What do Miley Cyrus, Francis Cabrel, The Cranberries and Kyo have in common? An analysis of the song Purple rain of Prince or on “the rock of before”? Videos dedicated to the greatest guitarists? This is what the French Riviera native Florent Garcia offers as content on his
Youtube channel since 2017. And that’s what makes him one of the most watched French guitarists on the platform with more than 205,000 subscribers and hundreds of thousands of views on each video.
“Now that I have passed 100,000, I’m not necessarily looking for there to be huge growth,” he says. What I love is making music and talking about it. Florent Garcia discovered this passion at the age of 6, when he started playing guitar at the Monaco Conservatory. “I stopped at college because I didn’t like the classic model. I took over only after discovering groups like ACDC as a teenager and I worked on my own. “He validates a diploma at the Nice Conservatory to be a teacher and at the same time, an eco-management license to” ensure [ses] rear ”. “After a month in a bank, I quickly realized that it was not for me”, smiles the musician.
“Now, no matter where you come from, you become famous thanks to the Internet”
He then became a guitar teacher in the region and created his channel in 2017. “YouTube videos really came about because students always asked me the same questions,” he explains. It was in 2019 that there was a real change. My job was already to give lessons, I was tired of doing it on the platform too. I then decided to go into explanations, popularizing concepts, always related to the guitar, and taking inspiration from what I could watch on American channels ”.
It is from this moment that Florent Garcia gains more subscribers. “I didn’t expect that at all,” he admits. Internet has also allowed me to come into contact with musicians, labels and brands. In this way, we realize that the times have evolved. Groups no longer need to do a lot of concerts in their region or look for opportunities in the capital to succeed. Now, no matter if you come from the Creuse, the Côte d’Azur, you become known through and through the Internet. And so much the better because I really like my tranquility in the Alpes-Maritimes. “
Ongoing projects
At 28, the Azurean has “a lot of projects in progress”, aware that “YouTube is not eternal or at least, the format [qu’il] offers “. “I keep posting two to three videos a month because what takes up a lot of my time is being in the studio, recording, and making music. And that’s what I like above all. “He also has an Instagram account where he posts” only music “.
He adds: “At first it was just YouTube and Instagram and then I created a secondary channel, where I do tests of material sent to me. I also took to Twitch to chat directly with the real ones who have been there from the start. One thing is certain, Florent Garcia has found his audience, whether virtually or elsewhere.