ARTIST FEATURE: Benjamin Joseph
Benjamin Joseph just released his debut single “Dawn to Dusk” on all platforms—read up to learn about his full-circle journey, mega rebrand, and a surprise video drop.
It’s a world of constant change, anticipation, and ambition for Ben Moran a.k.a. Ben Jamin a.k.a. Benjamin Joseph—we’ll dive into all of that, don’t worry.
The 22-year-old musician from the DMV area dropped his debut single under the name Benjamin Joseph earlier today, and it marks the start of something special. TLDR: you can stream Dawn & Dusk HERE.
There’s been a constant flow of new music ventures in the world of Ben Jamin—Sings & Wings Writers’ Rounds (serving homemade wings with live music running in the background), Fool’s Fest (the ultimate student backyard festival that’s slated to make an epic return in 2029), the Jam Label (music company turned actual jam-making hustle), and We Could Beat That (a first-of-its-kind songwriting podcast with bandmate Miles Connor, where songs are written live on the show). Safe to say the entrepreneurial spirit runs deep within Ben, and that same spirit manifests itself in his musical journey.
He jumped onto the music scene immediately after enrolling at Belmont and made his TMR debut as a sophomore at an open mic in December 2021 followed by a house show in January 2022. It was at these gigs that he performed (under the name Ben Jamin) some of his early bangers like “Keychain” and “Atlantic Ocean,” two tracks that found their way onto his debut album Do You Get It?
In his own words, “yeah, not a lot of people got it.” The hip-hop x spoken-word x indie project showed the world what Ben Jamin was capable of—the ability to tackle any musical vibe or genre. But, that genre fluidity had its share of downsides as well: “After Do You Get It?, I realized I needed to pick one genre because it was all mixed; and if it’s all mixed, people aren’t going to gravitate towards you as an artist just because it’s a little bit of everything.” It was at this point he decided it was time for a rebrand.
“The rebrand, dude, tell me about that.”
“The rebrand kind of plays into Do You Get It? as well. I had been thinking about it for a while—I know people like the name Ben Jamin, and I like it too, but just with all of the things I was doing (see above!) and the way it’s been my whole life…I feel like people kinda take me as a joke sometimes—and I’m a funny guy and make jokes all the time, but with my music, that’s the one thing I’m really serious about.”
Ben went on to talk about how this “goofiness” almost overshadowed his musicianship—and that’s something he was determined to change. All of that starts with a name. “I had been thinking about a name change for about a year, and it was during that year that I decided to fully pursue Country. Joseph is my middle name, so I picked it when I got into the showcase, and I’m still trying it out, but it’s fluid. I still am Ben Jamin, and that’s fine, but for now, I’m trying out the two-first-names country name (e.g. Toby Keith, Luke/Zach Bryan, Alan Jackson, Hank Williams, etc. etc.).”
As to why he chose Country, there’s a reason for that, too. “[Country] is serious but it doesn’t take itself too seriously. And that’s how I am, too…I’m a serious guy but I’m not really taking myself seriously….there are funny songs in Country but even the funny songs sometimes have harsh truths to them.” Inspired by musicians like Tyler Childers, Hank Williams, and Willie Nelson, Ben Jamin became Benjamin Joseph and took a more serious route.
The Country rebrand fully took off when Ben was accepted into and won Belmont’s Country Showcase (one of the installments of their yearly showcase series). He had previously applied to the Songwriter, Country, and R&B competitions before finally being accepted into the Country lineup. It clearly worked out in the long run while also teaching him some valuable lessons: “The best and most well-received song I played from the Country Showcase was the same song that got me rejected from the Songwriter Showcase just a few months prior….it goes to show that it doesn’t always matter what a select few people think…there are always just more people who will listen to your stuff, and if some people don’t like it, that might just be them.” This performance not only brought millions of social media impressions (and a brand new Gibson!), but also connections to agencies, lawyers, managers, and mentors—the full support team to launch a real career and the wave needed to solidify the seriousness of his artistry.
Things are finally coming full circle for Ben. Just last night, he played his second set at Whiskey Jam: coincidentally, the very same series that inspired Sings & Wings. He went from a hodgepodge of genres to finding his own unique voice in the world of Country and Americana. And he has 5+ more songs already in the works following the release of Dawn & Dusk today.
AND, if you really can’t wait to hear more, we just dropped the video of Ben’s performance of “Drink Like a Drain” from our Live Night at East Iris Studios earlier this year. It’s up on our YouTube as you read this (please sub…we need some love after launching it the other week). ++ The studio-recorded version is on the horizon, so stay tuned!
- DG