The title song “Santa Barbara” is an English adaptation of the German hit song “Frankfurt Oder” by Axel Bosse from 2011. Benny was able to win the great Nataly Dawn Pomplamoose as a duet partner.
There are other great covers on the EP, like the Billy Preston & Syreeta song “It Will Come In Time”, about which Benny says: “This is the blueprint for the whole Benny Sings sound. I discovered the song on one of my parents’ records when I was four. There’s a picture of me with a gigantic headset on, where I’m listening to the song non-stop.”
“Passionfruit” is actually a remix/re-work from 2018 of Drake’s track “Passionfruit”. The same lyrics, chords, and structure is used, but with Benny’s unique twist. He says of the cover: “Pop music has always been a goal of mine and I liked the idea of presenting this song in a more old-fashioned or conventional way.”
One of the most beautiful cover versions on this EP is Benny’s relaxed adaptation of the Bruce Springsteen classic “Dancing In The Dark” from 2021.
Since 2003, Benny Sings has been releasing his own music and collaborating with artists including Anderson .Paak, Mndsgn, GoldLink, and Mayer Hawthorne. He was featured on Rex Orange County’s 2017 hit “Loving Is Easy” and had a breakout performance on NPR’s Tiny Desk series.
He has released several albums, of which the critically acclaimed “City Pop”, released in 2019 was the first on Stones Throw Records. His 2nd album “Music” (read our in-depth interview here), which includes the singles “Sunny Afternoon”, “Rolled Up” featuring Mac DeMarco, and “Nobody’s Fault” featuring Tom Misch, was released in April 2021.
