Every summer, without fail, the next-big-thing in pop music arrives out of nowhere and often disappears just as quickly. Toronto has had its share, sure, but lately the city has become a veritable breeding ground for pop stars with a slew of talented musicians vying to be this summer’s buzziest breakthrough artist. One of the names at the top of the list is Scarborough’s Franceso Yates, and he’s playing his first big show tonight at the Mod Club. 

The slow and steady climb of this finely coiffed 19-year-old began last year when another former child star by the name of Justin Timberlake tweeted about the hot new jam “Call.” Then, word got out that Yates was working with producer Pharrell Williams and so it began. 

Soon, Yates will release his first EP followed by a full debut album later this year, and when that happens, expect to see him follow a trajectory similar to that of fellow popsters such as Shawn Mendes — currently exploding around the world on the heels of his tune “Life of the Party,” after posting a series of videos on social media site Vine.

When Post City caught up with Yates, talk turns to putting the finishing touches on his new album and his first headlining show at the Mod Club. Although the first songs he’s put out are decidedly pop, Yates claims there is more to his music than just ear candy. “There is a duality on the album, a yin and yang,” says Yates, who was inspired to pick up the guitar after watching the movie School of Rock when he was 11 years old.

“There is the light stuff like “Better To Be Loved,” and there is a darker side to it, a little more ambient. Finding a way to make those two co-exist was the challenge for me on this album. And I believe I’ve done it.”

It wasn’t always so. According to Yates, he bounced around from style to style before returning to his guitar, a move that was encouraged by Williams while the two were working on songs in the studio. 

“Pharrell was the first people to bring it to my attention,” says Yates, who cites Led Zeppelin and Michael Jackson as early influences. “I was fooling around in the studio, and he said that should be the thing I do. He saw me as a Lenny Kravitz kind of guy and that was a  liberating thing for me.”

“I’m a musician first,” he says, when talk turns to eluding the trappings of fame to which many a pop star have fallen prey. 

“As long as I have my guitar it hand, it grounds me. With my afro, my head has already swelled up as it is.”