I Didn't Pay For It Elise Frank

• 1 I'm Smoking 04:43
• 2 How Did I 04:08
• 3 Car Dealer 05:29
• 4 Double Lovin' 03:22
• 5 She's A Bird 04:23
• 6 I Didn't Pay For It 03:12
• 7 Bullfrog Blues 03:46
• 8 Your Kind 04:15
• 9 Here Comes The Blues 04:17
• 10 If You Need Me 04:24
• 11 Twice On Sunday 06:12
• Total Runtime 48:11

Info for I Didn't Pay For It

Elise Frank is a singer you won't soon forget. A songwriter who stands out from the crowd. A mesmerizing performer who doesn't let up until the last aching note is played. Having spent the past five years travelling the world and performing under the name FRANK, she now moves forward full throttle with her second full-length solo release I Didn't Pay For It, an album that shows she's ready to take the music world by storm.

Recorded in one extremely intense week in the fall of 2025, I Didn't Pay For It is not a technologically slick and polished blues album, but rather one that – by design – sizzles with raw energy and emotion. "It is minimalist, and barely produced in the sonic sense," says Frank, who was born Élise Lounici in Tarbes, a small French city near the Spanish border. She feels music in general (and the blues in particular) should be "organic" and "human," thus she rejects the current trend toward heavily processed sounds. "We didn't pick the takes where the musicians played the cleanest; we picked the ones where something was happening. I don't care about having the best musicians or being a guitar hero. My only goal is to convey emotion in the most authentic way possible, without artifice."

Joining Frank in the studio were her long-time rhythm section Sébastien Gaschard (drums) and Josselin Fleury (bass) as well as award-winning guitarist Laura Chavez (Vanessa Collier, Mitch Ryder), whose sparkling lead guitar adds to the album’s magic. The sound at its root is guitar-heavy. "An old Strat straight out of the amp with no pedals," Frank smiles. Her crashing chords anchor moody, slow-burn originals that recall the ghostly allure of Cowboy Junkies or Jefferson Airplane-era Grace Slick. She can also go balls to the wall when called upon, as on her supercharged version of the oft-covered "Bullfrog Blues."

"I wanted to create something singular, sometimes more punk than blues, and above all rough around the edges," she explains. "Luckily, the sound engineer Michael Murauer was completely on board with this. He helped me a lot in bringing to life what I had in mind."

The self-penned songs on I Didn't Pay For It emerged at different times and in different places during the past four years. Most were inspired by life on the road and by real-life experiences. "She's a Bird," for example, tells the story of an independent young lady who goes from one adventure to the next as she pleases. While those around her frown on her freewheeling ways, the woman herself sees nothing wrong in living a life without care. "This song came to me while I was walking home after a night out," recalls Frank. "I’d spent too much time watching the frustrated looks of men directed at these ‘birds of freedom’."

In "Your Kind," Frank again trains her keen eye on a member of the opposite sex. "It’s about a man who leaves his mother’s home at 30 and doesn’t know how to fry an egg or run a washing machine. He then sets out to find a woman 'of his kind,' someone who would be both a good mistress and a good mother to him." Frank wrote the biting "Car Dealer" as payback to a shady auto mechanic whose double dealing left her stranded in the middle of her first tour of Ireland. "I'm Smoking" and "Twice On Sunday" are more recent creations in which the songwriter tells stories of love mixed with feelings of loneliness, passion and longing.

Then there's the reflective "How Did I," which dates to Frank's time busking on the streets in France. "It came to me one morning when I was wondering what the hell I was doing out there playing. It's a very simple song, born from an improvisation during a hard busking day; words of encouragement to myself, promising that we would end up playing everywhere and that I had to keep believing."

With her second full-length album now done, Frank can look back on those days and see that the struggle was worth it. Band members "Seb" and "Jo" have been there every step of the way and came through when it counted. "They are much more than musicians playing the parts," she says of her trusted rhythm section’s contributions to the album. "They've known and played these songs since the moment they were created." The raw energy, emotion, spontaneity and power – all elements that define I Didn't Pay For It – are thus no happy accident. They're the product of a group of musicians standing in a single room, giving everything they have, making music with a common goal. "There was no other option," says Frank, satisfied that her newest album ultimately reflects the fire that burns inside her.

Elise Frank, guitar, vocals
Josselin Fleury, bass
Sébastien Gaschard, drums

Elise Frank
born Élise Lounici on January 1, 1996, in Tarbes, France, is a singer, guitarist, and songwriter with a distinctive voice and a sound that resonates deeply. She wrote her first songs as a teenager, but truly blossomed as the frontwoman of the band Spooky Poppies, with whom she released her first EP in 2019.

During the Covid pandemic, a new chapter began for Elise: she transformed a small room into a creative laboratory and took her music directly to the streets. There, she rediscovered her passion, authentic lyrics, and the raw, honest guitar sound that continues to define her music. Her style blends deep American blues with the energy of 90s and 2000s garage rock – raw, authentic, and uncompromising.

In 2022, she returned to the stage with a power trio and immediately garnered attention. Together with Cristal Production, who have been with her ever since, she fulfilled a dream that same year: a tour of Ireland, the land where live music truly thrives. This journey confirmed for her that her music deserved to be shared with the world.

Back in France, Elise – then still performing under the name FRANK – recorded her first entirely self-produced album: I’m a Phony and a Fraud (2023). Together with Thom Carlton (guitar), Colin Pradier (bass), and Sébastien Gaschard (drums), she created a debut that was enthusiastically received by fans and the media alike, even by Rock & Folk magazine. The album took her to major stages and festivals, including the legendary Cognac Blues Passions, where Buddy Guy also performed. She also had the opportunity to open for artists such as Robert Finley, Delgres, Gaëlle Buswel, Moundrag, and Ben L’Oncle Soul.

In 2024, the name FRANK gained international recognition. Her performance at the Rory Gallagher Festival in Ireland became one of her most significant moments and demonstrated that Elise is a true live performer. Without any visual gimmicks, she focuses on what matters most – emotion, spontaneity, and authenticity. This approach led to invitations to major blues festivals across Europe – from the UK to Poland. She was also featured in the prestigious reference work L’Encyclopédie du Rock en France.

That same year, she composed the music for the documentary film Targuia by Leïla de Artese Benhadj.

In 2025, another big step followed: Elise signed with Ruf Records, joined the booking agency On The Road Again, and has officially been known as Elise Frank ever since. Her new album, I Didn’t Pay For It, was released with Josselin Fleury (bass), Sébastien Gaschard (drums), and a special guest: guitarist Laura Chavez.

With this album in tow, Elise embarked on a major European tour with the Blues Caravan in 2026 – with a particularly large number of shows in Germany.

Booklet for I Didn't Pay For It