Rhian Benson
Encyclopedia
Rhiannon Afua "Rhian" Benson (born 10 January 1977) is a Ghanaian soul
and jazz
singer, songwriter
, and composer
.
, Ghana
to a Welsh
mother, who was a singer, and an Ashanti father, who was a guitarist, and she has a younger sister.
She was raised in Ghana, India
, where her family moved following a diplomatic posting of her father, and the United Kingdom
, where she eventually settled.
Benson began playing piano
and guitar
and writing songs and poetry at an early age.
Before pursuing a career in music, she attended the London School of Economics
and gained a degree in econometrics
. She continued her education at Harvard University
, before working at an investment bank.
clubs and was eventually discovered by a Los Angeles-based label, DKG Music. Benson moved to Los Angeles, California
to record her debut album, Gold Coast, which was released in October 2003. She wrote all the songs on the album, composed the music on guitar and keyboards
, and co-produced it with producers
Bob Power and James Poyser
.
Benson won a Mobo Award
in 2005.
With the help of Denmark’s
finest rising new star production duo, Jonas Rendbo and Daniel Fridell, Rhian Benson has begun preparing for the release of her second album on February 14, 2011 - ‘Hands Clean’. The album redefines modern soul as the Mobo Award
winner drapes her voice across a soulful collection of starkly pulsating electronic grooves. These confessional tales of love, loss and life represent a bold, new direction for this unique artist as she journeys beyond the ‘Gold Coast’.
Better Without You is the first single to be released off the album in February 2011.
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
singer, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Early life
Benson was born in AccraAccra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
, Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
to a Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
mother, who was a singer, and an Ashanti father, who was a guitarist, and she has a younger sister.
She was raised in Ghana, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, where her family moved following a diplomatic posting of her father, and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, where she eventually settled.
Benson began playing piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and writing songs and poetry at an early age.
Before pursuing a career in music, she attended the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
and gained a degree in econometrics
Econometrics
Econometrics has been defined as "the application of mathematics and statistical methods to economic data" and described as the branch of economics "that aims to give empirical content to economic relations." More precisely, it is "the quantitative analysis of actual economic phenomena based on...
. She continued her education at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, before working at an investment bank.
Career
Once back in the UK, she performed in small LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
clubs and was eventually discovered by a Los Angeles-based label, DKG Music. Benson moved to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
to record her debut album, Gold Coast, which was released in October 2003. She wrote all the songs on the album, composed the music on guitar and keyboards
Musical keyboard
A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
, and co-produced it with producers
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Bob Power and James Poyser
James Poyser
James Poyser in Sheffield, England is a multi-Grammy winning songwriter, musician and multi-platinum producer.Poyser has written and produced songs for various legendary and award-winning artists including Erykah Badu, Mariah Carey, John Legend, Lauryn Hill, Common, Anthony Hamilton, D'Angelo,...
.
Benson won a Mobo Award
MOBO Awards
The Music of Black Origin Awards, established in 1995 by Kanya King MBE and Andy Ruffell, are held annually in the United Kingdom to recognise artists of any ethnicity or nationality performing black music....
in 2005.
With the help of Denmark’s
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
finest rising new star production duo, Jonas Rendbo and Daniel Fridell, Rhian Benson has begun preparing for the release of her second album on February 14, 2011 - ‘Hands Clean’. The album redefines modern soul as the Mobo Award
MOBO Awards
The Music of Black Origin Awards, established in 1995 by Kanya King MBE and Andy Ruffell, are held annually in the United Kingdom to recognise artists of any ethnicity or nationality performing black music....
winner drapes her voice across a soulful collection of starkly pulsating electronic grooves. These confessional tales of love, loss and life represent a bold, new direction for this unique artist as she journeys beyond the ‘Gold Coast’.
Better Without You is the first single to be released off the album in February 2011.
Singles
- 2003: "Say How I Feel" - UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#27 - 2003: "Stealing My Piece Of Mind"
- 2011: "Better Without You"
External links
- Rhian Benson official site