Alec_Benjamin

Alec Benjamin

Alec Benjamin

American singer and songwriter

Alec Shane Benjamin (born May 28, 1994) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, his 2018 breakthrough single "Let Me Down Slowly" reached the top 40 in over 25 countries and has amassed over 1.7 billion streams on Spotify as of December 2023.

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Life and career

Alec Shane Benjamin was born on May 28, 1994, in Phoenix, Arizona,[5][6] where he and his sister were raised.[7] He started learning guitar in high school,[8] and released his first extended play (EP) America in 2013.[6]

Benjamin signed with Columbia Records and enrolled at the University of Southern California. However, Columbia Records ended their partnership weeks after he submitted his album.[7] Even after termination of partnership with Columbia Records, he went on a self-funded tour in Europe to open for Marina Kaye in France, and Lea in Germany. He promoted his music by performing in parking lots outside concert venues and handing out business cards to passersby.[9]

Benjamin's mixtape Narrated for You was released on November 16, 2018. It features the songs "If We Have Each Other," "Water Fountain," "Annabelle's Homework," and "Let Me Down Slowly"; the latter was later re-released as a single with Alessia Cara.[10] While promoting the mixtape, he created the "Can I Sing for You?" videos on YouTube, in which he performs his written songs in acoustic to people in public.[11]

Benjamin's debut studio album These Two Windows was released on May 29, 2020. It peaked at number 8 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart.[12] His second album, (Un)Commentary, followed on April 15, 2022.[13][14]

In 2023, he opened for John Mayer for a portion of Mayer's North American tour. That same year, he performed at the annual Minecraft Live, singing a parody of his song "Let Me Down Slowly" using words from the Minecraft game universe.[15]

That same year, he began releasing tracks from his upcoming album. Currently released tracks consist of “Different Kind of Beautiful” and “I Sent My Therapist to Therapy” and "Pick Me", which have been remixed.

He speaks and sings in Mandarin Chinese, collaborating with popular Chinese actress Zhao Lusi in a Mandarin translated version of "Water Fountain."

Influences

Benjamin has cited influences such as Eminem,[16] John Mayer,[17] Jason Mraz, Paul Simon, Joe Avneri and Chris Martin of Coldplay.[18] He has also expressed admiration for Kendrick Lamar[19] and classic singer-songwriters such as Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Carole King,[20] and Jackson Browne.[21]

Discography

Studio albums

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Mixtapes

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Extended plays

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Singles

As lead artist

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Other certified songs

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Notes

  1. "Demons" did not enter the Ultratop 50 chart, but peaked at number 5 on the Ultratip chart.[24]
  2. "Oh My God" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart, but peaked at number 32 on the Pop Songs chart[66] and at number 26 on the Adult Pop Songs chart.[67]
  3. "Oh My God" did not enter the Ultratop 50 chart, but peaked at number 49 on the Ultratip chart.[24]
  4. "Devil Doesn't Bargain" did not enter the Single Top 100, but reached number 11 on its extension, the Single Tip.[69]

