Rhian Benson
Soul singer Rhian Benson is back with her new album ‘Hands Clean’. The MOBO-awarding winning star first rose to fame with debut single ‘Say How I Feel’ and album ‘Gold Coast’ in 2003. We caught up with Rhian to find out what she has been up to since.
- Hi Rhian, How are you today?
I am doing great thanks. Been a bit busy lately promoting the new album. It’s been a really good feeling as it took a long time to finish the project.
- How would you describe your new album ‘Hands Clean’?
I would describe it as really personal and intimate body of work. It was written sporadically over a few years and charts my emotional journey over that period. It’s my life in a nutshell, my ups, my downs and everything in between.
Lyrically it is more direct than anything I have written before which was a challenge I set myself on this album.
I think it takes a lot of courage as an artist to wear your heart on your sleeve in that way all the way through an album. The sound is also very different from my first album, I went from classic soul to funky electronica.
- What inspires you to write music?
I grew up in a very musical family and so I have always appreciated the power that music has to lift spirits and express feeling.
I started writing when I began studying piano as a 9 year old. My earliest inspiration was to mimic the artists that I loved listening to. Over time I learned more about how to put melodies that came to me to chords.
I think the process of expressing my thoughts and feelings in music has always been a really powerful release and helps keeps me sane!
- What have you been doing since the release of your last album ‘Gold Coast’?
There were quite a few changes in my life personally and professionally since my last release a few years ago.
My old record label folded soon after I finished promoting the album and so it took a while to figure out the right way to write, record and release a new project without that infrastructure.
I also lost my mother around the same time and so my personal priorities changed for a while, I spent more time with my family and did other things while I was writing the new album.
In hindsight, I think that time away from the music business gave me more perspective and certainly inspired a lot of my favourite songs on the album like the second single, ‘BE’, which is an uplifting song about being comfortable on your own skin.
I couldn’t have written that song without the benefit of that experience.
- How did it feel to win a MOBO award for Best Jazz Act?
It was such an amazing honour, even more so because it was one of the awards voted for by the public. The MOBO’s have played a really important role in developing the black music scene in the UK and it felt great to be recognized with the award.
- What plans have you got for the rest of the year?
Mostly travel to promote the album. I was very fortunate that my first album ‘Gold Coast’ gave me fans all over the world. I spent a lot of time in the US so I will be heading over there later in the year.
- What sort of thing can we expect from your live shows?
Performing live is on a par with creating new music in the studio for me, I think they are the two most exhilarating experiences for an artist.
Each time I do a live show I feel like it’s a new opportunity to tell the story all over again and I enjoy vibing with the crowd and drawing them into my musical world onstage.
- What other artists are you listening to at the moment?
I am a fan of music first and foremost and so I love discovering new tunes. At the moment I am loving Adele, James Blake and Esperanza Spalding. I also love hearing what my old favourites are putting out, can’t wait to see Sade live when her tour comes to Europe this year.
- Who is your dream collaborator and why?
I have already worked with some great artists like Roy Hargrove, Slum Village, Bob Power (producer for Erykah Badu, Tribe Called Quest) and James Poyser (producer for D’Angelo, Jill Scott).
I was amazed at how much I learned in each of those experiences about musicianship and it would be great to work with more musicians who just amaze you with their natural ability.
Lionel Ritchie comes to mind because he is one the greatest songwriters alive. I have also always fantasized about doing a duet with the great Shirley Bassey. She’s a classic diva and she’s also a Welshie like me, feather boas abound!
- Have you got a message for readers of Female First?
‘Forget the drama, just let it BE’
Rhian Benson’s new album ‘Hands Clean’ is out now. Find out more at: www.facebook.com/rhianbenson