Join me in today’s interview with Francesco Guerra, a.k.a. Cesco. Cesco is a 16-year-old multi-talented R&B artist from the GTA. Scroll to find out more about his pathway to music, and what he has in store for the future.
Q: What role did music play in your life growing up?
A: Directly from my background, my whole family is really big on music. I think being put into music at a very young age strengthened my interest for it. It felt only right for me to get into music.
Q: You sing and play both guitar and piano—Does the change in instrument ever influence the way you write or perform music?
A: There’s definitely an impact, I think different instruments give a different feel. Personally, I think some emotions are stronger conveyed with different instruments.
Q: What could you tell me about your experience with those two instruments?
A: In terms of experience, I’ve played the piano for over 10 years, but I only started playing the guitar 5 years ago. I take piano lessons, but I’m self-taught with the guitar.
Q: Who were your biggest music influences/idols growing up?
A: I really liked Justin Bieber and his ability to encapsulate and experiment with different genres. Background-wise, I also really enjoyed the Filipino artists introduced to me by my dad.
Q: What made you want to pursue music professionally, or at least to the capacity you are now?
A: Personally, music has always been a hobby. It’s something that I could invest my time in and also share with others. From there, people told me that I was kinda “good”, so I thought I may as well continue with it.
Q: What was the process of figuring out your sound like?
A: In my experience, and especially with the piano, I only play songs that I actually enjoy listening to. My piano teacher always encouraged me to play the things I like, rather than giving me the “traditional” songs to play and expecting me to learn from there.
I think that process really helped with figuring out “my sound”. I’d say the same with guitar, since I’m self-taught. I’d just search up songs that I liked and play whatever I wanted.
I have a very similar thought process when it comes to writing. I wouldn’t want to write or take things from a genre that I personally don’t appreciate as much.
Q: Who would you say are your biggest music influences now?
A: Honestly, I’d still say it’s Justin Bieber. I still appreciate his sense of versatility as an artist.
I’d also include my dad. He’s also versatile in the sense that he grew up playing music and experimenting with a lot of different instruments.
Q: What’s your favourite part about creating music?
A: I’d say sharing it with people. I happen to make most of my music with a group of friends, so part of that fun is from those relationships that come along with the music process.
Q: What’s the hardest part about creating music?
A: Definitely coming up with ideas, or “writer’s block”. Although once you get over it, you can end up in a flow state where everything just works, lyrically, melodically, and such.
Follow Up: Is there anything you do that helps you get over that obstacle?
A: When I have writer’s block, I like to listen to music, specifically music that has a similar cadence or vibe to what I want to create. From there, I try to take inspiration or insight on that piece, wherever possible.
Q: Do you write all your music with an intent to release, or do you pursue personal projects?
A: Usually, I only record and publish upon request. So on a regular basis, I keep most of my work private. Most of my published pieces are just collabs with friends.
Q: How do you find performing, and how does it compare to performing outside of school?
A: Typically, the performances in school have more people, nearing about 500. Whereas my performances outside of school, including piano recitals, have much less people.
That being said, I find my nerves are about the same when comparing the two experiences. I think my experience makes me less anxious, especially when it comes to the size of an audience.
Q: In a future tense, what’s your ideal relationship with music?
A: I definitely hope to continue music as a hobby, whether that be the guitar, piano, or singing.
In terms of releasing, I don’t foresee that being a focal point in my life, since I’m not on any strict deadlines for releasing new stuff. I am still looking into pursuing music as a study, however I think I’ll be giving it more thought as we move into the coming year.
Q: In closing, if you could collaborate with any artist, in the past or in present, who would it be?
A: I’d still stick with Justin Bieber. Outside of him, I think I’d say Micheal Jackson. I believe his voice, sound, and star factor is really unmatched.
*Answers have been edited for length and clarity
Thank you for sitting down with me today Cesco. Cheers to your creative future!
You can check out Cesco’s work on Spotify here!