New York, New York, so nice they named it twice. It’s also the second home of DJ/producer Ben Phipps. Born in Sweden, Phipps made his debut August of 2012 and has worked with a variety of musicians, including Ashe and Mike Ruby. Not only that, but he founded his own label, 14 & 9, so he could independently release his own music. I recently spoke with Phipps, and asked him about his music, his inspirations and what the future holds.
Your single “Don’t Look Back” ft. Ashe was featured on an episode of the series “Pretty Little Liars.” Does having your music appear in popular television programs give you exposure as an artist?
Yes, it does, and “Pretty Little Liars” are pretty good at promoting music. They post it on Facebook and Twitter. They tweet the song as the song airs and it comes back to me and Shazaam. They go on Spotify to find it there, so yeah that definitely helps.
Who was your musical influence?
Wow. I listen to such a wide variety of music. I guess as far as electronic music is concerned, the guy who got me into it, when I was 15 or 16 from Axwell and Swedish Mafia, got me into that stuff as well. Big wide spectrum for me, from Axwell to Audioslave. He’s a Swedish house music producer who was later part of Swedish House Mafia. They did pretty well. But then you know I grew up in a home of classical musicians. My dad is a conductor, my uncle is a composer. That probably sits in the back of my head somewhere, although not a direct influence.
I read that you established your own label, 14 & 9. Do you feel that releasing music via your own label gives you more control of your music as an artist?
Absolutely. That is the reason I did it like that from the beginning because I didn’t want someone telling me that “you can do this and don’t do that.” Obviously now I have surrounded myself with good people for advice, but there isn’t anyone or contract that can stop me from putting a song out if I want to as an artist to say or to share. Signing a contract that gives someone else control over your output could be detrimental to my love for music. I don’t mind feedback, but with some of the deals out there, they can just shelf you and legally you’re not allowed to put out any music because they own you and I’m not down for that.
What prompted you to get into the music industry?
I grew up with music around me so that was always there. I don’t think there was a day when I decided to get into music because I always kind of done it. I played in bands in school. I had a rock band like everyone else I guess. I don’t think we were very good, but, uh, I was doing music on the side and after high school I started a business and ran that for a couple of years. It wasn’t giving me anything back except a paycheck and that got old pretty quickly. I felt like I had to do music and it had to be part of my life. August 2012, I decided to shut down the business, take what money I could and go to New York. I came to the U.S. and studied music and got better at it. I guess I got started August 2012. That’s when I decided this is what I’m going to do with my life and make it work.
Do you have any upcoming projects?
Yes, I always do. One, we’re finishing up a music video for my latest single “Don’t Wake Me Up” which is about New York. I just moved back to New York. I missed it; it’s like home to me. I’ll be in Nashville this weekend recording a couple of songs that I’ve already written. I just need to go out there with the singers who are also cowriters. We’ll be recording this weekend and hopefully everyone will hear it soon.
Is there an upcoming tour we can look forward to?
What I hear from my agents is that we’re looking at this fall for a tour. I can’t confirm any dates, but we are looking at a U.S. tour.
What is the inspiration behind your music?
Usually it’s from personal stories, most of them came out of something good or bad that happened and then I just sit down at the piano and start playing and out came the song. So most of it is from my own life and obviously a lot of songs about broken hearts, the stuff we all go through. It always starts with a feeling of something, either from my self or something someone has expressed to me or I’ve read somewhere. What happens happens and there’s a song.
Is there anyone whose work you’ve been wanting to produce?
Yes! My two dream collaborators to work with would be Florence Welch from “Florence and the Machine.” I think she’s fabulous. And the other would be Emma Louise, an Australian singer and songwriter. Those are the two I’d like to work with someday.
If you haven’t heard his latest hits yet, check out his website at http://www.benphipps.co and listen to the available music. You’ll be so glad you did. Keep an eye on his website for future tour updates and get ready to see Ben in action.
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