Hot Property: RJ Benjamin
If Voltaire was a modern-day record producer his famous words would have read 'With great TALENT comes great responsibility' and no truer words would ever have been spoken. You need a lot more than a few ounces of talent if you want to survive the relentlessness of the music industry. Without copious amounts of tenacity and an alligator thick skin you might as well hit the 'self-destruct' button right away. Cue RJ Benjamin, an award winning South African vocalist, composer, songwriter and producer who has firmly cemented himself within the South African music industry.
After releasing his debut album 'Who I Am' through the Ghetto Ruff record label in 2004 RJ has gone from strength to strength working with many most sought-after musicians.
We had to opportunity to chat to RJ to find out more about the man behind the music.
Lance Stehr once described you as being the best singer/musician/composer South Africa has ever produced. Do you consciously strive to live up to these high expectations? Songwriting is where it all began for me. Around the age of 5 I was creating my own theme songs to go with whatever toys I playing with and that evolved into songs about my life as the years rolled on. Its very much my musical biography. For me there is no pressure in writing songs because its part of my life's routine. Your sound has been described as R&B, Soul, Light Rock and Acid Jazz. Which genre do you find yourself leaning most towards. As much as I'd love to use the word eclectic, I definitely lean towards soul music. I do try and let whatever flows out of me musically not limit me to only one genre but inevitably I tend to go back to my comfort zone. You have collaborated with the likes of HHP, Dan Patlansky and Danny K. Which international artist would you most like to work with? Out of the UK, I'd love to work with Lianne La Havas. Omar who's now a musical veteran would also be on that list. Would lose my mind if I ever got the chance to work with Nile Rodgers or Bobby Mcferrin. You have mentored on numerous South African talent shows. Do you think that shows such as Idols still have relevance in 2015? Shows like Idols still have relevance as far as tv shows go in SA and ratings prove this. Channels would't be putting them out if it weren't the case. Personally, I don't like the "bad" auditions that a lot of people love to laugh about and I don't like the old Simon Cowell style judging where you're just mean to people but as a vocal coach and mentor you can understand why I would believe in being more constructive criticism. I also feel that as South Africans there's a serious disconnect from it being a tv show and these people actually leaving the show and attempting to to pursue lifelong musical careers. Viewers like to be entertained while it's on tv, they'll even pay money voting hundreds of times every week but following that, they're not paying to watch these singers live and they're not buying their music. Do you have any new projects in the pipeline that we can look forward to? I do, I have a 5 track EP out at the moment called 'The 5th Story'. I'm currently completing the full album due for release under my own record label. The next single will definitely have an afro-cetric feel to it. Are you looking forward to your appearance at the Wawela Music Awards this year? I am, it's a very young awards show but one close to my heart as someone passionate about composing music and songs. behind the scene's guy never get enough credit and in the music biz in this day and age, they're often the one's taking bigger pay checks home. I'll be performing a song of mine called 'Only Ever Loved You' with Ziyon. In your interview with Vuzu this year you touched on why you left House Music behind you. Do you miss it at all? I don't miss house music. It was a decision I had to make for my own musical sanity. The way I see it is if you're willing to take such a great risk and be a musician in South Africa or anywhere in the world rather than work in an office or doing something you hate, you may as well create music you love making. You have shown a great change in style as well as genre choice over the years. What do you think is next for you? I'm lucky that in the past 3 years I have had other work to cover my expenses. It's given me the opportunity to create freely without the pressure of having to make music that will play on radio or for specific radio stations. To answer your question is difficult because I have no idea what will come next musically out of me. Statistically though, if I was to be like a sports analyst to my creativity, there's a good chance it's something soulful. What did 5 year old RJ want to be when he grew up? I think ever since I can remember, even before 5, I always wanted to be a musician. Doing what you do, being out there in the public eye and working in the music industry must be stressful. What do you do at the end of each day to switch off? I'm a cartoon and comic book junkie so I'm either watching some ridiculous adult theme'd cartoon or reading some superhero book, usually Batman. I'm a total geek!
