If you believe that Adele or Taylor Swift have some sort of lock on singing about lost/past loves, then you clearly have not met young Guyanese hip-hop/R&B singer Esan ‘Benzy’ Benn.
The 19-year-old University of Guyana student told The Scene that his mixtape ‘Rebirth’ came about after a past relationship. He said after the relationship ended he became a new person, and that’s how ‘Rebirth,’ which was released in May this year, came into being.
Apart from that, Benzy is a dead ringer for American hip-hop/R&B singer Chris Brown also called ‘Breezy’, particularly when his hair is dyed a certain way.
Esan says music was always a part of his life, as he is part of a family who loves to sing, but he never took it seriously until he was 12 years old.
Esan, who grew up in Meadow Brook, Georgetown, moved to live with his grandmother in Affiance, Essequibo Coast, when his mother left the country. Living there and hanging around his cousin, Michael Wallace, who is a dancehall singer/hip-hop dancer, he got interested in writing his own music. Sometimes they practised for hours at his grandmother’s house or on the road with friends. They always got good reviews from friends looking on. Esan recalls that they would say things like, “You guys are good,” or “You should put yourselves out there and really do this.”
“My family loves music and constantly being around made me love music. My aunt and grandparents are into gospel music and oldies. Honestly, I never knew I had that talent. I wanted a hobby and constantly being with him [Michael], it became my thing also. I always wanted to be a computer technician but after realizing I possess this talent, I realize I can help in the music industry in Guyana, perhaps by placing [our] country on the map,” says the singer.
“Hip-hop is not our culture but it doesn’t mean that we [artistes] can’t be a part of that culture,” says Esan. His grandmother, who he says is one of his biggest supporters, after seeing his talent pressed him to get his songs recorded. His first song, “Beach Flow” came out in August 2013 through the recording studio Guyboyz. “My biggest fan, Donette Hicken, is a friend from UG,” he says. “She sings my songs, word for word.”
Other than his cousin Michael, another of his inspirations is ‘Breezy’. “I think he is the best. He sings, dances and raps. He showed me that even if you fall, you could still get back up and walk with your head held high,” says Esan. He is also inspired by rappers Tyga and Meek Mill. “I can relate to his [Meek Mill’s] stuff because most of his stuff that he raps about are things I would have experienced in life.”
If he could have the opportunity to meet one of these singers, guess who it’d be? Chris Brown, of course! “It would be a privilege to shake his hand,” Benzy says.
Concerning support for local artists, Benzy is not impressed. “Guyanese don’t really support hip-hop from local artistes,” he says. “This one time I went to the radio station and one guy working there told my friend, ‘he has to be popular first, before we can play his music.’ I overcame this by promoting my music over the internet, through Facebook, YouTube and SoundCloud. I would like to see more of our local artistes being promoted through the radio, newspapers and television.”
Benzy believes that as people, many of us dream too much. He says, “Stop dreaming and go get it. You want something; go make your dreams a reality. Be passionate or determined but don’t be desperate because then people tend to take advantage of you. I can say this because of a personal experience. I’ve recently had a confrontation with a popular producer in Guyana and in conclusion he made it look like I was desperate. Do not be a doormat. If someone wants to help you, they should be professional.”
Benzy hopes that someday, maybe a few years from now, he could own his own studio. “My aim would be to help local artistes. Especially upcoming artistes like myself,” he says.
The singer is currently at the University of Guyana studying Communications. He also does video editing and is also a mix master, mixing vocals for himself and other persons as well. In his spare time he enjoys playing dominoes, volleyball, travelling and eating junk food especially Popeyes.
Benzy shares that he has a crush on singer, Timeka Marshall. “Everything about her is so elegant. She’s so beautiful and every time I see a picture of her, I’m totally mesmerized,” he says. “Moreover, she has a beautiful voice. I love her music; my favourite song done by her is ‘Come Through.’ I really think there’s more to her in music than she is right now, and I have confidence in that.”
He also loves dressing and trying out new styles. “I guess I inherited that from my mom because she’s a fashion designer [Bernice David] and I really look up to her. I like long sleeve shirts for some reason. I don’t know, but I don’t have a specific style as yet because I love most of the styles I try and I’m not finding one to settle with; especially my hair, I dye it almost every two or three months in a different colour.”
Benzy says music has bettered him since he tries to promote positivity in his music and tries to live by it so that his audience can see him as a positive person also. He’s not just passionate about music but wishes to satisfy his audience and sing songs they could relate too.
Benzy has also produced mixtapes ‘No Lie’ and ‘I Became’ (October, 2014). He’s currently working on his upcoming CD ‘Falling For You.’ The title song “Falling For You” tells of a character who was a womanizer, but met a girl and was surprised that he could fall in love again; something that he hadn’t expected would happen so soon. Eventually, he is converted because of her. ‘Falling For You’ is set to be released sometime next year. Esan Benzy can be contacted through Facebook, soundcloud/esanbenzy or youtube@esanbenzy.
