Ben Harper
Ben Harper
Benjamin Chase "Ben" Harperis an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live performances, and activism. He has released twelve regular studio albums, mostly through Virgin Records and has toured internationally. Harper is a three-time Grammy Award winner as well, winning awards for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album, in 2005. He also won a Grammy for Best...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBlues Singer
Date of Birth28 October 1969
CityPomona, CA
CountryUnited States of America
So it's not so much that I set out to do something different, it's just that the songs themselves require their own individual voice and attention.
There's only one proper way a song should go, but you've got to be patient enough to let them come together time wise. Sometimes it's lightning in a bottle and you got the song. But oftentimes it shows up.
The advice I have for new artists is this - write great songs and play them live as often as possible. Get residencies all over town and crush it.
I really feel there's no limitation on what this band can do in the studio or on the stage. That's an empowering feeling - that we can bring a song to life.
As long as the songs are strong, I think you can express yourself in any style and have it be soulful and have it be your own voice.
My band is the best band in the world, period. So, I insist on every song being better then it is on the record. So by the end of the tour, we have to be playing the song better then how it's recorded.
I write songs and I sing them from the deepest part of my existence and I hope they connect with the deepest part of yours.
People say, "How do you write songs?" I say, "Patience." I may have a track that's hot, but no words. I'll just let it sit for years, because I know they're going to meet. They'll find it.
It's so hard to so, so easy to say. But sometimes, sometimes you just have to walk away.
I grew up with a heavy diet of gospel, folk, and blues because those are kind of the cornerstones of traditional American music.
The only way that you can find any semblance of a rule, or make any semblance of your own rule, is to tear up the rulebook. Throw it out, burn it, throw it away, and make your own rules.
When it comes to writers and poets, for me it's Vinicius de Moraes. He's one of the greatest lyricists ever.
We went for the best overall feel on each song. There are no musical overdubs at all. It's a true live record; it's one of the few true live records out there.
Right now I'm listening to a lot of different things but I listen to a lot of classical music. Eventually I would like to compose and perform classical.