CLAYTON, North Carolina – 3 Dolla is a collection of three previously released singles, each reinventions of his older tracks. Dolla Bill elaborates, “I’m currently on a creative high that I’ve been on since about two years ago. Much of my year has been dedicated to remixing, producing, and engineering. I’ve been experimenting with songs from across my discography and have produced this EP around these three songs that have different and noticable voice edits from the original versions. They’re kind of dark and almost diabolical. Some are natural (radio edit). I’ve been given a lot of good feedback on them.”
Dolla Bill has two presences as a recording artist. In his hip hop work, he uses the alias Dolla Bill, but in his singer/songwriter work, he uses his name Will Francis. Throughout 2022, Will has been bouncing back and forth between his two personas, unleashing two different kinds of creative energy as he reflects upon the year.
He says, “Sometimes as a creative, we have periods of downtime. And then all of a sudden, a spark hits us. That creative drive or jones. It's that inspiration or it could be something about our environment that gets us thinking and those wheels turning. This energy is what motivates us to get up, start again and put pen to paper. Some of this creativity comes out of a period of frustration. Writing comes from emotions and sometimes this craft is forged from frustration, a rebellion against those emotions.”
Growing up, Will has found deep inspiration in the music he was surrounded by as a teen. His sister was an avid collector of records and tapes, and as he became interested in her music collection, he grew to be deeply connected with the songs of the time. Tracks like Judas Priest’s “Beyond the Realms of Death” was the first song he connected with because it captured the frustration, angst and rebellion he was going through as a typical teenager. It touched him emotionally and it was the first time Will deeply connected with how the lyricality of music can shape people.
As his listening evolved over the years, he began listening to more rock and roll and singer/songwriters, inspired deeply by Jackson Browne, Jim Croce, Billy Joel and The Doors. In college he took on a writing minor, eventually coming to write and perform his own music. He says, “After that, I dedicated my thirties to singer/songwriting, going to open mics, auditions and showcases with a deep care for lyrics and melody.”
It is only within the past seven years that Will Francis’ attention turned to hip hop. He says, “It’s not that I wasn’t aware of it, but that I didn't fully discovered it until recently. I was given the inspiration for hip hop/rap music before I was able to actually do it. It happened one day on accident, when I converted singer/songwriter lyrics and melody to spoken word with an emphasis on rhyming. I did this a couple times and a flow emerged in the cadences. I played it back and was like...wow! This sounds better than the melodic version. This is when I started listening to more hip hop/rap music and becoming a creative in that genre. This experience had impacts on my creativity and I’m at a high right now. I’ve been given plenty of great feedback and I listen closely to the feedback I’m given. People like influencers, curators, labels, and whoever I can send my music to have all been inputs to refine myself.”
Dolla Bill is excited to see how audiences will receive 3 Dolla. He says, “Even though it is a project mostly about engineering, mixing, and editing, there’s a lot of creativity behind it. I’m happy with how the voice turned out in the songs. I’m happy with the album art too, it shows the image being split into three parts, like the three songs.”
On SoundCloud, 3 Dolla has a bonus track: “Busta U-Turn”. He says, “I’ve gotten a lot of good feedback on that track. So, I guess it’s really 4 Dollas on SoundCloud!”
Aside from his work as Dolla Bill, Will Francis has been active in writing is a singer/songwriter throughout 2022 as well.
“The Long Way” is a track that is psychedelic and dreamlike, almost like a tunnel coming into view. The tunnel gives the song cadence, with Will’s voice reverberating throughout the song.
“Done Got Me Down” is a bluesy track written amidst the reflections of everyday life. He says, “It was one of those moments where you are sitting down, and inspiration sparked or came over. It happened so quick. I wrote the lyrics, made a melody, and recorded it all right there.”
Across both of these personas – Dolla Bill or Will Francis – Will is excited to reach people and share music with them. He looks forward to a bright year in 2023, continuing this creative high he has been on throughout the 2020s.
For bookings, please email [email protected] or [email protected].
Please follow Dolla Bill or Will Francis on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.
Releases:
Dolla Bill – 3 Dolla EP Spotify
Dolla Bill – 3 Dolla EP Apple Music
Dolla Bill – 3 Dolla EP SoundCloud (Bonus Track)
Will Francis – The Long Way
Will Francis – Done Got Me Down
Dolla Bill – Petty Cash
Streaming:
Spotify (Will Francis)
Spotify (Dolla Bill)
