Young Franco: It’s Franky Baby!
Brisbane-based DJ Young Franco has transformed the act of bringing the party into a globe-trotting, award-nabbing career. Before his performance at Gluttony in the Adelaide Fringe, Young Franco swings by for a chat.
Words Emily Wilson // Image supplied
Born Joseph Da Rin de Barbera and hailing from Brisbane, the renowned DJ and record producer has a gift for melding genres and sending heartbeats racing into the stratosphere. Since releasing his first EP of remixes in 2014, he has garnered four ARIA Gold-certified singles, one Emmy nomination, four Queensland Music Awards, over two hundred million streams, and more than a million monthly listeners on Spotify. Now, fresh off a triumphant world tour, he is gearing up to play for one night only at the Adelaide Fringe – on Saturday, February 28 at Gluttony, Rymill Park. In his own words, he is “incredibly excited,” and already formulating how best to wow his future Fringe audience.
“I guess when I’m working out a DJ set, I’m always thinking, ‘what would I want to hear if I went to see a DJ play?’” he muses over the phone. “I try to keep it as versatile and fresh as possible. I bounce through different genres within one set – that’s how I keep the excitement up, for me, at least. I try to switch it up as much as possible, otherwise it gets very stale very quickly.”
Young Franco’s first musical love was hip-hop – dance music came later.
“I started going out to clubs when I was 18, 19, and from there, my love and appreciation of dance music grew,” he explains. “That kind of music in the context of a club really opened my eyes. I’ve learned so much from going to festivals and watching local DJs and being out until 5am.”
Does he still consistently draw from club culture?
“Of course. If a friend is DJing, even if it’s late, I’ll do my best to see them play. I still think it’s important to find new songs and see what people are listening to and what people are reacting to. It’s also fun.”
DJing, inherently, is associated with hedonism, with out-of-body experiences and raucous musical fun. Young Franco does his best to toe the line between having a blast and being present in his role as the professional arbiter of beats. “I am still trying to think about the next song, the next three or four songs when I’m on stage, so I am trying to generally stay grounded in that space. But I do think there’s a third space where you’re working but you’re also reaching people in a way that is quite amazing.”
Though his musical career is largely characterised by diligence and hard work, Young Franco maintains that DJing “doesn’t feel like a job at all.” He adds, “The only ‘job’ part about it is the organisation and the travel. When I’m actually DJing, it doesn’t feel like work at all. I just feel lucky that there’s a dollar sign, that I’m able to do this and pay my rent. DJing feels like a secret third thing, I guess.”
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As well as being an incredible live DJ, Young Franco is a master of production and collaboration, working with the likes of Denzel Curry, Pino D’Angiò, Tkay Maidza and more.
“At the moment, I’m trying to work with other people as much as possible, because that’s the most exciting thing to do,” he says. “Otherwise, it gets a little bit stale. I love seeing where people are coming from and what new ideas they can bring to the table.”
What does he look for in a collaborator?
“I just have to be a fan of their music. It’s quite simple. Do I like their music? Would I listen to their music on my own terms? If the answers are yes, then I’ll reach out.”
In 2025, he released his debut album it’s Franky baby! – which he celebrated the release of at Gluttony last year. The ten-track LP showcases his ability to seamlessly shift through a plethora of genres – from electronic to disco, from indie to hip hop – all while taking the listener on a journey from his humble Brisbane beginnings to his current international acclaim.
“There was never really one moment where I decided to make an album,” he says. “It was more like, oh, I really like all of these songs and I feel like they could work well together as a package. It felt like it eventuated on its own.”
As of now, he has no definite plans to release another album in the near future. “I’m just focusing on singles at the moment, but I feel like they might fall into the same situation as what happened with its Franky baby!.”
He tends to focus more on songs than on full-length projects. “If I think too big picture, it freaks me out,” he explains. He prefers to take things step by step and then see where he lands.
Though he describes songwriting as “exciting in the moment,” it is when he plays music live that he experiences true artistic and emotional catharsis. “It is almost like the final piece to the puzzle. You see the reaction and how it sounds on a big speaker, and you see people smiling to it, so it brings it all together. It’s a full circle moment.”
And the Adelaide Fringe is the perfect setting for another full-circle moment for Young Franco. Adelaide is alight in February and March, alight with colour and culture and theatre and bumping tunes. Spinning discs late into the night in the open air of Rymill Park will hopefully bring Young Franco that catharsis once again.
Catch Young Franco performing at Adelaide Fringe on Saturday 28 February at the Gluttony Fantail. Tickets on sale now at gluttony.net.au.
