Eddie Benjamin Talks ‘Weatherman’ Single, Touring With (and Being Mentored by) Justin Bieber

variety.com:

Ellise Shafer Eddie Benjamin insists that his first word was “guitar.”“I know that sounds really stupid, but even before I played music [my parents] told me that was my first word,” the 20-year-old multi-instrumentalist tells Variety from his tour bus somewhere in Florida. “I was never really pushed into playing or practicing, or ‘we want you to be an artist or musician.’ I just had the instruments all around the house, and the music that I was brought up on led me to that at a really natural time.”Growing up in the Bondi Beach neighborhood of Sydney, Australia, Benjamin’s parents — his father a touring and session drummer and mother a choreographer — immersed him in the music of Stevie Wonder, Prince, Bach and Black Eyed Peas, among others.

Benjamin began playing the guitar at age 13, but the performance bug didn’t truly bite him until his parents brought him to a Prince concert. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s what I want to do forever,'” Benjamin says. “I asked them for a bass and it all started from there.

I was instantly obsessed. And honestly, since then I’ve just wanted to play music all the time.”That mix of classic and current influences is obvious in Benjamin’s music, which marries catchy pop with the musical complexities of jazz and R&B.

Take, for example, his viral song “Weatherman”: its simple yet joyous chorus made for a perfect TikTok hit, while the verses feature layered harmonies and a soul-driven mix of piano and percussion.