Bobby Freemont made his mark as a record producer for Grammy nominated and Juno winning artists. His first EP Doors to Kick amassed three million streams, now all eyes are on his debut album, The Death of Bobby Freemont, set for release in 2025.
Here he tells Entertainment Now how personal tragedy inspired his path as a solo artist.
How did your musical project first start? Is there a story to tell about it?
A few years ago, my grandparents passed away one after the other. First my grandma died of cancer, and then my grandpa basically died of a broken heart. While I was still dealing with that, my best friend’s mom, Joanne—who was like a second mom to me—took her own life. It was a lot to process, and I ended up with some pretty bad anxiety. I had kind of a quarter-life crisis and developed some irrational fears that made it feel like bad things were always right around the corner. I realize now the fear of death came from the fact that I wasn’t living my life right. Writing songs helped me make sense of everything, because whenever I wrote, I felt like I was doing what I’m supposed to do, and that allowed me to enjoy life again. My project started out of grief but has turned into something bigger—something that celebrates life and connects with people who’ve gone through similar things.
What was your first gig?
I think it was a DJ set in Guelph, Ontario, where I went to school. My roommate Losh and I started a production duo called Free n Losh, and our guy Apple Jax was promoting a club downtown. Either he asked us to play, or we asked him to hook it up—I don’t remember exactly. It was fun though.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
I’m not sure. I never really thought about it—I think if you’re doing it right, you just kind of do your own thing, and the influences bleed in subconsciously… My goal is to do something that’s never been done, so for something to really inspire me, it’s gotta push boundaries. Like I don’t want to be played out and say The Beatles, but… The Beatles. Mac Miller was definitely an influence early on. His artistic growth always inspired me, and he passed away around the same time as everyone I mentioned above, so Swimming was kinda my soundtrack to those early days. My biggest influence these days is just life. It can be pretty ugly out here, but it’s beautiful too. I’ll be walking down the street and hear something, see something, or think of something that becomes a song. There’s a lot wrong with the world today, but when you turn the ugly into music, you make it beautiful.
Tell us about your new release.
When Joanne died, she didn’t leave a note. So I found myself playing out her last moments in my head, trying to piece it together. When I eventually linked up with my executive producer, Stephen Kerr, it wasn’t even to make an album—but during the first session, we made the beat, and right away, the most personal song I’d ever written just came out. I hadn’t really talked about it with anyone outside of family and close friends, but it came out with a guy I barely knew at the time. It was wild to have that kind of chemistry on day one. While I was writing, it was like I could see Joanne’s last moments in my mind’s eye, almost like I was there with her. Or my mind was at least—I don’t remember writing it. When I got home and listened, it hit me hard. I knew we’d made something special. That energy in the room was something I’d been searching for, and that’s how the album started.
What inspires your lyrics?
Nothing and everything.
Do you have any upcoming tour dates?
Nope. Right now, I’m focused on finishing the album, but stay tuned.
What are you/your band working on next?
Thinking I’m gonna enlist some friends for a remix album. Then I have 3 more concept albums planned. But if music keeps moving into the influencer first, music second space, I guess I’ll become an influencer? Just kidding, I’ll quit.
Listen to hurt no more here:
