Benji Miller

With his latest single, ‘Hey Darcey,’ one of London’s most exciting new RnB artists Benji Miller explores the quiet realities of supporting someone through a hard time - pairing heartfelt lyricism with an underlying message of hope.

Serving as the next chapter of his upcoming EP Love Or Pain, the track reveals a more reflective side to the Miller’s genre-blurring, compassionate songwriting - which has been praised for its emotional maturity from the persepctive of a young person navigating his early twenties.

We caught up with Benji to discuss vulnerability, drawing inspiration from his upbringing in Camden, and finding a way back to yourself.

Hi Benji, how are you? 

I’m good thanks, enjoying the sun :)

Congratulations on your new single “Hey Darcey”. It’s the kind of compassionate, completely honest and raw songwriting that we need right now - what was the initial inspiration behind it? 

Thank you, well I actually wrote the first verse with my friend Darcey, and its about looking out for a loved one who’s going through something. People say, speak to yourself how you would a good friend, so the songs for anyone going through a hard moment, and a reflection of how you should speak to yourself. 

The track explores watching someone you love struggle with depression, which you’ve described as watching them ‘fade in and out of presence.’ Do you hope the song will offer a sense of understanding and comfort to listeners experiencing similar difficulties, as well as the individual that inspired the track? 

Yes, I hope the track can make people understand that its normal not to feel like yourself, to go through ruts, and there’s always a way out. 

You use the colour blue as a recurring image in the track. What does this represent? 

The colour blue represents sadness of course, but also staying in ones comfort zone too much, staying in a bad place.  

Compared to your previous single “Be My Remedy,” this feels more stripped back and reflective. Do you feel like you’re revealing different sides of yourself with each release?

100%, I want to touch different emotions with all my songs, so these two are quite opposite, Be My Remedy is about excitement, frustration, whereas Hey Darcy is slower and more reflective.

You’re a growing name in London’s alternative RnB scene. What does a Benji Miller show look like, and what has been your favourite performance yet? 

A Benji Miller show is nothing without the crowd. I try to get as much involvement as possible, making sure every single person has a really good time. It’s energetic, emotional swings and sonically the shows are sounding better and better, My favourite show was probably a sold one last year in Bristol where i crowd surfed!

Your music draws from emotionally honest storytelling, but still feels very laidback and melodic. How would you describe your overall style right now, in your own words?

My style blurs genres but keeps the same raw vocals, with expansive production and crazy harmonies.  

How has growing up in London influenced the way you write and see the world creatively?

There are so many different cultures, opinions, and stories in London, especially around Camden where I’m from. I think that makes me and my songwriting very balanced in perspective; I like to include so many different ideas and mesh them.

“Hey Darcey” sits within your debut EP Love Or Pain, which explores a lot of emotional highs and lows. When you zoom out and look at the project as a whole, where does this track sit for you in that journey? 

Hey Darcey is the end of the journey. Love or Pain goes from the highs of uni, romance, and motivation to the lows of loss, heartbreak, recovery, and all the hectic stuff that happens in your early twenties. Hey Darcey is the way out and back to one's best!


What do you hope someone hears or feels about you as an artist after spending time with this song specifically?

I want this person to connect with the lyrics, and feel hope with the words and music. Often it's easy to think things won’t get better, but with this song, I hope it's a sign that they will.

Listen to ‘Hey Darcey’: https://open.spotify.com/track/3FA9QYt1fnN5gn9MDOVec0?si=3482bd55aa014962