfaction.

We quickly move onto the title track of the project, which again sees Davis showing off a different edge to her talents as a musician. “Sapio (Ft. Jada Moore)” feels incredibly modern and smooth, adding yet another level to the project. We’ve seen Davis do throwback jams, a bedroom track, and a club banger, so now we get to see her dip her toes into the rhythms of an artist like SZA or Ravyn Lenae. 

Skittering shakers and hi-hats bleed into glittering embellishments, as she glides over the instrumental and commands your attention. It leads into the interlude “Standby,” which feels especially modern with it’s Frank Ocean-esque vocal effects and pummeling 808 hits. “Standby” is another that could easily fall into the category of bedroom songs, as Davis’ lyrics paint such an alluring picture. 

“I hate to beg but I need you with me / My love is far away on the other side of the country” and “I need your body heat / I need your hands all over me, baby” are evocative lyrics, and they fit so wonderfully with Davis’ voice and demeanor. Track number six, the heartbreak anthem “Let Me Hurt (Ft. R Rich),” might be one of my favorites on the whole project. This is almost exclusively for the bridge of the song, where Davis sings “Feelings turned to emotions / Emotions turned into fuckin’ / and now I’m left heartbroken.” That sort of leering heartache is such a palpable emotion to harness on a song, and I find that Davis does it immaculately. The guest verse from R Rich also adds some nice texture to the song, whether you see it as a separate verse entirely or as him taking the perspective of Davis’ former lover. I think it’s an incredibly strong track that has the most potential of breaking out into Spotify playlists. 

Second to last (barring the clean version of the aforementioned “Fuck Boy”) is the song “Solo.” This track might be the only one on here that I think falters a little bit. The drums on it are a bit clunky and don’t really come into their own until about a minute into the song. Davis herself still has a gravitational pull when it comes to gathering attention on each song, as her vocals never cease to be engaging. The concept of the song works, too, but I am not sure how well all the individual elements really work together. It might remind me a little bit too much of songs like “Mr Lonely/911” by Tyler, The Creator or even the same titled track “Solo” by Frank Ocean. 

Luckily, the final song on the album is another one of my favorites in the form of “Runway.” That braggadocio and confidence that popped up so frequently on the earlier songs comes back in a commanding way to send the album out. The drums are intense and the drilling lead melody just sticks in your head long after the song has ended. It fuses together two sensibilities from earlier songs: that club sense from the song “Lights” and the propulsiveness of “Fuck Boy.” As commanding and enjoyable as it is, having it as the last song on the project makes it even better because the listener is left wanting more. The song only clocks in just over two minutes, but it has the staying power of a six minute anthem.

All in all, Frankii Davis has announced herself as a commanding presence in the Chicago scene with her debut project “Sapio.” Across the nine tracks, she manages to give the listener a taste of everything she is capable of, only faltering slightly on a couple pieces of the puzzle. To have this much gravitas and confidence on your introductory album is truly a statement and I, for one, cannot wait to see what Davis manages to create in the future. 

“Sapio” was released on March 26th, and I implore you to give it a listen. But, on the off chance that you aren’t convinced yet, here is Frankii herself telling you everything you need to know about her project “Sapio.”

What were the core inspirations for this project? Who were the artists or creatives who helped shape it?

Have you ever walked down a street and noticed someone wearing a nice outfit or a pair of shoes and you begin to think to yourself, Man, I would rock the mess out of that fit if I had it? From there, you either ask that person where they got it from, or you go about life in the hopes of finding it on your own someday. The core inspirations for my EP takes on this type of concept and energy mixed with some of my own experiences. 

