“Aligning Fires”, his latest extended play, discusses milestones in one’s life and shared journeys. Our paths might be isolated, but they are all connected.
Aligning Fires is about reflecting on oneself in a way that a listener can also interpret. Ben said he “found it comforting to know what I’ve written about is a collective experience. There’s nothing more powerful than a song that allows you to empathise with the person between the notes”.
A similar message is echoed in a quote by one of his inspirations,singer Aretha Franklin “If a song is about something I’ve experienced or that could have happened to me it’s good but if its alien to me I wouldn’t lend anything to it because that’s what the soul is about”.
Ben’s first break into the music industry came when he was 13 after finding his mother’s old acoustic guitar in the attic and playing Lego House by Ed Sheeran, a mean feat when the guitar only has three remaining strings! After four years studying Performing Arts at University Ben devlepoed his own style of insightful story telling through the medium of song. He then released his debut extended play Light and shade in 2018. Follow his musical milestones on spotify.
He discussed topics, with me, which he believes are neglected both in music and in conversation; “Self-love is so important. Do not lose yourself while focusing on loving others. Cherish yourself as much as you cherish your family and friends and acknowledge that you deserve as much as everybody else”.
Authenticity and being true to yourself is another of Ben’s passions, yet today doing that can prove difficult as we are all expected to fulfil certain narratives and it is rare that the self Is one of them which is why Ben believes “in order to be our most authentic selves we have to find our niche then use it as a beacon for others to be inspired by
… A lot of people go through their entire lives searching for what makes them happy, some may be lucky enough to find it an early age others find it accidently and there are some still actively looking for it. We are all in the same boat, yet the beautiful moments lie within the connections we make with others, that is what makes every journey special”.
Due to the ramifications of 2020 permeating into 2021 Ben has sadly been unable to plan any live events although he is excited to share some intimate evenings playing at Dubrek Studios in derby on the 10th of July and the Adam and Eve restaurant in Wragby on the 28th of July. His proudest moments include performing at the 2Q festival in 2019 and then at the Rescue rooms in Nottingham, hopefully he will be able to play at them both again soon.
His musical inspirations include John Mayer, KALEO and ,most importantly, his grandad who gifted him his first guitar. He would love to work with Patrick Droney, an American singer, who recently released his debut album ‘state of the heart’ which explores so much held in the heart in a lifetime’ because he sings about “the folding and unfolding of our stories, we are all the same; bound by the burden and blessing of this beating in our chest”.
As well as playing guitar, writing songs and performing hie can also do a mean impression of Kermit the frog and predict the correct time after hours without looking at a clock.
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