Ben Kelly “Senses”
Smooth but with an edge, “Senses” proves itself to be unlike any others. Only 2 and a half months into his music journey, Ben Kelly definitely has a natural talent for making good music. Luscious backdrop dips in sexy trap beats, the illusive sonic palettes see a sensuous blend of soul and alternative R&B. Hypnotic and atmospheric, “Senses” is a track that immerses you fully. It’s between thoughts and between places. Just being in the moment, letting feelings and melodies to flow through.
Little explosive noise pops add more fun to listeners’ ears in the river of bubblegum psychedelia. Inspired and laid back. The vibe in “Senses” is intoxicating. “Senses” is the first track off of Kelly’s same titled EP, featuring four lushly neon-retro genre-fluid songs that vibrate amongst House, hip-hop, R&B, and soul. If you love melancholy and mesmerizing melody-driven music with rich, immersive backdrop and trap beats, Ben Kelly is your guy.
Check out our interview with the artist where we talk about all things music.
Punk Head: I love the chill, laid-back vibe in “Senses.” It belongs to an EP that immediately follows your debut. How was the creative progress like for you?
Ben Kelly: Thanks! I love the laid-back vibe as well, it's a bit of a departure from some of my other songs. My creative process for this one was pretty similar to what I do for most of my songs - once I either have found or made a beat/instrumental (this one I didn't produce myself), I start off trying to come up with the chorus and main melody for the chorus, since that's usually the most important and memorable part of the song. If I'm doing a song without a defined chorus I usually just start with the beginning of the song and figure out what I want the main topic to be. Usually writing doesn't take that long for me - working through the specifics of the lyrics and melody can take a bit on the verses but it never takes a ton of time. Usually the thing that takes me the most time is recording since it takes me a while to get a take that I'm really happy with.
PH: How did you first start making music?
Ben Kelly: I started writing and recording my own songs at the beginning of this year, so it's been just about 2 and a half months. I was in a band back in high school so I have some experience writing songs from there, and have been a singer most of my life. After graduating college I hadn't done too much of it until now though.
PH: What is your creative vision as an artist?
Ben Kelly: My creative vision is pretty fluid—I know what I like in music (mainly nice melodies), so I try to bring that into my work. Though I mainly stick to R&B as a genre, I try not to be too tied down by it. I just try to make music that I would enjoy if I listened to it out of the blue.
PH: Who are your biggest inspirations?
Ben Kelly: I have so many influences, but they mainly fall into two camps - contemporary Alternative R&B artists like Frank Ocean, SZA, Daniel Caesar, Anderson .Paak, and Tyler, the Creator (for production), and then more old school R&B, pop, and soul like Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, the Isley Brothers, Al Green, and the like.
PH: What kind of advice would you give to other up and coming artists trying to get their names out there?
Ben Kelly: I'm still very new to the music scene, but my advice to anyone who is up and coming (and to myself, I need this advice too at times) is to keep going and not let yourself get too discouraged by your anonymity. Sometimes I get in my head too much about whether I'm really cultivating an audience—my advice is to just power through those days and don't let them get to you!
