Benny Sings Explained

Benny Sings
Birth Name:	Tim van Berkestijn
Birth Date:	28 April 1977
Birth Place:	Dordrecht, Netherlands
Origin:	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Years Active:	1999–present
Label:	Stones Throw Dox Records Sonar Kollektiv Sings Records

Tim van Berkestijn (born 28 April 1977), better known by his stage name Benny Sings, is a Dutch pop musician, songwriter, and producer from the Netherlands. Since 2003, he has released ten studio albums, including his most recent album, 2023's Young Hearts on Stones Throw Records. He has since collaborated with many artists worldwide, like Mac DeMarco, Mocky, and Rex Orange County.^[1]

Biography

Tim van Berkestijn was born in 1977 and raised in Dordrecht, a city in the Western Netherlands. He formed his first band, the Loveboat, in high school. He attended the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, where he studied sonology.^[2] He made beats under the name Benny V Kreamtits before changing his name to Benny Sings.^[3] In 1999, Berkestijn adopted the stage name Benny Sings when he joined the Dutch hip hop group Abstract Dialect as a bassist. During this period, he also worked with hip hop collective De Toffen and the soul group Heavenly Social.

In 2003, Sings released his first solo album, Champagne People, which did well in the Netherlands and Europe. During the 2010s, Sings gained more attention in the United States.^[4] In 2017, he helped pen the Rex Orange County single "Loving Is Easy".^[5]

Beyond his solo career, Sings has collaborated with, written for, and produced many notable artists, including Mayer Hawthorne, Free Nationals, GoldLink, Mac DeMarco and Tom Misch. He also composed songs for the anime Carole & Tuesday.^[6] In 2022, Sings co-produced Rex Orange County's album Who Cares?, which debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200.^[7]

Sings released the single "The Only One" on 26 October 2022. His album Young Hearts was released on Stones Throw Records on 24 March 2023.^[8]

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Details
Champagne People	Released: 22 August 2003 Label: Sonar Kollektiv Formats: LP, CD, digital^[9]
EUH (with Rednose Distrikt)	Released: 1 May 2007 Label: Dox Records Formats: LP, CD, digital^[10]
Benny... At Home	Released: 14 May 2007 Label: Sonar Kollektiv Formats: LP, CD, digital^[11]
Art	Released: 27 May 2011 Label: Dox Formats: LP, CD, digital^[12]
Studio	Released: 27 November 2015 Label: Dox Formats: LP, CD, digital^[13]
Beat Tape	Released: 29 June 2018 Label: Stones Throw Formats: LP, CD, digital^[14]
City Pop	Released: 22 February 2019 Label: Stones Throw Formats: LP, CD, digital^[15] Earlier version released in 2018 in Japan.
Music	Released: 9 April 2021 Label: Stones Throw Formats: LP, CD, digital^[16]
Beat Tape II	Released: 10 December 2021 Label: Stones Throw Formats: LP, Cassette, digital ^[17]
Young Hearts	Released: 24 March 2023 Label: Stones Throw Formats: LP, CD, digital

As featured artist

• C-Mon – "Beggars for Sun" (Cereal, 2008)
• Che Grand – "Soraya's Jam" (Everything's Good Ugly, 2009)
• Knobsticker – "Hypothetical_Theoretical" (Forest Fruit, 2009)
• Scallymatic Orchestra – "All I Can Give" (Annie Get Your Gun, 2009)
• Kan Sano – "Go Nowhere" (2.0.1.1, 2014)
• Data – "Don't Sing" (Don't Sing, 2015)
• Koffie – "Hard Times" (Huntu, 2017)
• Instupendo – "Homme" (Friend of a Friend, 2017)
• Rex Orange County – "Loving is Easy" (2017)
• Onelight – "Aldehyde" (Vanderlay, 2018)
• Tuxedo – "Toast 2 Us" (Tuxedo III, 2019)
• Shuko & The Breed – "Life in Los Angeles" (Dippin, 2019)
• Blackwave. – "The Antidote" (Are We Still Dreaming?, 2019)
• Free Nationals – "Apartment" (Free Nationals, 2019)
• Les Cooles de Ville – "Starr People" (L.C.D.V., 2019)
• Intellextual – "Popstar" (Intellextual, 2019)
• Gosto – "The Other Way" (2019)
• Aaron Taylor – "Shooting Star" (Icarus, 2020)
• M.I.L.K. – "Prisoner" (Always Summer Somewhere, 2020)
• Yaffle – "The Child Inside" (Lost, Never Gone, 2020)
• Darius – "RISE" (Utopia, 2021)

External links

• Web site: Discogs Biography . Discogs.com. 1 January 2008 .
• Web site: Sonar Kollektiv . Sonarkolletiv.com. 1 January 2008 .
• Web site: Official website . Bennysings.com. 1 January 2008 .

Notes and References

1. Web site: Benny Sings Stones Throw Records. 26 February 2021. www.stonesthrow.com. en-US.
2. Web site: Benny Sings on Apple Music. live. 26 February 2021. Apple Music. en-us. https://web.archive.org/web/20201202091635/https://music.apple.com/us/artist/benny-sings/60745836 . 2 December 2020 .
3. Web site: Sessions . OCB . Benny Sings interview . YouTube . 12 September 2019.
4. Web site: With The Vibrant 'City Pop', Benny Sings Stakes His Claim For The Masses. 26 February 2021. NPR.org. en.
5. News: Balfour . Jay . "Loving Is Easy" [ft. Benny Sings] ]. 31 March 2023 . Pitchfork . 13 October 2017.
6. Web site: Carole & Tuesday Composer Introductions No. 1. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190116201436/http://caroleandtuesday.com/music/introductions/. 16 January 2019. 7 April 2019. Carole & Tuesday Official Website. en.
7. News: Shutler . Ali . Watch Rex Orange County debut unreleased 'Who Cares?' tracks 'Amazing' and 'Making Time' . 31 March 2023 . NME . 3 February 2022.
8. News: Loftin . Steven . Young Hearts run free on Benny Sings' latest album . 31 March 2023 . The Line of Best Fit . 24 March 2023.
9. Web site: Champagne People, by Benny Sings. 26 February 2021. Benny Sings.
10. Web site: Euh, by Benny Sings & Rednose Distrikt. 26 February 2021. Benny Sings.
11. Web site: At Home, by Benny Sings. 26 February 2021. Benny Sings.
12. Web site: Art, by Benny Sings. 26 February 2021. Benny Sings.
13. Web site: STUDIO, by Benny Sings. 26 February 2021. Benny Sings.
14. Web site: Beat Tape, by Benny Sings. 26 February 2021. Benny Sings.
15. Web site: City Pop, by Benny Sings. 26 February 2021. Benny Sings.
16. Web site: Music, by Benny Sings. 12 April 2021. Benny Sings.
17. Web site: Beat Tape II, by Benny Sings. 1 November 2021. Benny Sings.
18. Web site: Music, by Benny Sings. 20 May 2022. Benny Sings.
19. Web site: Music, by Benny Sings. 14 February 2005. Benny Sings.
20. Web site: Music, by Benny Sings. 2 October 2012. Benny Sings.