Frances Anderson, formerly known as Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, is stepping into a new era as a musician.
In a new interview, the 18-year-old actress, best known for playing Lily on Modern Family, explained why she decided to professionally change her name to “Frances Anderson” as she pursues a new career path in music.
Keep reading to find out more…“Frances is actually part of my legal name—it’s my middle name, and it’s after my mom’s old family friend,” Frances shared with E! News. “I thought, one, it was a bit shorter than ‘Aubrey Anderson-Emmons.’ I do have a long, hyphenated last name.”
“I wanted to switch it up and I wanted people to see a new side of me,” she noted. “And I wanted to create a space specifically just for music. And I’m so excited for everybody to hear the songs on the EP, and I’m so grateful.”
Frances‘ new EP Drown is now available on all major platforms and she said that she hopes her music will connect with listeners.
“A lot of my music is inspired from stuff when I was younger, when I was a kid,” she explained. “A lot about what my experiences were like in high school, and I hope that people find it relatable.”
Also in the interview, Frances explained what drew her to pivot into the music world.
“I learned how to play guitar during COVID,” she said. “And I learned to really write during my high school music class, and before then I’ve always been a singer. One of my big dreams in life was to be on Broadway. I’m still hoping to do that one day—fingers crossed.”
Frances then went on to say that she needed to take a break from acting.
“I think I really had to take a step back from acting,” Frances explained. “The show ended when I was 12 years old, so after that I decided I’m not gonna act anymore. And I do now, I plan on acting again—100 percent.”
She also said that after being homeschooled on set of Modern Family, she entered mainstream school and was finally able to be with other kids her own age, which she said made all the difference.
“I took time for myself and really found myself,” Frances added.
Back in June, Frances came out as bisexual with the help of an iconic Modern Family moment.