Frankie Grande – Checking out of Hotel Rock Bottom
- PopEntertainment
- Jun 27
- 4 min read
Frankie Grande
Checking out of Hotel Rock Bottom
by Kayla Marra
The man, the myth, the icon, and older brother to Ariana (yes, that one!) – Frankie Grande is the light that the world needs right now. Having starred in various musical theater productions including Rocky Horror Picture Show, Mamma Mia!, and Rock of Ages, as well as TV shows Henry Danger and Big Brother, Frankie is stepping into the spotlight like never before.
His debut album Hotel Rock Bottom drops on June 27, touching on themes of the highs and lows of addiction and sobriety, love, mourning your past self, and escapism. Though Frankie struggled to find his individual sound as a recording artist prior to the conception of the album, it’s clear that he has found it and is making himself heard.
It couldn’t be more fitting that Hotel Rock Bottom is being released in June, Pride Month, because Frankie is a proud member and ally of the LGBTQ+ community. In a time where the queer community is being retaliated against legislatively, Frankie is using his platform to speak up and protect those individuals.
“When it comes to art or activism, especially in the month of June, I don’t think I can separate the two. For me, they’re very much hand in hand for Pride Month, especially with this album, with my launch, and even, like, my ‘Boys’ music video – just existing these days as an out, proud, queer, extremely, extremely flamboyant, homosexual in music is in and of itself a protest,” Frankie says. “Right now, I’m kind of half and half art and activism, and it’s pretty awesome.”
Energetically driven Frankie loves visuals accompanying musical releases and plans to release music videos for each single. He made waves with the visual for his debut single “Rhythm of Love” and followed up with a steamy video for “Boys,” the second single from Hotel Rock Bottom. The video is a celebration of self-expression and sexuality, taking place in a gym steam room, commenting on societal standards of masculinity.
Frankie is in full glam, surrounded by barefaced men, embracing his beauty and confidence. This is so representative of the times we are living in, as men are shamed for not being masculine or “hot” enough. Pushing back on these assumptions, Frankie says “Boys” is a “power bottom anthem” and that femme queer men should be proud of who they are in “all the fabulousness” that makes them, them.
“Boys” isn’t just the song of the summer, but an anthem of unshakable pride. The song encapsulates the feeling of pure escapism and forgetting all the bad things in the world, and that’s exactly what Frankie believes a summer song should do.
“My whole philosophy for a summer song is, like, give me something to escape into. I want to go to the club. I want to be in my car. I want to be in my shower. I don’t want to think about who’s the president of the United States. I don’t want to think about what I have to do for work today. I don’t want to think about the hangnail that I have on my foot,” he says simply. “I just want to escape for two and a half minutes, and then I’ll go back to life. And then I’ll go back to worrying about legislation or protecting my trans siblings. Just give me two and a half minutes.”
Hotel Rock Bottom runs the gamut of Frankie’s lived experience – from the good to the dance floor, to rock bottom, and back up. The album covers the last twenty years of his life, starting in the club, struggling with addiction without consequences, and how those now closed chapters lead Frankie to his husband, his puppy, and a happy, healthy life.
There’s no coincidence that Hotel Rock Bottom is the title track for this record – it’s the heart of the album. This hotel did exist in Frankie’s life, as he both metaphorically and physically checked in there seven and a half years ago. It was the night of the One Love Manchester benefit concert, organized by his sister, raising money for victims of the Manchester Arena bombing several weeks prior.
“Either I’m going to check out of life and be done, and this is where I end, or I’m going to check out of this hotel and I'm going to go straight to rehab,” Frankie shared openly.
“It was cold, and it was dark, and it was someplace that I did not want to fucking die. So, I got out of there, which was amazing. Hotel Rock Bottom truly is about my rock bottom moment where I made the decision to leave, check out, and be sober.”
Making the brave choice to leave that place and close that door was the turning point Frankie needed to truly heal and find happiness.
Two years later, Frankie met his now-husband Hale, and they’ve stuck together ever since. Frankie shared that his husband’s favorite song on the album is one titled “Oasis,” and that Hale sent him the longest voice memo the day before we spoke, saying that it needs to be the next single. The emotionally immersive track reflects Frankie’s idea of an Oasis isn’t on an undisturbed beach on an island, but in bed with his husband and his dog, watching The West Wing. His oasis isn’t miles and oceans away; it’s right there beside him.
Throughout life’s ups and downs, Frankie has remained resilient, consistently spreading infectious confidence and healing energy through his art. His unwavering luminance and undoubtable talent make Frankie the icon and inspiration that he is. I can’t wait to see where he goes from here.
This album is an emotional journey; the world is lucky to get a glimpse into Frankie’s life. Make sure to listen to Hotel Rock Bottom on June 27th, available on all streaming platforms!
Copyright ©2025 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: June 27, 2025.
Photos ©2025. Courtesy of Casablanca Records.
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