Q&A: With Melodies and Insights, Dive Into F3miii’s Musical Journey
“I’M GETTING FIRED FOR TRYING TO SUPPORT MY PASSION — that’s fucking awesome,” Dublin-based producer and vocalist F3miii shared. “I thought, ‘Okay, let me go all out with it.’”Known for his melodic voice and vibrant chords, F3miii debuted his solo career with the release of “Beautiful” on SoundCloud. Elevating him to the status of a rising artist whose dedication to his craft continues to propel him forward in the music industry, F3miii's take on music serves as a form of self-therapy and a means of creating experiences.
Being fired from his job pushed him to release his hit song “LOSTWITHOUTMARIA.” The track was also featured on Spotify playlists such as Fresh Finds. “[It] was surreal, and a huge validation of my work,” he said.
Luna got the chance to dive into the world of F3miii, exploring the origins of his passion, the evolution of his sound, and the aspirations that drive his artistic endeavors. Read the interview below.
LUNA: Can you tell us about yourself and how you got started in music?
F3MIII: My upbringing was heavily influenced by both my parents' music tastes. My mom was big into gospel music, while my dad introduced me to R&B and pop — you know, Usher and Beyoncé. Just like everybody else, he would always play that in the car, so their taste influenced me. I fell in love with house music and stuff when I found some random beats on YouTube when I was 12, and then I fell in love with Calvin Harris and stuff like that. I was like, “Yeah, this is what I want to make.” I started putting out remixes on SoundCloud; it was kind of the start of me making beats.
LUNA: How did your musical journey progress from your childhood exposure to music?
F3MIII: I had my music teacher when I was 12 — his name was Mr. O'Connor. He was a traditional kind of Irish player and stuff, and he would always be on TV. Whatever the biggest TV station is over there [in the States], the equivalent to it in Ireland is called RTE. He would always be there. I would finish school and then come home to see him on the TV. It blew my mind. I want to do that. I didn’t know how, but I knew that’s what I wanted. That's when I picked up the guitar. I got a guitar for my twelfth birthday, and I just went on YouTube and learned how to play the guitar. I joined the choir, which taught me how to have stage presence and a kind of confidence in myself. Later, I joined a band called GracePark, and it was kind of fake, kind of like Brockhampton.
LUNA: How did you transition from being part of a band to pursuing a solo career? Did you know much about Brockhampton? I would say GracePark is reminiscent of them.
F3MIII: I hadn’t heard of Brockhampton at the time; I didn’t know who they were. I talked to them [members of GracePark], and they were like, “Oh yeah, we copied them.” Which rubbed me the wrong way, because I thought we were original. I didn’t want to be copies — I wanted to do my own thing.
Over here [in Dublin], when you are 17 or 18, that’s when we have our exams to determine what college or university we go to — it’s called Leaving Certificate Exams. One of our main producers, his parents didn’t want him to do anything music-related … [they wanted him to] focus on his academics. So the whole group kind of split up. I was like, “Shit, what am I going to do? Make my music with the little knowledge that I have?” I had a lot of passion for it still, so I released my first single in 2020 and things started to pick up from there.
LUNA: What would you consider the turning points in your career so far?
F3MIII: Dropping "From Your Eyes" was a significant moment for me. It led to me getting fired from my job for promoting my music, which ultimately pushed me to fully commit to my passion. It sucked at first, losing my job, but in the end, I was so happy that I got fired. I was like, I’m getting fired for trying to support my passion, that’s fucking awesome. I thought, “Okay, let me go all out with it and release more songs.” I’ve been doing music full-time since then. I dropped “LOSTWITHOUTMARIA,” which went even crazier.
LUNA: How would you describe your musical style? Who are your biggest influences?
F3MIII: That’s a good question. I’ve been trying to figure that out myself. I'd say my music falls into the alternative genre, although it's hard to pin down. I went from alternate rock to where I am now. I draw inspiration from a variety of artists like Kaytranada, Sam Gellaitry, Calvin Harris, and Daft Punk.
LUNA: Can you walk us through your songwriting process? Walk me through “LOSTWITHOUTMARIA.” What was the process of making that? Did it start with the words or the sounds?
F3MIII: I get all my melodies in the shower or random places like that. “From Your Eyes,” that just started with a prayer. I just remember going through some relationship issues. I was like, “God, let me see the world through you.” I went to shower and I kind of found a melody. I don’t focus on the lyrics as much; I always get stuck with melodies in my head, and I work on capturing a mood or a moment.
At that time, I just kind of wanted to make a song about my girlfriend to try to get her to take me back — it’s quite literal. I was in this kind of headspace where I wanted to make something different than I had before. I wanted to make music you could dance to. This was the first time I was doing something like that so I needed a lot of references. I listened to a lot of Michael Jackson and music from the ’80s. I wanted a song that made you hit the dance floor. I love that kind of stuff, and that gave me an idea of what direction I wanted to go with the song. I had friends in the studio who contributed, and it became what it was.
LUNA: Which of your tracks is your favorite? Are there any dream collaborations you'd love to pursue?
F3MIII: "With U" holds a special place for me — it was a collaborative effort with my girlfriend. My label was like, “We need something in two days. Is that possible?” I was like, “No, but I'll make it happen.” I was stuck on the words. I asked my girlfriend for help. She's a writer, singer, and journalist. It's great; she’s really creative. She wrote the whole song in 30 minutes, bringing it all together, and I had it for them by that weekend. Her name is Alicia Namakau. She’s a great artist. She hasn’t put out any music yet — she’s just shy.
The lyrics are quite personal. They're about what I was going through with my friends and people who didn’t see my value, draining people. I am better off without you. That’s my favorite track.
As for dream collaborations, I'd love to work with artists like Calvin Harris, Pharrell Williams, and potentially Daft Punk (if they ever reunite).
LUNA: Your visuals often blend a vintage and modern aesthetic. What's your approach to visual presentation?
F3MIII: I'm a big fan of film aesthetics, like when you see photos of your parents on film and they seem happy. I feel it adds a unique texture to the visuals. It's about capturing that nostalgic feel while still feeling fresh and relevant to us now.
LUNA: How do you approach live performances, and do you have any plans for touring in the future?
F3MIII: I see live performances as an opportunity to connect with the audience and have fun. I can be in my own world; my main thing is to be yourself, and I don't really care about what people think of you. Go have fun because at the end of the day, it's just you. I've sold out shows before and hope to go on tour soon, possibly even in the States. I really want to see what New York is like during Christmas … if it’s like the movies.
LUNA: Looking ahead, where do you see yourself in the next few years? What are your aspirations?
F3MIII: I'm an existential person in a good way. I hope to continue releasing music, have a few good bodies of work, have my own tour, have gone to America, and get married, for sure. I hope to fulfill a lot of dreams — a huge one, to score a movie. That's a big goal of mine, to score for a film.
