Ben Sigston: Free Now To Take On The World Of Music

Vancouver’s own Ben Sigston is making a name for himself in the music scene. He has recently released Free Now, an EP containing eight dynamic alt-pop tracks. Ben recently stopped by Youthink HQ to share some insight into his music.

Growing up, Ben was surrounded by music, his dad being his main influence. “My dad is so crazy about music so there was always old school stuff like The Beatles, Bob Dylan and the Eagles around,” he recounts. “We had a music room growing up so I used to play the drums. I took piano lessons when I was about five, but I never totally got into it and was like, ‘Okay, I really wanna make a go of things’ till I was about 19.’”

At 19, the ex-Canadian team cyclist turned to music after making the decision to stop biking. “Cycling was kinda a little too much training so I started playing music a lot at university and it just seemed like the natural thing to do,” says Ben. “I’d always been into music and I had a bit more time after I stopped cycling.”

After selling his biking gear, Ben bought a laptop in hopes of making electronic music. Frustrated by what he calls its “dodgy” operating system, he later returned the laptop, purchased a guitar and taught himself to play – with a little help from his family. “My dad totally helped me out with some chords and stuff and my mom’s actually a pretty good guitar player, which I didn’t know till I bought a guitar!”

Working with different instruments and polishing up his songwriting meant Ben could start evolving as an artist. His songs reflect a wide pallet of subjects, but mostly describe personal experiences that are important to him. “I’m inspired by daily experiences, whether it’s personal relationship experiences or experiences with other friends’ relationships. I’m really into writing just what comes out naturally.”

Ben worked with legendary producer Warne Livesey (Matthew Good, Midnight Oil) to create his latest EP and Livesey’s over 20 years of experience helped shaped the final product in a positive way. “He’s not a guy who’ll tell you what to do, but at the same time, he’s always kind of pushing you to try different sounds and try different things,” says Ben about working with Livesey.

Currently one of the top 19 finalists in The Peak radio station’s Peak Performance Project, Ben is learning a lot about the music business in a competition that could potentially be the turning point in his career. In fact, the winning band will walk away with $150,000 to put towards their project! “For any of us who are involved, it’s a pretty big deal just because that much money isn’t really thrown around now,” says Ben. “So whoever does win that, it could potentially be the career changer in terms of recording and then actually having the money to promote what you’re doing.”

Focused on his future, Ben’s passion for music is evident and it’s what keeps him motivated through the challenging times, “The bottom line is it’s just the love of the music, because the actual odds of making money from it and being successful are like under one per cent. There are so many good bands out there, so it’s really one of those things you do just because you love it.”

If you’re into catchy tunes with heartfelt lyrics, check out Ben Sigston’s Free Now.