1. Though he hails from Phoenix, Arizona in the USA, he speaks some Mandarin, thanks to his father’s background and his own curiosity and appreciation of the language and culture.
It has led to a loyal and dedicated fanbase in China, and he visited up several cities in the country earlier this year as part of his tour.
2. He has collaborated with Mandarin speaking artists such as Zhao Lusi.
Check out their collaboration here:
3. He endeavours to spend time off social media whenever possible for his own well-being
“It’s too much stimuli for me,” he says. “and I don’t know what to make of it, and so I have to protect myself.”
4. He is a deeply heartfelt songwriter, and his emotions are a driving force in his work.
This is a hallmark of his music, which is deeply confessional and full of storytelling.
5. He is also very disciplined, highly aware of his position in the industry alongside his own love of music.
“I have a contract with a label and they want music, they’re like: “make music, you know?”” he laughs. “So I did.”
6. His most recent album was 12 Notes, released in May.
“…I knew I had to make it, because there was stuff that I had to say, and it didn’t matter how I was feeling, I need to go to the studio,” he says.
7. He would recommend ‘I Sent My Therapist To Therapy’, ‘Jesus in LA’ and ‘Let Me Down Slowly’ as three tracks newcomers to his work should check out.
Expect masterful songwriting, good composition and a soundscape to melt into.
8. He was dropped from his label when he was 19.
Safe to say that it he has firmly landed on his feet since then.
9. His first EP, America, was released twelve years ago.
Since then, he has released the LPs These Two Windows (2020), (Un)Commentary (2022) and 12 Notes (2024), as well as mixtape Narrated For You (2018).
10. Despite his star rising ever higher year on year, he still stays connected to his family.
“…I think loving your family is the best thing you can do,” he says.
12 Notes is out now. Alec can be seen on his 12 Notes Tour in the United States of America now. For more information and tickets, go to https://www.alecbenjamin.com/tour/.
Alec Benjamin can be found on Instagram at @alecbenjamin and on all streaming platforms.
This is part of our Beyond The Diaspora coverage.
