Young musician Ethan French goes viral, draws praise from Pharrell and John Mayer

In a world where social media has turned instant fame into the ultimate prize, the words “viral success story” conjure up a distinct image. The algorithm rewards those who are loud, brash and high-energy, giving rise to a generation that believes internet stardom is only one viral soundbite or silly TikTok dance away.

Ethan French is not your typical viral social media star. Softly spoken and self-described as “slightly reclusive,” the 25-year-old multi-instrumentalist from Perth is the definition of unassuming. We speak on Zoom, with French calling from the studio that has become his second home and the backdrop to the staggering attention he has commanded online.

“This is where I spend most of my life,” admits French, surrounded by instruments. “If it were up to me, this would be my life, tinkering around on the piano, playing with sounds; I tend to really immerse myself and get obsessive about details.”

Unfortunately for French, he no longer has the luxury of staying tucked away in obscurity, and for that he only has himself and his talents to blame.

Last October, he launched his Idea a Day series on Instagram, a creative challenge that committed him to sharing a new, bite-sized musical sketch every single day. The logic was simple enough: avoid the trap of overthinking by forcing himself to post without pause, create something and get it out into the world every single day.

“Nothing is ever going to be perfect, but I’ve been a victim of eternally trying to work on something until it is,” says French, who layers expressive piano chords over punchy drums and deep, dynamic basslines.

“So Idea A Day was a way of pushing against that; record, release and then whatever happens next is out of your control.”

What began as a personal discipline quickly snowballed into a runaway viral phenomenon, with French amassing nearly 900,000 followers since his first post and catching the ear of industry heavyweights including Pharrell, John Mayer, Justin Timberlake, and SZA. Suddenly, from the security of his studio hideaway, the world had come knocking.

“It was truly bizarre, and I don’t say that to sound humble; seeing artists who I look up to actually engaging with my work was baffling,” says French. As if to prove his point, French has an almost encyclopaedic recall for the moments that blew his mind.

“Day 18 was a folky vibe, and that did really well; that’s when John Mayer followed me, day 52 went insane, that was when Justin Timberlake commented and day 53 was Pharrell.”

The daily exercise ultimately solidified his breakthrough, culminating in his 25-track debut album, ideas of the day - vol. 1 [out October 2], and firmly establishing French as the Next Big Thing.

Hype doesn’t sit well with French, who admits that even as high-profile validation rolls in, he still battles with impostor syndrome, a hangover from growing up as the shy kid at school.

“I was super shy as a child; I still am pretty reserved,” he says. “I struggle with confidence, to be honest; I always have this idea that as soon as someone hears me play they’re going to realise it was all an illusion, the jig is going to be up.”

Despite the self-doubt, French worked out pretty early that he could do things other kids couldn’t, and promptly used it to his advantage. “I remember in year 1 we had to share news and I was so petrified to talk that I asked my teacher if I could play my keyboard instead,” he says. “A kid in my class requested a song, I worked it out on the spot, and then everyone loved me that day.”

There’s a temptation to frame this kind of musical intuition as a gift, something divine or accidental. According to French, the reality is far less exciting; as an already-shy kid, growing up in a quiet Perth suburb, music offered an easy escape.

“I grew up as an only child; I don’t have any siblings,” French shares. “So that meant I spent a lot of time on my own and I learned how to entertain myself, which often meant experimenting at the piano for hours on end, to the point my mum used to check that I had remembered to eat.”

The escapism took on a new form when, at age 16, the death of his father irrevocably reshaped his world. Navigating grief as a teenager brought an overwhelming sense of confusion, with music doubling as a coping mechanism. “I wasn’t functioning for a long time after that, and my way of getting through it was to think, ‘OK, I really need to apply myself if I want to make this a career; I need to commit to it’,” he says.

Safe to say that commitment has paid off over the last year with the success of Idea A Day winning him a global fan base online and leading to a debut album. Up next is a trip to Los Angeles to introduce industry powerbrokers to the magic of Ethan French and, perhaps, share some studio time with his famous fans?

“I am heading over soon; it’s my first time visiting the States, but I can’t say who I am linking up with,” he says laughing. “Not because it’s top secret but mostly because it’s still up in the air and I don’t want to jinx it.”

In an age of fickle fame and viral stardom, it’s refreshing that the internet can still unearth real artists and even more telling that French seems largely immune to the noise. Despite the milestones, co-signs, and global studio sessions, what clearly resonates most is the personal impact his music has on others.

“The most fulfilling thing for me is that now I get messages all the time from people that are like, ‘I am trying to figure out how you composed this piece!’ or ‘You’ve really pushed me to start creating stuff and start sharing stuff,’ and I love that because at the end of the day, I’m a music nerd and they are the same messages I used to send,” French smiles. “To do that for someone is really surreal.”

​ideas of the day - vol 1 is out now via One Day Recordings and Universal Music Australia.

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