I observed different artists like H.E.R., Eryka Badu, and Sir for their fit or sense of style under the R&B umbrella. By watching these artists, I gained encouragement to find my own style, sound, and fit. When you embark on this journey to find your own unique sound and style, it's not a walk in the park or something you can come up within a day, month, and sometimes even years. It took me three years to find a qualitable sound that was mine, and that I wanted to project to the world. During my search, I was blessed to work with different artists and music engineers such as Cache Pheenix, Jeff Arenson, Jabari, Brian Boogiedavill Lewis, Black Metaphor, R Rich, Brandon Appleton, DJ Skoli, Jada Moore, Scoop Reese, and Le'aire. Essentially, they helped me find my sound.

Could you give a brief description of each track on the project and tell me what the overall concept/vibe behind each is?

“Play Boy/Fuck Boy” 

I believe that when a story is ready to be told, it is going to come out some way, somehow. I was looking back on a toxic dating experience I'd had with someone's son, and I was wide awake at 2AM in the morning just writing non-stop. I had the melody in mind, and I chose to meet up with Brian Boogiedavill Lewis to produce the track. Later, I recorded the track with producer and mixing engineer Jabari at Soundscape Recording Studios. Alas, the fan favorite song was born. Later on, I'd learn how common it was for everyone to have had their own experience with a fuck boy or fuck girl at one point in time.

“Solo” 

This song was produced by DJ Skoli and was written in the beginning of the pandemic when everyone was confined to their living space. I wanted to capture how it feels to be trapped with the only escape being your own imagination. Your mind can be your refuge or a jail; it's all up to you.

“Let Me Hurt” 

This song was another challenge, as the writing portion and the profanity made me uncomfortable. However, I welcomed the discomfort, because I knew it would make me a better writer and artist. The song is about someone wanting to end a toxic relationship and, essentially, they are asking their partner to let them go and leave them alone to deal with the pain of not having a stable relationship. I also loved R Rich's southern Atlanta swag that he brought to the song. 

“Runway” 

This song was fun because it reminded me of my mother, who is a fan of House Music. The beat makes you want to move and dance ,and the words encourage you to dance further while adding confidence and appreciation for the body you  have. 

“Lights” 

This is another song that makes you want to dance, and I fell in love with it because of the House Music elements. In addition, I just love the Cache Pheenix feature—she added that party energy to the song.

“Hype Me Up” 

This song is for those who admire themselves and don't mind hyping themselves up when catching a glimpse in the mirror or window reflections. While hearing someone's compliment of your physical beauty is a nice booster, this song is a reminder that your own opinion of yourself counts the most.

“Standby” 

I wanted to capture a song about wanting to be next to a significant other that lives far away, dealing with the impatience and eagerness to be next to that person. I also made this song short to get the audience to want more of the content, which is another challenging moment for me as an artist. Brandon Appleton is the producer for this song.

“Sapio”

This song is the oldest track on the EP at nine years old. Producer Blackmetaphor provided me with this song at the very beginning of my music career while studying in Nashville, Tennessee. This song focuses on the attraction of an intellectual partner and the need and appreciation for a deeper connection over a physical one. This was important, as our society tends to be vain and focuses on physical attributes when it's the mind that should be catered to.

What does it mean as an artist to release your first project?

I am ecstatic to release my very first EP. It took years to pour myself into my artwork and to be able to express it in a sound that best reflects me. Each song is different and the sound is different. The genres are not all the same. This was purposely done to display my interest in diverse music and sounds, to showcase a variety of vocal abilities and to not limit myself within a box. From a songwriters standpoint, none of my songs were forced. Some of the songs were created as late as nine years ago, and some were recently written in the previous month. Whatever I was facing or wherever I was in life, it's in the music. Collectively, each story and melody came through the pen, onto the paper, and through the mic when it was ready to be told. 

From a recording perspective, I was on the hunt for sound quality. I drove across the city of Chicago to [various] recording studios. I had [the] front seat and final say on every vocal, harmony, and melody arrangement. I listened for suggestions and took advice when it was needed. I challenged myself to be a better artist. I am excited to truly introduce myself with this EP, and I'm mostly excited because this is only a taste of what's to come in the future.