by alex grainger
photo courtesy of benita
Benita, who has proven herself able to repeatedly empower listeners through her alluring bops, releases The Other Side Through The Hills, a delicate, smooth, and raw story allowing her to “share something from [her] soul to another that may need it.” We’re graciously brought into the depths of her mind through a two-pack of thematic foils narrating an “intimate exploration of loneliness, discouragement, and hope.” Although “The Other Side” is a ballad of autopilot numbness and detachment written during the waning fall months, Benita ends the two-part story on a note of optimism as “Through The Hills” is a spring wakeup to not wasting anymore time.
The Other Side Through The Hills is a genuine effort of courage and connection. The Toronto based songstress is not only pushing the boundaries of the cities culture but also pushing boundaries within herself as this project gave her a sense of comfort in “peeling back the layers,” as well as “awareness of what [she] can do lyrically.” The Other Side Through The Hills is Benita’s first release of the year and is an invitation to cinematic sounds and sonic depth we can expect in the coming months. Read more about Benita and The Other Side Through The Hills below!
The Other Side Through The Hills covers mental health and explores loneliness, discouragement, and hope. Can you share a little more about the story and deeper meaning of this project?
Benita: “This project definitely comes from the soul. With ‘The Other Side’ I picture myself during a time of feeling numb on autopilot. It was all inspired by the fact that I couldn’t get out of bed. One of those phases where everyday feels like a continuous loop, like one of those movies where they’re living the same 24 hours over and over and can’t get out of it. I was spending a lot of time on my own, which I don’t hate, that’s just me being an only child [laughs] but I felt detached from everyone around me and life just felt so bland with no motivation. ‘Through The Hills’ served as a wake up call to myself because I realized how quickly time started to fly by and I knew I couldn’t waste any more of it. It’s okay to be in your feels, but I felt like an arm was extended out to me pulling me out of that robotic state. You got think about how younger you would be so proud to know how far you’ve already come.”
It’s a very personal and intimate project, where you’re sharing some of your most vulnerable thoughts. Why did you choose to share this story?
Benita: “I want to be as real as I can to my listeners. I won’t say it’s easy sharing these sides of me because we still experience it. It can be scary tapping deep into yourself and bearing it all for the world to see, but I feel like it’s what I was made to do so having courage is important. I genuinely want people to relate and know that they are not alone in these types of scenarios. I’ve always been a person to lean on my whole life, and I want my music to comfort people in the same way. I also wanted to show a different side of me musically, I could empower people with bops any day but I wanted to open this door and share something from my soul to another that may need it.”
Did you experience any growth both personally and artistically through the process of bringing these raw emotions sonically to life?
Benita: “It was one of the first few songs I’ve written that had nothing to do with love and bluntly about how I am literally going through it right now. While ‘The Other Side’ was being created, I would try to write a song and nothing would come to me, so I’m like, hey, let’s write a song about how unmotivated and uninspired I feel right now. How I can’t even make it out of bed to go to the studio or answer texts from my friends. It made me more comfortable peeling back the layers and took me on another level of awareness of what I can do lyrically with my songs.”
The Other Side Through the Hills is composed of only two songs. Can you take us through the creative process? Did you always plan to tell this story through two songs? Or were these created separately, and you found they fit best together?
Benita: “Yes, these songs were created separately at two different times. I wrote ‘The Other Side’ in the studio with Thabs and Adrian Bellaire whom are two incredible producers. It was during the fall going into the winter which as we know can be a hard time for some. I remember making the demo to this song, being aware of its beauty but then not too long after I went into a little depressing period where I wasn’t even making any music. The spring came and I was feeling refreshed and awakened. I had a Zoom session with Noah, and we cooked up ‘Through The Hills’ with a guitar loop from another amazing producer Luca Mauti. I make a ton of songs in general and I’ve always liked the concept of two-pack projects, but something in me told me that these two songs belonged together.”
How do you feel the shortness of the project reinforces the story you are sharing? Especially as the songs are “thematic foils” to each other. Can you share the importance of ending the two-pack with a message of hope and optimism?
Benita: “I’m a pretty optimistic person so I felt like as much as ‘The Other Side’ sounded insanely beautiful, conceptually it is a heavy song and I didn’t want to leave anyone stranded on that note. When the title to ‘Through The Hills’ came about, it was like finding the last puzzle piece to a puzzle I didn’t even know I was building. Putting the two song titles together felt so complete, it’s kind of crazy how they both came together. If anyone is going through it listening to track 1, they have track 2 to lean on for hope that the light will eventually shine through like it always does. Around Christmas time my dad gifted me some old childhood home videos that I’d never seen before, so last minute I added a clip of my grandparents at the end of ‘Through The Hills’ because I’ve always thought of them as my guardian angels so it was meaningful to have them bless this project.”
The sound of The Other Side Through the Hills is delicate and smooth. How do you feel this sound drives its narrative?
Benita: “Thank you! It’s important to know how to match the lyrics and concept of a song to the actual feel of the song itself so the production on these records felt extremely calming, peaceful, and wholesome to me. I pictured forests and a lot of nature as well. I wanted it to be easy to listen to even if it’s playing in the background while you’re journaling, cooking, or doing any other daily task.”
The Other Side Through the Hills shows a different side of you than your recent sultry EP Scarlet. How do you hope these projects show your range as an artist? Is there one you feel best defines the sound you’ve created as an R&B songstress?
Benita: “There are so many sides of me that are always growing and I continue to discover new things about what I love every time I create. I don’t even fully consider myself just an ‘R&B’ artist because of all the types of sounds I want to tackle. I love music that challenges genres, something that feels like something else but you can’t put it into words. Off the top of my head I could see more of myself in the world of ‘Dopamine’ as a sound.”
photo courtesy of benita
You aim to not only bring a different perspective but also to “push the boundaries of the culture that is present by paving the way for female artists” in Toronto. How do you feel The Other Side Through the Hills works into this motion?
Benita: “Toronto has so much incredible artists and I feel like all of us coming together right now making such great music is currently shifting the culture as we speak. Everyone has his or her own unique story; I’m just here to share mine and give my own take for people to digest. I love making people feel comforted so being able to have people say I aid with my music, whether that’s with ‘Pretty’ or ‘The Other Side’ it feels like I’m doing something right.”
Living in Toronto and being so involved in the city’s music scene, do you find Toronto influences this specific project or your music as a whole?
Benita: “I think Toronto will always be embedded in me and influenced in my music however way you see it because it’s home. If we’re talking about the well known ‘dark, late night’ sound that we’ve had going, yes, I have a love for that type of music, but I’ll have my own spin on it which you will definitely see more of in the future. My background is Guyanese, and growing up in Toronto, you know it’s a melting pot for Caribbean culture as well so having that inspiration in the music is what I will also be carrying with me along the way.”
The Other Side Through the Hills is your first release of 2023. How does this project serve as a representation of what we can expect from you this coming year?
Benita: “I’m so proud of this project and the way it’s made people feel. It feels like such a cinematic experience, something that could be played in a movie, so we will definitely be having more big sounds like these. It only has me excited to share more depths of me with new music and visuals. I think it has set a tone in regards to getting even more personal in the future. I’m just grateful for every chance of my art being heard and seen by the world.”