References

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  2. [2]
    "Narrated for You by Alec Benjamin on Apple Music". Apple Music.
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    "(Un)Commentary by Alec Benjamin on Apple Music". Apple Music.
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    "Alec Benjamin". Ones to Watch. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  5. [5]
    Benjamin, Alec [@AlecBenjamin] (June 20, 2016). "@newscarpenter Alec Shane Benjamin :)" (Tweet). Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022 – via Twitter.
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    Donelson, Marcy. "Alec Benjamin Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
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    Ginsberg, Gab (April 30, 2019). "Alec Benjamin Is Rising 'Slowly,' But Surely". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
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    "Alec Benjamin". Warner Chappell Music. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
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    Silver, Michael. "Watch Alec Benjamin Perform 'Let Me Down Slowly' on 'Today' Show". Billboard. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
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    Lukarcanin, Emina (July 2020). "Alec Benjamin Breaks Down His 'Narrated For You' Mixtape: Exclusive". Billboard.
  11. [11]
    Firman, Tehrene (10 November 2014). "Press Play on This Exclusive "Paper Crown" Music Video, Fall Totally in Love with Jersey-Wearing, Boombox-Toting Alec Benjamin". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
  12. [12]
    "Top Album Sales". Billboard. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
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    "(Un)Commentary by Alec Benjamin". Apple Music. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
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    Tracy, Brianne (May 29, 2020). "Alec Benjamin Talks New Album, 'Struggle' with Social Media: 'It's Harder to Just Make Music'". People. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  15. [15]
    Benjamin, Alec (Oct 15, 2023). "i worked on something super cool for @minecraft ! tune in to #minecraftlive at Minecraft.net/live in about 30 mins to check it out !! #minecraftpartner". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 2023-10-19.
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    Marks, Lily (July 1, 2019). "Pop Singer Alec Benjamin Covers His Idol Eminem". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
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    Monroy Yglesias, Ana (June 13, 2019). "Alec Benjamin On Working With Alessia Cara, Meeting His Idol John Mayer & Chasing Dreams". Grammy Awards. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
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    Alec Benjamin Speaks Mandarin, Talks Musical Inspiration and Upcoming Album!. WiLD 94.9. December 13, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2022 – via YouTube.
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    "ARTIST PROFILE: ALEC BENJAMIN". F Word. 8 April 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
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    Nissen, Dano (July 26, 2019). "Alec Benjamin on His Personal Journey Behind 'Jesus in L.A.'". Variety. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  21. [21]
    "'It's a weird time right now:' Alec Benjamin on releasing an album during a pandemic". The National. July 12, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
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    "Album Top-40 Uge 7, 2019". Hitlisten. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
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    "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes – SNEP (Week 28, 2019)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved July 16, 2019.[permanent dead link]
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    "Danish album certifications – Alec Benjamin – Narrated for You". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
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    "ARIA Chart Watch #521". auspOp. April 20, 2019. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
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    "Alec Benjamin's "End Of The Summer": Premiere". 10 June 2016.
  48. [48]
    "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2020 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  49. [49]
    "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2020". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  50. [50]
    "Danish single certifications – Alec Benjamin feat. Alessia Cara – Let Me Down Slowly". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  51. [51]
    "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community". Hitparade.ch – Swiss Charts. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  52. [52]
    "Dutch certifications – Alec Benjamin" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved September 10, 2023. Enter Alec Benjamin in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  53. [53]
    The Boy In The Bubble, 2018-06-22, retrieved 2022-04-12
  54. [54]
    Warner Music Brasil [@WarnerMusicBR] (November 27, 2018). ""Boy In The Bubble" é o single novo do @AlecBenjamin que acaba de ganhar um clipe emocionante – vem assistir e colocar o cara entre as suas melhores descobertas de 2018 🎬🎶 https://t.co/W3CuWaQtg5" (Tweet) (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022 – via Twitter.
  55. [55]
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  56. [56]
    Death Of A Hero, 2018-08-23, retrieved 2022-04-12
  57. [57]
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  58. [58]
    Warner Music Africa [@WMAfrica] (August 22, 2018). ".@AlecBenjamin drops a brand-new single this week. We can't wait for you to hear 'Death of a Hero'. https://t.co/CkvaH2sJoE" (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022 – via Twitter.
  59. [59]
    Outrunning Karma, 2018-09-27, retrieved 2022-04-12
  60. [60]
    Benjamin, Alec [@AlecBenjamin] (September 4, 2018). "my next single is called "Outrunning Karma"" (Tweet). Retrieved April 14, 2022 – via Twitter.
  61. [61]
    1994, 2018-11-01, retrieved 2022-04-12
  62. [62]
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  63. [63]
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  64. [64]
    Benjamin, Alec [@AlecBenjamin] (July 9, 2019). ""Jesus in LA" out in 1 week" (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2022 – via Twitter.
  65. [65]
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  66. [66]
    "Alec Benjamin – Chart History: Mainstream Top 40". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  67. [67]
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  68. [68]
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  69. [69]
    "Dutch Single Tip 18/06/2022" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  70. [70]
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  71. [71]
    Sully, Jayden (1 March 2021). ""New Your Soul - Pt. ii"". Genius. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  72. [72]
    Wass, Mike (13 August 2020). "Powfu, Alec Benjamin & Rxseboy remix Sista Prod's "Eyes Blue Like the Atlantic"". Idolator. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
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