Benz – Keep The Change | Soul-fed Pop

Singer-songwriter Benz recently came out with her debut EP titled, “Keep The Change”, which she defines fittingly as soul-fed pop. The four tracks on the EP establish Benz’s trademark sound and are inspired by Christina Aguilera and Khalid, two of her favorite artists.

Keep The Change Tracklist

The EP begins with a skillfully produced, almost r&b track called “Come Thru”. Over an array of diverse beats, complemented by a deep bass, Benz sings introspective lyrics in a sultry tone. Her delivery is organic, and the nuances in the vocal processing make the melody all the more appealing – “I’m crazy, need your love and affection / I messed up, but you look in my dungeon, play with it for fun / If you want all of these babe, then go ahead and come through”.

Track two, “Chains”, featuring producer O/B/A, sticks to Benz’s signature vibe – an expressive blend of pop, r&b, and soul. It’s slightly more upbeat and has a cheerful sound that comes from the catchy top-line. Very Beyonce-esque, with great lyrics and exciting beats!

The title track, “Keep The Change”, starts off with an oscillating synth pad that might remind you of Billie Eilish’s “Everything I Wanted”. Benz’s vocals come to life on this track. Her smooth transitions and playful runs complement the chorus melody that is sure to stick in your head! With powerful lyrics, Benz shares an emotional story through this song. – “..but then I got lost chasing a dream I thought I wanted / What was the cause? Whatever it was, I can’t believe I bought it.”

Featuring writer Dixie Mann, the final track of the EP starts off sounding like a ballad-infused, soul song. A sentimental piano accompanies Benz’s powerful vocals for a few seconds before an exciting, hard-hitting beat changes the mood of the track instantly. She is really creative in her compositions, and that is most evident in “I Got It In The Bag”. Her confident singing style on this track shows the listeners a different side of her, and I’m sure her fans are looking forward to hearing more!

We had the pleasure of having an interview with Benz and here’s what she had to share with us!

Interview

Q1- The production and the overall sound of your EP is masterful! How did you go about it? What comes first during your music creation process, the track or the lyrics?

For this project, we mainly started with the track and then wrote the lyrics on top of it. It’s a process called Top-line writing, and it makes my brain hurt. I usually write the other way around, so making this EP was a huge learning experience for me.

Q2- What was it like collaborating with artists O/B/A and Dixie Mann?

Amazing! Oba produced the first three songs on the EP. He is an insanely talented musician, it was an honor to work with him. We became great friends! Dixie is just dope as hell. Mom of four and a ridiculously skilled lyricist. Working with her was so fun and also insanely efficient?! IGIITB came together in about a month, from start to finish. It took some of the other tracks on the EP 10x as long to be finished! Making IGIITB was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had, Dixie is like a big sister to me now.

Q3- “Come Thru” features sultry vocals and a groovy beat. What inspired you to write this track?

I had been listening to a lot of songs that had these dark, funky, bass-y synths in them. Particularly a song called Chocolate by Kéo and AKA Block, it’s got such a sexy and edgy vibe to it. I wanted to create a song that mimicked that vibe, and so I sent all of these songs I’d been listening to over to Oba and he started to build a track. As he was making it, I remember, I was sitting behind him in the studio and the words just started coming. I wrote most of the lyrics in my phone in that one session. I was really vibing with it! It’s still my favorite track on the EP.

Q4- What was your favorite part from “Keep the Change” that according to you, defines your EP best?

For me, the entire EP is a defining moment as far as my sound as an artist. It’s a turning point in my image and branding, too. So my favorite part is kind of the whole thing?

Q5- What style of music inspires you the most and how has it translated in the making of these four songs?

I looooove R&B and Soul. I love how it translates differently to people and can be so widely versatile. I’d been listening to a lot of Khalid before starting the project, and I absolutely loved the beats he had underneath him. But he is a full fledged pop artist. And R&B?? AND has John Mayer on one of his tracks?! Like what! The fact that he could do all of that with his music amazed me. I wanted that for myself with the EP.

BENZ’s music is described as Soul-fed Pop. Her favorite music genres are Pop, R&B, and Soul from singers such as @Christina Aguilera, @Aretha Franklin, and more modern artists like @Khalid and @Halsey.

Check out the EP on Spotify!