Australian singer and producer Eddie Benjamin on redefining pop music and entering the world of celebrity

“This is exactly what I want to do. No one’s stopping me.”

When I asked Eddie Benjamin about his burgeoning fame, he said he didn’t know if famous people really existed. “People are just people and they’re funny,” he said casually. The ‘people’ he’s referring to are the likes of Sia, Meghan Trainor (he’s collaborated with both) and Justin Bieber, who he toured with last year.

The triple-threat producer, singer and songwriter cut his teeth on the jazz club scene in Sydney but now creates songs for the biggest artists around the globe. He’s known for his distinctive vintage groove and raw talent as a multi-instrumentalist.

Discover more about Australia’s musical talent in FJ’s Music section.

Although he might not believe in the enigma of fame, Eddie isn’t immune to all the trappings of music superstardom. A particularly visceral highlight for him is the moment he lit up his third consecutive arena as a supporting act. “That was kind of crazy, I really felt that”. Still, he says he hasn’t been “floored” just yet.

Eddie’s been back in Australia for the past two weeks, catching up on the surf along the beaches of Sydney and Gold Coast, something he says he doesn’t do as much in LA. I spoke to him on a relatively slow day, but even then he’s still “working a little”. His upcoming seven-song EP isn’t even out yet, but he’s already in the process of writing his 12-song debut album. He says it’s “the energy that produces the music” and if that’s true, he’s putting in 110 per cent.

When it comes to producing music, he’s a bit old-fashioned. He isn’t behind a computer tapping beats. Rather, he has an affinity for making sounds with “real equipment and gear”. Fittingly, he later spots a keyboard behind me on our Zoom call. I tell him it’s a crude replacement for my piano, which my parents recently sold. Together we lament the loss and remark on how electronic instruments simply are not the same.

A love for the more traditional sounds might seem strange for a modern pop star. Below, Eddie discusses where his eclectic sonic influences come from, his experience entering the music industry and his upcoming EP.

How have you adjusted from performing on the Sydney music scene to going on tour with some of the biggest artists in the world?

 

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I grew up playing in jazz clubs [in Sydney] when I was like fourteen/fifteen and in burlesque bars. I just always was envisioning what I’m kind of doing now and what I am going to do, I… always knew if I’m being honest… I was really focused and… when I was playing as a little kid in some fucking club, I was really thinking, ‘This is exactly what I want to do. No one’s stopping me, have fun trying’.

When you’re working with all these incredible artists, do you ever feel like the new kid on the block?

I definitely have never felt… intimidated… I’ve always felt so excited to meet and talk to people and I’m a pretty confident person… I’ve never… shied away. I’m always going to express how I feel and I love people… I’ve never felt like ‘Oh my god, I’m working with this person right now’. I’m just like ‘Do it… I’ve got something to show you guys’.

How do you keep yourself grounded?

I think that’s a decision. I think I’ve always really focused on keeping the path clear between how I feel and what I need to say and express in the music. If that’s the clear path for me to do that… I’ll be okay as a person and grounded because that is… my way of grounding myself. But I think I’m still learning. It’s got to be balanced. I’m an extremely obsessive person and I think sometimes I… work too much… and [I] need to exist as a person too. 

I know every song is different, but how do you usually begin the production process?

 

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I don’t force things. I don’t like to wall myself in… sometimes I’ll wake up just crying and write a song in 10 minutes and it’ll be finished. Sometimes I’ll start a song in the studio and then leave it for two weeks, come back, finish shit, and then scrap the verse and rewrite. I’m not nailed to any sort of process. I really let the music dictate me.

Your music has very obvious vintage influences, can you tell me more about the artists and genres you like drawing on?

I think the marriage between the classic analogue and the classic digital sound is yet to be made. I love the ’60s… I think some of the best music ever was made [in the ’60s]… I listen to Innervisions every day by Stevie Wonder and… ‘Still Crazy After All These Years’ every day by Paul Simon. For raw craftsmanship of songwriting and storytelling, I think that’s my favourite… and then I’m also just so obsessed with hyper-electronic textures and… marrying those two together. 

Putting together a cohesive body of work to become an EP is difficult. As a first-timer, what have you learnt from the entire process?

 

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To some people [an album is] just some songs but for me… the sonic journey and the story as a whole are really important to me… honestly, I just attacked it, I was so focused and knew exactly… what I wanted to say and… [knew] when to leave it. Finishing an album… it’s really just like closing that chapter of your life.

Without spoiling anything, could you tell us about the story of your EP lyrically and sonically?

With ‘Weatherman’, that was one of the first songs we created… [I] wanted to show an introduction to that energy of organic sound… it’s still really punchy, but it has those elements of warm, organic tones.

I think some of the ballads, I take it into a much more grounded place… there’s a song called ‘Dreaming of these Days’… it’s kind of a letter to myself. All of these songs are core experiences to me… [they’re] the most dictating, defining moments in my life.

Eddie Benjamin’s latest single ‘Stargirl’ is out now, listen to it here.