MUSIC
From Issue #25
Ben Lee
By Michelle Bilodeau
Cute
Australian singer/songwriter Ben Lee has been in the music biz
a long time (12 years, he tells me), and now he’s making
waves in North America, thanks to his latest album, Awake
Is The New Sleep, released this past spring. Awake’s
lead single, “Catch My Disease”, is an upbeat tune
that reminds you of a happy day, accompanied by an equally happy
video. Standout tracks also include “Gamble Everything
For Love” and “Whatever It Is”. Awake
is obviously a personal album for this seasoned artist.
“The only way to write [songs is] from your own experiences,”
he says. And although he’s been in the business for years,
this boy, who is a self-confessed professional adventurer, is
not jaded. In fact, he is unbelievably humble and seems to take
life as it comes.
Lee, who once dated Claire Danes, is in the midst of a massive
worldwide tour. He hit Canada with Sam Roberts this past spring
before heading to the United States with Dashboard Confessional
in the early summer. “It’s good to tour with handsome
people because you get that glamour-by-association thing when
you’re with a handsome posse,” he jokes.
The artist: Ben Lee, 28, was first noticed
by the Beastie Boys when he was just a teenager. He released
his first album, Grandpaw Would, on their Grand Royal
label in 1994.
Right now: Lee returned to Canada in August
for Montreal’s Hot Air Balloon Festival.
