In the diverse world of pop music, there are singers, songwriters, producers – and the rare multi-talents who combine all three roles into one person, like Cimo Fränkel. With a decade of experience in the music business, he’s already written a score of hits, including the multi-Platinum ‘Sex’, performed by Cheat Codes & Kris Kross Amsterdam. Cimo has also featured on records with internationally acclaimed artists including Armin van Buuren, Daddy’s Groove, Wildstylez, and EDX. In 2017, with the release of ‘Occasional Love’ and ‘Never Give Up’, Cimo is taking matters into his own hands for the first time. His new solo material is written, produced, and performed by himself.

Growing up in Amsterdam, Cimo’s father was a funk musician and raised him on a diet of impromptu studio visits and the DIY ethos of funk culture. At the tender age of 15, Cimo started experimenting with music production. Amiable and cheery, he soon got involved with likeminded characters and started to work intensively with other young, eager musicians.

The first fruits of Fränkel’s labour were reaped with ‘Mooie Dag’ (‘Beautiful Day’), a song co-written with and performed by Jayh Jawson. It went double platinum and won a Buma National Award in the Netherlands, and after that things went fast for Cimo. He helped catapult Yellow Claw to international fame co-writing ‘Shotgun’ (ft. Rochelle), which gathered 120 million YouTube views and earned Cimo another Buma National Award. In the meantime, he collaborated with a slew of dance producers as a vocalist, most notably with Armin van Buuren (‘Strong Ones’), but also with EDX (‘Belong’), Wildstylez, Daddy’s Groove, and ZAEDEN. In 2016, Los Angeles rapidly becoming a familiar place to him, Cimo got into contact with Cheat Codes and Kris Kross Amsterdam and co-produced and co-wrote his biggest hit yet: ‘Sex’, gathering almost 450 million Spotify plays so far. Going Gold in the USA, double Platinum in the UK, quadruple Platinum in the Netherlands, gathering 7 more Platinum awards in other countries, and winning another National Buma Award, it’s safe to say this song is a global hit.

Having earned his spurs collaborating with others, Cimo Fränkel has become more than adept at every facet of the creation of pop music. High time, then, to start his own one-man show. ‘Occasional Love’, Cimo’s first solo single, is a testament to his skills. Released in February 2017, its reggae-infused, poppy vibes set the stage for a lot more home-made material to come. The fall of 2017 saw see the release of ‘Never Give Up’ and the spring of 2018 it is ‘I’m Alright’, which like his first solo song, are produced and performed by Cimo himself and written together with longtime writing partner Rik Annema. Drawing from his experience working in different genres and taking cue from Michael Jackson, his greatest idol, Cimo never restricts himself to a single sound. There is only one constant to his solo material: it’s poppy, catchy and intimate.

With the release of his first singles, Cimo Fränkel has opened the door to an illustrious solo career besides his ongoing studio work with others. Currently dividing his time between Amsterdam and LA and creating more new music than ever, upward is the only way for this young multi-talent.