organic
With his music, the German-Ghanaian newcomer Benji Holiday moves between hip-hop, soul and jazz with multi-layered relaxed arrangements that are created analogously with fellow musicians. This creates an organic sound that creates a relaxed atmosphere through dreamy guitar riffs, warm Rhodes sounds and groovy bass lines.
Ever since he was a child, Benji Holiday has felt comfortable on stage. After the first musical steps, during which he drummed on saucepans, the Munich man quickly increased with larger performances and inspired performances of the Grund Schuld-Theater-AG up to the Rewe Family Summer Festival in Munich, where he performed the song "Wild Wild West" performed. Later he gained experience as a freestyle rap act at numerous open mic sessions, as a DJ in Munich's club scene (Rote Sonne, Bob Beaman, Harry Klein) and began to sing and play guitar, bass, piano and drums. Inspired by artists like Kendrick Lamar, Tom Misch, Tyler The Creator and Anderson Paak.
Benji Holiday manages to breathe a sense of freedom and serenity into his music. A quality that is no coincidence. Benji Holiday is an experienced surf instructor, skater and dancer and, when he's not working on his songs, can be found regularly at Munich's Eisbach or the city's skate parks. Together with drummer Marv The Harf and pianist Mathias Herberg, Benji Holiday works on a danceable and positive sound with melancholic lyrics about personal stories and everyday situations. Music as a therapy and that's how he processes his time in a mental hospital, broken relationships and social grievances. The pain and vulnerability can be clearly heard in Benji Holiday's voice.
Benji Holiday's debut single "My Boo" will be released on October 28th, 2022. The song was created with the support of the pianist Niklas Nadidai (including live musicians with Horst Wegener) at the surf camp in Portugal and addresses the end of his first great love and the associated experience of racism as well as coming to terms with this difficult time.
Press
Press Release Benji Holiday - My Boo (Release October 28, 2022)
With "My Boo" the Munich singer, rapper and songwriter Benji Holiday releases his debut single. The song shows Benji Holiday's knack for a relaxed jazz rap with influences from soul and alternative R&B, which was created with the support of pianist Niklas Nadidai (live musician with Horst Wegener, among others) during a freestyle session in a surf camp in Portugal. Back in Munich, Benji Holiday continued the arrangements with drummer Marv The Harv and pianist Mathias Herberg. In the songwriting process, Benji Holiday's roots in freestyle rap in particular crystallize: He likes to let things develop organically, so it's only logical that "My Boo" was recorded as a live performance in the studio.
A feather-light piano melody and jazzy drums herald "My Boo". The song deals with the end of Benji Holiday's first love. The relationship has lasted for two years, with marriage and children being an issue - and suddenly only emptiness. In Benji Holiday's voice you can clearly hear the deep pain and the hurt.
Whenever you weren't there/nearby, I was scared.
I used to kiss you, now I miss you / Because you're gone.
Then Benji Holiday's life begins to falter. First a deep hole, then pondering why the relationship failed. One guess: His ex-girlfriend's father had a problem with Benji Holiday being black.
Is it because your dad didn't like me
Standing there in white vans and a nice T?
Only psychotherapy helped him with the final work-up. Even if it is still not easy for him to let someone get so close to him, he is now coping well with this time. Writing and releasing the song is part of self-therapy for him. And yet the scars of the past remain and are part of Benji Holiday's life.
royalty
Gema Data for Benji Holiday - "My Boo" :
Composer: Benjamin Dallinger
Lyricist: Benjamin Dallinger
Label: Self Distribution
Production Self Produced
Work number: 31779582-001
Release date: 10/28/2022