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Benny Blanco, ProducerCan you imagine having eight Number One Records, coming in # 3 on the Billboard Top Producers of 2010 List, # 5 on the Billboard Top Songwriters of 2010 List, getting a Grammy Nod for your work on one of the best selling singles of 2010 (“Teenage Dream) and starting your own charity all the by the age of 22? Producer-songwriter Benny Blanco didn’t imagine it, he did it.
A self-professed music-crazy kid - or maybe just a crazy kid – Benny grew up surrounded by music. Turned on to Prince by his mom and dad, he’d blast “Sexy Mother F*cker” at dinner parties and dance around in his underwear. Big brother would buy Wu-Tang, Nirvana, Beatles, anything with the Parental Advisory Sticker, and little Benny would soak it all in, big time. He’d set up four different boom-boxes and record in to one, then in to the second one, then the third, finally playing back all three sounds in to the 4th. At age 9, he was already honing his sound, figuring out the art of making music. He could rap, write, and create beats. Through an introduction to Gamble + Huff, and later Sam Trocki, a 14 year old Benny found himself with some deals on the table. It was while working with Sam, in fact, that Ben Levin was dubbed BENNY BLANCO, and he hadn’t even seen “Carlito’s Way” yet. Benny booked some studio time, thinking about those offers, and it was then he realized that the actual making of music “was dope. And way more fun. I knew it was what I wanted to do.” Crazy kid also had crazy balls, and he’d spend lunchtime at school in Virginia at the library, going on to MySpace and emailing artists, producers, label heads (bet Jimmy Iovine’s bummed he didn’t check his MySpace more) looking for a way to get to New York. Disco D, producer of one of Benny’s favorites, “Ski Mask” by 50 Cent, replied to Benny’s query about Studio time. Benny hauled to NYC and when he arrived told D that it had been a ruse, he didn’t really need the Studio, he wanted to work. D admired his moxie and told him he was going out of town, but if he could book the entire studio for the weekend, he could intern. While it wasn’t anything he ever did before, he got it done. And so began the pretty amazing journey of Benny Blanco. Through D, Benny met James Johnson, who was D’s manager, and later, Benny’s. It was in James’ home studio that Benny hooked up with another D friend, Spank Rock. D opened up his world to Benny, and his death shook him to the core. “When D died, I didn’t leave my house for a week. He gave me my sound, helped me craft my career.” The mutual loss brought Spank and Benny closer and together they created the hip-tastic Bangers + Cash, an EP based on 2 Live Crew samples. The media loved it, and while totally proud of the accomplishment, being front + center at photo shoots was never his thing. The upside of signing to Downtown Records for Bangers + Cash, were the publishing deals brought forth, which led to a last minute meeting with a Producer named Dr. Luke. He played Luke some music, Luke played it cool, and Benny thought he’d never hear from the dude again. But he did, and Benny ended up in the studio, playing music with the guy until 8am. Benny is picky, but he has gut instincts that haven’t failed him yet (just look at this track record: “Teenage Dream,” “California Gurls,” “Dynamite, “Tik Tok,” “Your Love Is My Drug ,” “We R Who We R,” “Don't Trust Me,” “Circus”). “I pride myself on using instruments and sounds that no one else has. I never want to sound like anyone else, ever. I want to be different at all times, and switch to the next sound when people start to copy me. I follow my instincts. I want the music to be Pop enough for people to grasp, but different enough where they’d say, ‘I’ve never heard this before.’” He acknowledges his good fortune and is appreciative enough to give back. In 2010 Benny launched the GET WELL SOON TOUR with 10 other people, a charity that focuses on going in to hospitals to give kids some time off from thinking about their illness and focus on being a kid. A recent screening of “Never Say Never” at a children’s hospital in Los Angeles, complete with a visit by Justin Bieber, was the charity’s kick off event. Benny and crew are planning for more, including “tour dates” for LA and NY based-hospitals in July with yet-to-be-named artists. Next up – executive producing Neon Hitch, working with Ke$ha, a project with Gym Class Heroes and perhaps more studio time with a certain female pop star whose life can be a circus. Benny hasn’t even scratched the surface of all he can accomplish. It’s his therapy. To him, music is an emotion, a feeling, something that lives and breathes on its own. “When I am working, I need to connect with the artist, see what they want and make something that represents them that’s f*cking cool. I can wake up every day and make music. I don’t have to do a 9 to 5. Part of me is waiting for some one to say, you’re done, you need to be a janitor now. I pinch myself every day.” |
Who We Are |
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Our History |
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