Exclusive: Frankie Zulferino Brings Passion to Everything He Does
For as long as he can remember, Frankie Zulferino has wanted to perform. Throughout his music career, he has earned many labels: singer, dancer, TikTok star, and artist. What has remained constant is Zulferino’s passion and his commitment to following his dreams.
On April 30, Zulferino released his single “Hit That” featuring Melii. Over email, Showbiz Cheat Sheet chatted with Zulferino about his career, “Hit That,” and how he brings authenticity to his music.
How Frankie Zulferino realized his passion for performing
Showbiz Cheat Sheet: How did you discover your interest in music?
Frankie Zulferino: I first discovered my interest in music when I was about 11 years old. I started getting into the local community theaters. When you grow up in NY being on Broadway is always a dream, and so that is what I thought I was going to do! But, I really became obsessed with pop music, studying and learning from my favorite artists, so that’s what led me to pursuing my dreams today!
Showbiz Cheat Sheet: Growing up, you took dance classes, vocal lessons, and participated in theater productions. Did you always know you wanted to have a career in entertainment, or was it simply a passion at first?
Frankie Zulferino: I’ve never known anything else in my life that fulfills me like music and performing, and I always knew that’s what I was going to do.
Showbiz Cheat Sheet: What are some of the biggest lessons you learned from the early stages of your career?
Frankie Zulferino: A life lesson I wish I would have learned early on is the difference between being nice and being taken advantage of. Knowing my worth and not letting other people’s judgment or criticism bring me down.
The singer was a member of the boy band WOW
Showbiz Cheat Sheet: How did you become a member of the boy band WOW?
Frankie Zulferino: I actually saw an ad on MySpace, I didn’t really know much about it. I took a chance, went to the city, stood in a line for hours, and I got a call that I made the group the next day! The rest was history!
Showbiz Cheat Sheet: What was it like opening for Justin Bieber?
Frankie Zulferino: It was a really cool experience because it was one of the first big artists that I had the opportunity to open up for, so of course the adrenaline and anticipation was very high. It made the experience so exciting.
It actually all happened within 24 hours because the group that originally was opening pulled out last minute, so within a couple of hours we were on a flight to Chicago to step in. I guess that’s why they say always be ready because you never know in show business what’s going to happen next.
Showbiz Cheat Sheet: Why did you decide to focus on a solo career?
Frankie Zulferino: Well when the group disbanded I never felt the dream was over… I just knew it was time to start a new chapter.
Frankie Zulferino and Melii released a new song called ‘Hit That’
Showbiz Cheat Sheet: What can you tell us about your song “Hit That”?
Frankie Zulferino: When I went into the studio to record “Hit That,” I just wanted to create something feel good and fun! Something people could dance to. I was really inspired by the era of music from the late 80s/early 90s so that was a big motivation behind the record.
Showbiz Cheat Sheet: Why did you decide to collaborate with Melii?
Frankie Zulferino: The collaboration with Melii happened really organically. We sent her team the record, she loved it immediately and understood my vision. That to me is super important because everything about my project is about passion.
Frankie Zulferino became quite popular on TikTok
Showbiz Cheat Sheet: Social media has really changed the way people are discovered and helps artists have more access to their fans, and one of the most popular platforms is TikTok. You have amassed hundreds of thousands of TikTok followers over the past few months. How did you manage to grow your TikTok audience?
Frankie Zulferino: I spent a long time studying the app and what people were attaching onto. So I started building my platform by following the trends, while sharing my music, my personal stories, and focusing on not just building a massive amount of followers but a hardcore fan base!
Showbiz Cheat Sheet: Do you have any advice for up-and-coming artists?
Frankie Zulferino: My advice to other artists would be to always stay true to who you are and what you love, but of course listen and take the opinions of other people to learn and grow from. It’s not an easy road and there are so many obstacles. The most important thing is to surround yourself with people who can lift and motivate you, and who understand your vision.
Showbiz Cheat Sheet: What else can fans expect from you in 2021?
Frankie Zulferino: I would love to say I have concrete answers, but right now we are all living in a world where we are unsure of what’s next. What I can say is that I will definitely be giving them my best, and continue to share my passion and love for music.
