Last year, 16-year-old Benjamin Wood released his debut single ‘Rising Sun’ and after a year and a half, the rising star is back with his second single – a track titled ‘Shoulder’.
The song, inspired by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, sees the young star reflect on how many isolate in trying times instead of finding a shoulder to lean on, something so many of us can relate with.
As someone in the entertainment industry, the past two years have been incredibly difficult and song-writing has been something that has kept Benjamin going, giving him hope and most importantly, helped him to express how he, and perhaps all of us, are feeling in these current times.
The single was born after Benjamin sat down with his guitar and a notebook and let his creativity flow during these times of stress and hardship. “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.
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. Something tells us this kid has a bright future ahead of him.
Listen to ‘Shoulder’ below and read more music news here.
