Alec Benjamin – as an example of a self-made musician

Rising star Alec Benjamin became known to the world thanks to perseverance: he did not have influential labels or big money behind him. 

The guy was born on May 28, 1994 in the USA, in Phoenix, now he is 25 years old. 

Guitar forever 

He did not have incredible abilities, he studied evenly, and kept himself apart. He listened to a lot of different music – from rock to rap, and still names Paul Simon, Eminem, Chris Martin from the band Coldplay, and John Mayer among his favorite musicians. By the way, except for Eminem, all of the musicians listed are guitarists. 

The guitar fascinated Alec, so at the age of 16 he bought himself an instrument, possibly ordering it from one of the most “ordinary” at first glance online stores, for example, like Muzlike.ru. And he began to take lessons on his own. So, without attending classical music school, the guy managed to become quite Decent Guitarist. 

At the age of 18, the guy was noticed by the White Rope label, and managed to release his debut mixtape*, which went almost unnoticed. The contract was terminated. 

[*Mixtape is a type of sound recording where tracks are recorded in a specific order and assembled into a single composition. This is not just a collection of songs, but a concept, it reflects the personality of the composer] 

How to create opportunities out of nothing 

But Alec wasn’t so easily swayed – he organized himself an impromptu tour of Europe. In fact, he just performed in parking lots in front of large venues where Troye Sivan and Shawn Mendes were holding concerts. People gathered before the show or dispersed after it – and Alec was right there: playing the guitar, singing his songs and covers. This is how the already famous performer and producer Jon Bellion* noticed him, inviting him to participate in a joint tour. 

[*Bellion has produced such performers as Halsey, Selena Gomez, Camilla Cabello, Maroon 5, and worked as a composer with Eminem] 

Alec grabbed every opportunity that came his way, and created some himself – he continued to play for people on the streets, beaches and parking lots. In six months – 165 concerts, that’s almost every day! 

In 2017, his song “I Built A Friend” was heard by millions – it was performed on the show “America’s Got Talent.” 

The genres in which Benjamin feels most comfortable are pop and indie rock, but he can also rap if necessary. And he will do it with guitar accompaniment (see his cover of Eminem’s Stan). 

Popularity without hype and scandals 

Alec remained simple and real even in those moments when influential musicians paid attention to him – his idol John Mayer, Jamie Scott, Julie Frost. Many people liked the format of his videos “Can I Sing For You?”, in which he performed his songs for ordinary people. 

Now Alec performs in large concert halls, and his videos receive millions of views. Let Me Down Slowly, If We Have Each Other, Mind Is A Prison and other songs became real hits. The performer is planning collaborations with Khalid and Jimin from the group BTS, but he is unlikely to be in danger of stardom. 

People connect with Alec’s work because he is simple and sincere. Listeners found deep lyrics, sincere emotions, an unusual voice timbre and beautiful melodies in his music. You can also always see him with his faithful companion – a guitar.