Francene Rouelle: Exclusive Interview

by Sydney Preston

@Sydney_17

Sometimes our future looks us directly in the eyes, and yet we still cannot see. You think you know what you want, do all the things to go in that specific direction, and then out of nowhere, the stars align, illuminating a different path.

A cosmic shift happened for Francene Rouelle while casually singing with her dad’s band in Texas.

Music has been the center of Rouelle’s life since she can remember, and it all started with her dad. A singer-songwriter himself, he used his skills to write childhood anthems for his children. Songs to inspire and encourage. Songs that struck something powerful in Rouelle’s life. Quickly recognizing her love for music, her family placed her in musical theater classes where she was trained until she was 19.

Between the singing lessons, dance classes, and performances, musical theater was the driving force of her life for over a decade. All of this work led her to Texas State University, where she majored in musical theater.

Her love and passion for this medium were evident, but in her first year of college, something that once seemed to be set in stone began to change. “I realized that theater wasn’t fulfilling me in a way that I thought it would,” said Rouelle. “I think I needed a change of pace.”

At the age of 20, things began to shift for the singer. After a life of portraying other people for shows or performing covers from her favorite artist, it was time for Rouelle to step into her own light and create music for herself. “I wanted to write my own music, go back to my roots the way my dad had taught us with writing and producing our own music.”

And so, she did.

Crafting and curating her sound over a few years, she finally released a song into the world. While she was working on her music, so was her dad. He and his band were performing at different venues around the area, and he invited his daughter to perform at one of his gigs. As she was up there singing with her dad, who started her love for music and his rock band, the stars aligned.

In the audience sat a producer, Wave, and his team, there to support a different artist, Prom Queen, who was also performing at the venue. Shortly after that performance with her dad, Rouelle got a DM from Wave, and the duo have worked together since.

What started as a girl wanting to pursue a career in music and meeting other people with the same goal has turned into something historic: The first and only Asian American music label in the state of Texas, mHart.

“With this project, I let myself live and it has helped me grow so much.”

When Wave and Rouelle started working together, they knew they had something special. They flowed with one another easily, creating the perfect sound. Wave was already managing the artist Prom Queen and as more projects started coming together, they realized a bigger team was needed in order to fully support everyone. In Austin, Texas, their label was born.

“This label is something that we literally built from the ground up, which is insane but I am so grateful” Rouelle said. She went on to add that being able to pick the people they work with creates a level of safety that allows the art to really shine. “I couldn’t imagine not working with people who are not only my friends but who I trust with all my heart. I wouldn’t be taking the creative risks that I am taking now if it wasn’t for the comfortability that I have from this label.”

The creative risks she has been taking are starting to pay off in an amazing way. Her new album “if u see me like this” is set for a fall 2026 release and she has decided to stop coloring between the lines.

The first two singles in this album rollout, “september bby” released in March of this year and “as opposed to what” dropping May 1st really follows what personal growth is like; the beauty of it and the challenges that follow.

“In my past projects, I was following a way of healing from the book, I was trying to follow this perfect way, step by step. I think in this year and this project, I realized that it is a lot messier than that, it’s not this linear thing” said Rouelle. “It’s messy and chaotic and you kind of have to really live deeply in the moment in order to figure yourself out instead of trying to follow the rules that don’t actually exist. With this project, I let myself live and it has helped me grow so much.”

am i in the wrong 

sick for moving on 

as opposed to what?

lyrics from '“as opposed to what”

by Francene Rouelle

Taking this new intuitive and non-restrictive approach in her life and applying it to her music has elevated her to new levels. There is a new edge that wasn’t in her previous projects. It has made her songs more expressive and honest.

Where “september bby” is celebrating this new change in life, Rouelle’s newest single “as opposed to what” explores the moments when your personal growth journey is being tempted by the familiar. It is a track that shows that breaking the loop is not as easy as it seems and it often makes you come across as a villain in other people’s stories.

Rouelle explains, “the song has a feeling of push and pull, it’s very contradictory. Like yeah. I’m having a great time but I’m also crashing out at the same time. You feel like you’re alone and like you’re the only one going through this battle of I don’t know if I’m okay or if I’m not.”

This project is not playing it safe. It is a step into vulnerability and exploring a more rebellious side of life. It has a stronger personality than her previous works. If these singles are any indication for her next album, I would say we are all in for a treat.

Coming off her supporting slot for Tate McRae in her Miss Possessive tour and landing a spot on Spotify’s Fresh Finds Pop playlist for “september bby” Francene Rouelle is aiming for the stars.

For more from Francene Rouelle follow her on socials such as Instagram @francene, TikTok @francenerouelle and Spotify.

Also check out mHart on the website here.