Hitting The High Notes

With Matinee Idol good looks and a voice to match, musician Benjamin Kheng opens up about life in the new normal and turning 30.

- Jeffrey Yan

When Benjamin Kheng came onto the scene in 2012 as part of The Sam Willows, he and his bandmates altered the course of the local music industry. The far-reaching appeal of their brand of catchy indie-pop proved that Singapore could stand with the very best of them, and their mainstream commercial success opened the gates for the emergence of a new wave of musical acts that have pushed the local industry forward.

But one EP and two full-length albums later, the members of the band announced in 2019 that they would be focusing on their solo careers. For Kheng, that has meant a handful of TV roles, a YouTube comedy channel—The BenZi Project, with Hirzi Zulkiflie—and of course, much-awaited solo music. We got a clearer glimpse of what his own vision would be with the release of his EP, A Sea That Never Stops, in June last year.