After the release of his debut single Rising Sun to a great response in July 2020 at
just 15 years of age, the incessant talent of rising star Benjamin Wood (now 16),
shines through once again in his follow up single, Shoulder, releasing across all
digital platforms on Friday, December 3rd, 2021.
The Grade 10 learner at Steyn City School in Dainfern, Johannesburg, is a
multi-talented artist, performer and deep thinker. Benjamin is not only a
singer/songwriter, but also plays multiple instruments, is a tap and ballet dancer
and an award-winning actor.
Over the past few months during COVID-19, music and song-writing has been
something that has kept him going, giving him hope and most importantly,
helped him to express how he, and perhaps all of us, are feeling in these current
times.
Benjamin has felt that there’s nothing better than sitting down with his guitar and
a notebook and letting his creativity flow during times of stress and hardship and
ultimately, this is how Shoulder was born.
In terms of instrumentation and style, the song falls within the pop genre. It has
moments of softer, acoustic elements while also making use of larger sounds from
bass, drums and synthesised elements that come together to create what he
believes is a vibrant, upbeat and easy–on–the–ear pop song, while also telling an
important story of connectedness.
Says Benjamin; “I began to reflect on what I could express through the music. A
thought that really struck me was the idea that everyone is going through their
own battles in the current times, but what keeps us connected and strong is our
relationships with the people around us and the common struggle that everyone
is facing together.
He continues; “In that way, we are isolated in our own lives and individual
circumstances, but extremely connected to the current state of the world which
we endure as one people. This idea is what gave rise to the chorus of the song
where I attempt to express the feelings that I’ve had during current times.
The chorus also explores our desire to reach beyond hardship now, but most
importantly, in our present adversity, to use each other and human connection to
overcome feelings of sorrow and loss.”
An important element to make the song unique for Benjamin, was using the
words of people that he has found influential and significant in the past year, to
highlight a spirit of connection and unity, but also hopefully to inspire anyone that
listens to the song to know that how we successfully get through these times, is
based on how successfully we help each other along the way.
These quotes ensure Shoulder is multi-layered and not your typical pop song.
They include;
a line from one of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s speeches during lockdown
a quote from Kamala Harris on the night she became the Vice President Elect
of the USA
Black Lives Matter chants from one of the many protests against injustice and
racism which have informed a word wide movement towards equality,
a quote from Marcus Rashford, whose child hunger campaigns and poverty
work in the UK have been a shining example of empathy and the desire to
care for each other in the face of adversity
and lastly, Barack Obama speaking to the fact that there are better days to
come from an interview he did during lockdown.
Benjamin explains; “These inspirational people and movements have shaped my
thinking during the past year and including them in my song was a way of
highlighting their work and its importance while showcasing our capacity as a
nation and world to move through these times together.”
Shoulder is written by Benjamin Wood, and co-produced by the highly successful
producing team Tjaart van der Walt and Matthew Marinus.
Tjaart van der Walt had this to say;
“Benjamin is a very kind young man. Humble, honest, and sincere. He’s got a
heart the size of a mountain and his lyrics come from a place of truth. He’s an
absolute pleasure to work with and knows exactly what he wants. I can always
rely on him to deliver a perfect vocal. I am very proud of him and feel very
honoured to have had him trust me with something so close to his heart.”
Benjamin’s remarkable performance CV belies his young age, with him already
having notched up many impressive performances in high profile productions.
These include Evita (at just 12), The Sound of Music, Born To Perform! Shine in 2018
Covid-19 in 2020, in the &Scene virtual Escape Game, ZIMA.
Musical theatre and acting are as important to him as his singing, and he plans to
pursue performance arts as career going forward. He has been been a student
at Stageworx School of Performing Arts since 2017, when schoolwork allows, in
order to sit for the ATCL Musical Theatre Examination.
He has many acting accolades and awards won, with 2021 being a particularly
busy year. He received a Special Mention Award for Acting in May’s FEDA Festival
(Festival of Excellence in Dramatic Arts).
Most recently, he swept the boards at the South African Championships of the
Performing Arts in October where he won the Overall Male Acting Award in the
16-24 age Category, as well as 9 solo Gold Medals, 7 solo Silver Medals, 3 solo
Bronze Medals in the Acting, Singing and Modelling categories.
The future shines bright for this extremely talented and motivated young
singer/songwriter who is just bursting with passion for his craft and hope for the
future.
Shoulder is out now across all digital platforms ![]()
HERE
