Ben Hunter Interview
You might not be familiar with Ben Hunter. You will be soon. An enigmatic white collar worker hoping to better the lives of others through music, Hunter’s thoughtful lyrics have a conscious lean that hopes to capture the mood of England’s political divide. In-between his office job and studio hustle, Hunter sat down with Vivid Seats to discuss his art, his journey and his upcoming projects.
Vivid Seats: For those unfamiliar, tell us about Ben Hunter.
Ben Hunter: I'm an independent artist from Barnstaple in North Devon currently residing in Ealing, West London and you most definitely should check out my music, follow my socials and get ready for my 2020 E.P release!
VS: You still hold a day job at a software company. Take us through your career path and how it helped you to become the artist you are today.
BH: I do indeed. Music is expensive when you're trying to compete at the top level and so I require this job to fund my passion. I have been working 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the office and 7:00 p.m. to midnight in the studio for the past year whilst I develop my EP. It has been a tough slog to say the least but well worth it! My day job keeps enough money in the pot for me to shoot videos, work with PR teams and produce the best music possible.
VS:You recently released “Help,” a song about understanding. What motivated you to create such a powerful track?
BH: I feel as though we're living in extremely superficial times with people so wrapped up in their own worlds they forget others. I personally know that the biggest rewards in my life have come from helping others and not from status or material possessions. I wrote “Help” to highlight this and encourage people to see themselves in the shoes of others.
VS:The song was used to support the CALM charity. How has music helped you with your personal growth?
BH: That was my previous track “Hope” which was to raise awareness for male suicide after a close friend went through a dark time. It gives me a space to express my emotions and not keep them bottled up which is priceless to me!
VS: What struggles do you face as an independent artist? How have you used this to your advantage?
BH: It’s so difficult to raise the money required to compete on the same level as the mainstream acts along with getting the exposure needed to make the tracks popular. With so many people making music and fighting for attention on social media it's easy to get lost in the crowd.
VS: On the music front -- what artists inspire you? On a more personal level -- what activists and trendsetters inspire you?
BH: Liam Gallagher has been a huge inspiration for me to come from such a mega group and then to go solo and become a number one artist in his own right is very dope; I love his music/songwriting. I really think Stormzy is a great on both fronts and continues to use his platform to benefit the less fortunate.
VS: Any dream collaborations?
BH: Eminem, Liam Gallagher and Anderson Paak... in that order.
VS: You’ve got a new EP, recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios, on the way. What can we expect?
BH: I'm very proud of this project and the effort that has gone into it. You can expect exquisite lyricism, honesty, huge beats and for the first time .... me singing, which i'm nervous about!
Follow Ben Hunter on Instagram and Twitter.