Music Editor Holly Alder sits down with indie singer/songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich to discuss his fifth studio album, All Things Break, his upcoming tour and how songwriting has changed his life.
It’s a quiet morning in Barcelona as I anxiously wait for English singer/songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich to log into Zoom to begin our chat. As I wait, I reminisce fondly on my early teenage experiences that his music was often the soundtrack to. Memories of one of my old friends playing the song ‘Shine’ from Benjamin Francis Leftwich’s first record on a loop all summer long. It was around the time all of my friends would go camping and play Ben Howard’s Every Kingdom album all night off of a speaker. Just hearing the name Benjamin Francis Leftwich transports me back to a much simpler time.
My daydream is interrupted by Leftwich joining the call, bright-eyed and enthusiastic. Our conversation is as friendly as if we were two old friends catching up after a long time away from one another.
We start by briefly chatting about Barcelona, a city which he loves; Leftwich currently lives in London, although he “doesn’t want to live here forever but it’s good for the game” – that is, the music scene. The conversation quickly progresses to his most recent and fifth studio album, Some Things Break, released under Dirty Hit Records, which sees him being “the most non-metaphoric I’ve ever been [in music].” Leftwich continues by explaining that he “found a new range for his voice” and that he used to sing much higher than he does on this album. Leftwich’s voice has matured in a really unique way, progressively growing alongside his music and songwriting style. He continues by talking about how proud he feels about the album: “I feel like we left no stone unturned, we wrote way more songs than we even needed to.”
“This album is the most non-metaphoric I’ve ever been (in music).”
I could not refrain from asking him about his back catalogue – especially considering the mainstream success he achieved upon releasing his first album in his early 20s. He explains that, “I try not to look back and I don’t take inspiration from my past self. I was a completely different person back then. I think that’s the whole thing about being an artist, just moving forward and we all think and hope we’re getting better. We want to make things we still love.” Although he admits to revisiting his old music every once in a while, he argues that it is a “dangerous business” to be stuck in the past: “There was so much hurt tied up with me in that time in the past that when I look back, it feels like a different world. I’ve been given this gift of songwriting, so thank God, I was able to get that stuff out of me and that my music ended up being helpful to those who needed it.”
“I try not to look back and I don’t take inspiration from my past self. I was a completely different person back then. I think that’s the whole thing about being an artist, just moving forward and we all think and hope we’re getting better. We want to make things we still love.”
On how he became a better songwriter as his career progressed, Leftwich cites his personal struggles as well as his musical growth: “Don’t get me wrong, I still write loads of bad songs. I spent two days in the studio this week and we wrote lots of songs and I don’t know if they’re any good, but we had a good time.” As he utters these words, his passion and enthusiasm for his craft are undeniable.
Indeed, songwriting is more than just a hobby for Leftwich: “I’m literally like an adult child, you know. I go to the studio and come home and play PlayStation on the internet with my friends and then I get to go to people’s gigs for free,” he laughs. He then continues: “My life is a joke, I’ve got nothing to worry about. [...] It’s so silly, I pick up my guitar and start making some poems.”
I inquired what is the biggest difference between writing with other artists and for them, to which he responded: “I always write with other artists. I’ve tried writing songs for people before, and I tried once and I absolutely failed. I wrote a song for Rita Ora once but it was terrible. They called me at the weekend and needed it by Monday!” He giggles, then continues: “What I love is getting in the studio with a really good artist, and sometimes my job is just to say ‘You’re awesome, do you want a cup of coffee?’ but I’m happy with that.” Leftwich mentions Irish singer-songwriter CMAT, and how he wrote on her most recent album the iconic track “Stay for Something” – “Sometimes it works better when I’m not the best songwriter in the room.”
English band and fellow Dirty Hit Records artist The 1975 also come up during our conversation. “I got to go to two of their gigs last week, it was amazing, I’m living my best life,” before Leftwich explains that he never used to go to live shows, due to associating gigs with working and using his downtime to read or sleep. However, now he’s taking full advantage of the social life that comes with the job by getting to attend amazing live music shows.
I was also curious to find out where Leftwich’s passion for music came from. He explains, “I was always a quiet and awkward child. My dad used to play The Beatles, Oasis and Nina Simone. All of these artists and songs did something to my heart. I was in a band at school called The Nicole’s, after my friend's mum because we thought she was fit. It was outrageous.” Reminiscing on his childhood and teenage years, Leftwich expresses his gratitude for his life, arguing that he chooses to focus on how the positives outweigh the shallow and trivial sides of pursuing a career in the music industry.
Reminiscing on his childhood and teenage years, Leftwich expresses his gratitude for his life, arguing that he chooses to focus on how the positives outweigh the shallow and trivial sides of pursuing a career in the music industry.
Our conversation thus swiftly moves to the five-year hiatus between his first two records, and how he woke up one day after a three-year touring cycle “in a nice flat in London with a hole in his heart.” Leftwich is incredibly candid about his struggles with addiction and mental health, and how he pulled himself out of that dark place and continued to do what he loves: “I was just a kid who wrote that first album in my room, and I woke up and it had blown up.” His positivity is surprising and humbling, and his child-like outlook on life is refreshing.
Leftwich is incredibly candid about his struggles with addiction and mental health, and how he pulled himself out of that dark place and continued to do what he loves.
As we near the end of our conversation, we discuss his upcoming tour alongside pianist and keyboardist, Jamie O’Borne of The 1975. “We’re going to play a bunch of old songs, a bunch of new songs and it’s going to be a really cinematic experience.” As I inquire what is his favourite aspect of touring, Leftwich wins my heart by responding, “playing in Dublin,” where he then elaborates that, “the energy in Ireland is just so great, and people shout out the craziest things.” Sounds like the Irish to me.
‘All Things Break’ is available on all major streaming platforms now.