IN CONVERSATION WITH EDDIE BENJAMIN

interview by SONNY NGO

Eddie Benjamin is slated for a busy year. Inspired by the furious currents and peaceful tides he saw out his window growing up in Bondi Beach, Sydney, Eddie makes startlingly dynamic pop music. Besides his upcoming music, it has just been announced that we will be going on tour with Shawn Mendes.

full look DZOJCHEN
jewerly TALENT’S OWN

suit DZOJCHEN
shoes VELASCA MILANO

full look DZOJCHEN
jewerly TALENT’S OWN

You’ve just been in Iceland working on new music with Justin Bieber. How does a place like that shape your sound and in what ways does your environment influence the way you tap into your creative process?  

Iceland was beautiful. Because we were so deeply inland, there were no humans, so every energy we were tapping into was very pure. Justin is a soulmate and I love him deeply.

suit DZOJCHEN
shoes VELASCA MILANO

Working with artists like Justin, and other acts like Shawn Mendes behind the scenes, what is something you take with you from these sessions? 

To be true.

You’ve mentioned that improvisation has become a large part of your creative process now. When improv works, it seems effortless, but getting there seems anything but easy. What did you have to learn, or unlearn, in yourself to make space for that kind of creative surrender?  

Getting all the afraid people away from the studio, people that want to control processes and think there’s a certain way to make songs. I had to unlearn nothing. Fearful energies can stop you from flow state and for me, improvising is presence. 

full look THE FRANKIE SHOP

Fans are eagerly awaiting the release of your debut album, but you’ve spoken about the importance of taking the time to really sit with your feelings. Why is that so crucial for you?  

As you sit with yourself and dont rush, the truth comes out. 

The album was born out of heartbreak. Has making the record helped you understand those feelings better?  

No, I think I can feel the depth of the feelings within the feelings, but this art has been a way for me to say things I didn’t say to the people I went through the heartbreak with.

full look LACOSTE

Your music videos for the singles are cinematic and have this very dark romantic aesthetic. Working with Mitch deQuilettes, how did you go about translating your emotions into visuals? 

I love theatrical cinema, so I wanted to create a heightened world of the feelings I was feeling during that time, which Mitch helped me see through. 

After seeing Prince in concert in Sydney, you were inspired to pick up the bass. Do you remember what that initial moment was like seeing him live, and how has it shaped your musical direction? 

I remember that moment so clearly, it was beautiful. I think he just really struck the bass fearlessly. I’ve tangibly in my cells held that energy from that moment. I saw him so fearlessly playing the instrument and I wanted to take that directness and that fearlessness and that confidence in his expression, and I think that has always stayed with me.

full look LACOSTE

Besides playing the bass, you also play the drums, piano, synths and more. For your debut album you do all the instrumentalisation, which is super impressive. Can you talk about why that creative control is so important for you, and have you faced any challenges taking it all in your own hands?  

It takes a really special artist/producer connection for the musical elements to be close to the artist’s heart, so I really wanted to master every single element musically, melodically and rhythmically, every single element. I wanted to really get as close to my heart frequency as possible. I think not having any other spirit on the album playing anything, that control has always been so important to me. It’s important for everything to come from my body and that’s a rare thing, and it really inspires me to master everything coming from one spirit, one body.  

full look BLUEMARBLE

You’ve talked about Miles Davis and the idea that it takes 30 years to stop sounding like your influences. Would you say influences are something you grow out of or are they something that evolve with you? Where do you feel you are right now in that journey of finding, and trusting, your own voice? 

Influences are an interesting thing. The attitude in which our favorite influences do things dissolves into us over time and we reformat it. Your influences are your soulmates in ways. You don’t ever grow out of them, you just become you and they’ve always been them. 

From working behind the scenes with other artists to now stepping into your own spotlight with your debut album, how has this shift changed the way you approach your identity as an artist? 

Identify is just perception of self, which isn’t real. I think each song, each art piece, is a death of presence and it’s about letting go.  Working with your loved ones is the best thing you can do on this planet.  

full look BLUEMARBLE

suit DZOJCHEN
shoes VELASCA MILANO

TEAM CREDITS:

talent EDDIE BENJAMIN
creative direction MICHAEL SPÄTH
photography SAM SPENCE
styling ORETTA CORBELLI
styling assistant ARIADNE ABETTI
hair and makeup ELAYNA BACHMAN using LEONOR GREYL
production IN PRIVATE STUDIO
associate producer ALEJANDRA NAVARRO
editod TIMI LETONJA
suit DZOJCHEN
shoes VELASCA MILANO