Alec Shane Benjamin (born May 28, 1994) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, his 2018 breakthrough single "Let Me Down Slowly" reached the top 40 in over 25 countries and has amassed over 1.7 billion streams on Spotify as of December 2023.
Alec Benjamin | |
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 Benjamin in 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Alec Shane Benjamin |
| Born | May 28, 1994 Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instrument(s) |
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| Years active | 2014–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | alecbenjamin |
Life and career
Alec Shane Benjamin was born on May 28, 1994, in Phoenix, Arizona,[5][6] where he and his sister were raised.[7] As a child, he spent summers at a Jewish sleepaway camp which introduced him to campfire songs.[8] He started writing songs at 13 and learning guitar in high school,[9][10] and released his first extended play (EP) America in 2013.[6]
Benjamin signed with Columbia Records and enrolled at the University of Southern California. However, Columbia Records ended their partnership weeks after he submitted his album.[7] After termination of his partnership with Columbia Records, he went on a self-funded tour in Europe, opening for Marina Kaye in France and Lea in Germany. He promoted his music by performing in parking lots outside concert venues and handing out business cards to passersby.[11]
Benjamin's mixtape Narrated for You was released on November 16, 2018. It features the songs "If We Have Each Other," "Devil Doesn't Bargain", "Water Fountain," "Annabelle's Homework," and "Let Me Down Slowly". "Let Me Down Slowly" was later re-released as a single with Alessia Cara.[12] While promoting the mixtape, he started creating the "Can I Sing for You?" videos on YouTube, in which he performs acoustic versions of his songs for people in public.[13]
Benjamin's debut studio album These Two Windows was released on May 29, 2020. It peaked at number 8 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart.[14] His second album, (Un)Commentary, followed on April 15, 2022.[15][16]
In 2023, he opened for John Mayer for a portion of Mayer's North American tour. He also performed at the annual Minecraft Live, singing a parody of his song "Let Me Down Slowly" using words from the Minecraft game universe.[17] Additionally, he began releasing tracks from his upcoming album. Currently released tracks include “Different Kind of Beautiful”, “I Sent My Therapist to Therapy”, and "Pick Me".
On May 10, 2024, he released a new album: 12 Notes with new songs such as "Sacrifice Tomorrow", "In a Little" or "By now" among others.
He occasionally records Mandarin versions of his songs, having been inspired by his dad who’s incorporated Chinese culture into his work as a medical doctor through acupuncture and eastern medicine.[18] He collaborated with popular Chinese actress Zhao Lusi on a Mandarin version of "Water Fountain".
Influences
Benjamin has cited influences such as Eminem,[19] John Mayer,[20] Jason Mraz, Paul Simon, Joe Avneri and Chris Martin of Coldplay.[21] He has also expressed admiration for Kendrick Lamar[22] and classic singer-songwriters such as Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Carole King,[23] and Jackson Browne.[24]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [25] | AUS [26] | BEL (FL) [27] | NLD [28] | SWI [29] | UK [30] | ||
| These Two Windows |
| 75 | 70 | 99 | 42 | 75 | 52 |
| (Un)Commentary | — | — | — | 84 | 62 | — | |
| 12 Notes |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes an album that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||
Mixtapes
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [25] | US Heat. [33] | BEL (FL) [27] | CAN [34] | DEN [35] | FRA [36] | NLD [28] | NOR [37] | SWE [38] | |||
| Narrated for You |
| 127 | 3 | 121 | 62 | 10 | 130 | 59 | 5 | 20 | |
Extended plays
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| America[1] |
|
Singles
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [44] | AUS [45] | BEL (FL) [27] | CAN [46] | DEN [47] | IRE [48] | NLD [28] | NOR [49] | SWI [29] | UK [30] | ||||
| "Paper Crown"[50] | 2014 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "End of the Summer"[51] | 2016 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "The Way to Nowhere" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "I Built a Friend" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Let Me Down Slowly" (solo or featuring Alessia Cara) | 2018 | 79 | 56 | 4 | 49 | 7 | 17 | 22 | 6 | 20 | 31 | Narrated for You | |
| "Boy in the Bubble"[57][58][59] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "If We Have Each Other" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Death of a Hero"[60][61][62] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Outrunning Karma"[63][64] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ||
| "1994"[65][66] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Must Have Been the Wind"[67] | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | These Two Windows | |
| "Jesus in LA"[68] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Mind Is a Prison"[69] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ||
| "Demons" | 2020 | — | — | —[A] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Oh My God" | —[B] | — | —[C] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "The Book of You & I" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Six Feet Apart" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| "Match in the Rain" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | These Two Windows | ||
| "I Built a Friend (2020)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| "The Way You Felt"[72] | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | (Un)Commentary | |
| "Change My Clothes" (with Dream) | — | — | — | — | — | 70 | — | — | — | 67 | Non-album single | ||
| "Older" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | (Un)Commentary | ||
| "Shadow of Mine" | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Speakers" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Devil Doesn't Bargain" | — | — | — | — | — | — | —[D] | 30 | — | 95 | |||
| "Different Kind of Beautiful"[74] | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 Notes | |
| "I Sent My Therapist to Therapy" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Pick Me" | 2024 | ||||||||||||
| "King Size Bed" | |||||||||||||
| "Found You First" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "New York Soul, Pt. II" (Jon Bellion featuring Alec Benjamin)[75] | 2016 | The Human Condition |
| "Eyes Blue Like the Atlantic, Pt. 2" (Sista Prod featuring Powfu, Alec Benjamin, and Rxseboy)[76] | 2020 | Non-album single |
Other certified songs
| Title | Year | Certifications | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Water Fountain" | 2018 | Narrated for You | |
| "If I Killed Someone for You" |
|