American singer-songwriter Alec Benjamin is well known for his songs “Paper Crown” and “The Water Fountain.” Alec grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, and was exposed to music from artists like Eminem and Paul Simon at a young age. He was raised in a typical household where nobody had any musical background. He became quite interested in music when he was in high school. He never took professional guitar lessons; instead, he learned to play the instrument by viewing videos on “YouTube.” He was raised in an era when “YouTube” was a popular venue for upcoming artists to display their skills. In 2016, he debuted on YouTube with the song “Paper Crown.” He had received a contract offer from “Columbia Records” earlier in 2014, with the assurance that they would produce his debut album. But they had let him go later. Still, Alec kept working on his compositions. He gained a sizable following on “YouTube” in the ensuing years and put out several hit songs, including “Let Me Down Slowly,” “End of the Summer,” and “The Boy in the Bubble.”
Early Life & Childhood
On May 28, 1994, Alec Benjamin was born in Phoenix, Arizona. His family didn’t have any musical ties.
In school, he was a recluse who favored to have no friends. Nor did he give his career any thought. But when he got older and began to hear songs by musicians like Paul Simon, Eminem, and Dr. Dre, he developed a strong interest in music.
He had begun to sing on his own by the time he was a senior in high school. His father was a hobbyist musician. One day Alec took up his father’s old guitar and started learning how to play it by himself. He never went to any guitar lessons. He frequently watched guitar tutorials on “YouTube” to learn the instrument.
When he was sixteen, a lot of aspiring musicians started using “YouTube” to showcase their talents. Alec decided to compose original music, in contrast to the majority of them who were covering well-known songs. He began penning his songs and using software to compose them.
By the time he completed his high school education, he had made up his mind to become a musician. He soon began emailing artists he believed could be of use to him.
He also began to relocate in pursuit of better prospects. He visited Los Angeles multiple times in an attempt to meet the proper people, but his efforts were fruitless. He began performing in the lots outside of music festivals, and he also did some club and coffee shop work. individuals were enjoying his music, and he was starting to meet the right individuals.
After graduating from high school, Alec started classes at the “University of Southern California.”
Career of Alec Benjamin
Through a mutual friend, Alec got to know Sacha Skarbek, a songwriter. Sacha has composed music for musicians including Lana Del Rey and Miley Cyrus. Together, Alec and Sacha began penning songs, and Alec began to play in more places. Alec crossed the Atlantic Ocean on a plane without his parents’ financial assistance, and Sacha maintained her studio in London.
During his time in Europe, he developed a sizable fan base. He performed at “The Reeperbahn Festival” and “Berlin Music Week,” opening multiple shows. There was where he first felt like a celebrity. Before long, his performances attracted crowds to concerts.
After a while, he struck a contract with White Rope, a small independent label, and in 2013 he dropped his first mixtape, “Mixtape 1: America.” It was a passable success. Alec returned to the United States that year and began performing at various Los Angeles locations. After finding him, talent scouts from “Columbia Records” quickly made him an offer for a record deal.
That was when Alec was twenty years old. The agreement with “Columbia” appeared to be a significant change. Even though “Columbia Records” had committed to releasing his debut album, the agreement was canceled 24 hours after the CD was submitted.
Alec chose to restart his profession after suffering a severe setback. He stayed away from social media marketing for a very long period. Nevertheless, he chose to try it out because his sister persisted. By then, he realized how important it was to build a devoted online following for a struggling artist like himself.
The entire record he presented to Columbia Records was written by him, and he intended to release it on the Internet. August 2016 was his YouTube debut. “Paper Crown,” his debut upload, shot to fame almost instantly. The moving song quickly surpassed one million “views” after touching the listeners’ hearts. As of right now, the song has received over 4 million “views” on YouTube.
Alec felt more confident after this promising start. A few weeks later, he released a second song on YouTube called “The Water Fountain,” which became more well-known than “Paper Crown.” Over 10 million “views” of the song have been received on “YouTube.”
Because Alec penned songs about every day topics that everyone could connect to, his style struck a chord with the audience. The main topics of the majority of his songs are friendship and heartbreak. He put out a song called “I Built a Friend” in 2017. In less than a year, it received over 4 million “views” on Spotify.
Alec released the mixtape “Narrated for You” in November 2018. The cassette mostly dealt with love, friendship, and parental figures. It demonstrated how several stages of his life had come together to form Alec the musician.
With twelve tracks, the mixtape was a huge success. “Let Me Down Slowly” and “The Boy in the Bubble” were two of the album’s most well-liked songs. The latter has received over 16 million “views” on YouTube, making it his most successful song.
Alec writes and composes songs, but he also makes cartoons for “YouTube” to go along with his music. The way he presents his lyrics in the videos has also gained a lot of popularity.
His greatest professional accomplishment came in 2017 when the 12th season of “America’s Got Talent” brought his song “I Built a Friend” to a national audience. In the opening episode of the season, a competitor by the name of Merrick Hanna danced to the song.
Alec had also achieved success working with other musicians, like Jon Bellion. The song “New York Soul Pt ii” from Jon’s album “The Human Condition” included him.
Personal Life of Alec Benjamin
Alec Benjamin keeps details of his personal life very private.
He acknowledges that he avoids the camera as much as possible due to his camera shyness.
The net worth of Alec Benjamin
The estimated net worth of Alec Benjamin is about $3 million.