![\"Michael-Franti-Issue-No29\"](\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Michael-Franti-Issue-No29.jpg\")
<\/h1>\n<\/h1>\n<\/b>Like his heroes, he\u2019s on a mission to change the world through music<\/b><\/p>\n
For more than 25 years, Michael Franti has channeled his spirited blend of R&B, folk, jazz, reggae and hip-hop to both entertain and raise awareness of social and political issues. On his new album,\u00a0All People<\/i>, Franti\u2014who formed Michael Franti and Spearhead in the late 1990s\u2014has been inspired by a host of musical icons who offered him reassurance and hope during his own troubling times. \u201cI\u2019ve had artists who really changed moments for me and made me the person I\u2019ve become,\u201d\u00a0 he says. \u201cThere are so many artists like that\u2014Johnny Cash, the Clash, John Lennon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Franti credits their songs with signaling a sea change in the culture. \u201cI was moved by how much they care about changing the world,\u201d\u00a0 he says. \u201cI was really drawn to the social message. It gave the music more power.\u201d\u00a0 Franti knows that power well, but acknowledges that creating art often requires a state of emotional stress. \u201cWhen you write a song, you have to go to the dark side at first,\u201d\u00a0 he explains. \u201cI feel like it\u2019s my responsibility to make the songs that are inspiring. Music can be very healing. Even when the sun isn\u2019t shining, sometimes you can find it within.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unlike many artists who keep fans\u00a0at arm\u2019s length, he prefers to engage them and learn more about their problems. Franti invited the public to participate in the video for the new album\u2019s first single, \u201cI\u2019m Alive (Life Sounds Like).\u201d\u00a0 \u201cAfter every show I walk offstage and talk to people in the audience,\u201d\u00a0 he says. \u201cYou\u2019re standing there listening to their stories, finding out what\u2019s going on in their lives. It\u2019s important to have that interaction between the audience\u00a0and the performer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Franti\u2019s connection with his fans underscores his mission of unity. He began by performing new tunes before the album\u2019s release, and with the emergence of new technology, feedback was immediate. \u201cIt used to be where artists would only receive letters from fans by snail mail,\u201d\u00a0 he says. \u201cThen, there was a time where you\u2019d get thousands of emails, and now we\u2019re in an era with social media where you hear from them in an instant. It\u2019s incredible.\u201d\u00a0 Yet Franti\u2019s goal of bringing people together extends well beyond his fans. \u201cThis record is a celebration of diversity and about the differences among people,\u201d\u00a0 he says. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to understand how someone could shut people out rather than accept them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013Blake Boldt<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MICHAEL FRANTI Like his heroes, he\u2019s on a mission to change the world through music For more than 25 years, Michael Franti has channeled his spirited blend of R&B, folk, jazz, reggae and hip-hop to both entertain and raise awareness of social and political issues. On his new album,\u00a0All People, Franti\u2014who formed Michael Franti and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[7093,2284],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11074"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11074"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11074\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11076,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11074\/revisions\/11076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}