E-mail a friendRhian Benson
original airdate April 28, 2004
Rhian Benson comes from a family of musicians. Born in Ghana and raised in New Delhi and London, she began playing piano at age 9. She planned an investment banking career and attended the London School of Economics and Harvard. Conceding the importance of music in her life, she returned to London, where she was discovered. In addition to playing various instruments, Benson wrote all of the songs on her debut CD, 'Spirit.'
Rhian Benson
Tavis: From the Gold Coast of Ghana to the gold coast of California, the journey of singer Rhian Benson has been anything but typical. Her debut CD appropriately titled 'Gold Coast' has received terrific reviews. 'U.S.A. Today' calls her one of today's brightest new prospects. Here's a clip from her video for the song 'Stealing My Peace of Mind.'
Rhian Benson, singing: The thieves are at it again, stealing my peace of mind, but they don't win, because my song, they'll never find, the thieves are at it again, yeah, stealing my peace of mind, can't get under my skin, because my song they'll never find.
Tavis: Rhian, nice to see you.
Rhian: It's wonderful to be here with you, Tavis.
Tavis: I'm glad to have you. We had to have you on. You were on my radio show on NPR.
Rhian: That's right.
Tavis: And I was so mad 'cause I missed the opportunity to talk to you on the radio show, so Tony Cox, who was sitting in that day, did the interview, but I wasn't gonna miss a chance to have you on the TV show as well, so thanks for coming on.
Rhian: Thank you.
Tavis: I've been fascinated by your story, not just because you're such a talented artist, but also because your story, in and of itself, is interesting because you really are, like, the reluctant star. You were like the star that almost wasn't. You are supposed to be doing this. I don't know where to start the story--at Harvard, at the London School of Economics, in Ghana, at your mama's house. I don't know where to start the story. How did you end up where you are now, given that you weren't supposed to be here, many would argue.
Rhian: That's a very accurate way of putting it. In a lot of ways, it was kind of "the accidental singer." I grew up in Ghana, in West Africa. That's my home.
Tavis: The Gold Coast.
Rhian: That's right. The Gold Coast.
Tavis: I've been there many times.
Rhian: Have you really?
Tavis: Yeah. Is it The Tulip Tree in Akra? There's a hotel called The Tulip Tree in Akra?
Rhian: Oh, The Golden Tulip.
Tavis: The Golden Tulip. That's where I stay when I go there.
Rhian: So you've been home.
Tavis: I've been there a couple times, yeah.
Rhian: All right. Well, as you know, then, Ghana's a beautiful country, and I brought a lot of my influences growing up in Ghana to the album, which is actually why I called it 'Gold Coast.' Ghana used to be called the Gold Coast before it gained independence, and I was surrounded by musicians growing up in Ghana. My granddad started the tradition. He taught himself how to read and write music through correspondence courses back in the thirties.
Tavis: Wait, wait, wait, wait. Hold the phone. Hold the phone. Hold the phone.
Rhian: There was an institution in the U.K. that did correspondence courses, so, you know, I guess they did the telefax thing or however they did it back then.
Tavis: That's a funny story.
Rhian: And he was determined. And he held down a 9-to-5 job, but on the side he had these big bands that he led. He was a trumpeter first and foremost, and he used to play at the town halls at the time, you know, and he passed it down to the next generation. I have a couple of uncles who sing high life, which is like the pop music in Ghana, and we were made very aware of music and music history, and we studied music.
Tavis: Let me pick that apart for just a second. In terms of your sound now, when I listen to this CD--lovely cover, by the way--when I listen to this CD now, what is it in terms of the sound that you bring from the Gold Coast, from Ghana, that I'm actually hearing on this CD?
Rhian: I think it's the percussion, really, 'cause that's the key. That's the bass, the rhythm, you know, that sound that you can move to. That's the core of African music, and I brought live percussion to pretty much most of the tracks on the album because, you know, you want to be able to groove to something. You know, we Africans, we need to be able to move.
Tavis: Gotta have some movement. Heyyy.
Rhian: Ha ha ha!
Tavis: So you go from Ghana and your story advances. You end up at the London School of Economics. You end up at Harvard, 'cause you're obviously very bright. So how did that happen?
Rhian: Well, parents were of a different mind. They were like, "You know what? We have worked very hard to get you all through school. You are not gonna throw all this away by becoming a musician." 'Cause they'd seen all that before. They'd seen my uncles who were struggling.
Tavis: Get a job, girl. Make some money!
Rhian: Be a professional. So I was headed down that path. I actually went to work in an investment bank. I ended up as a broker for about a year, and it took me about that long to realize I was in the wrong place. So that's how come I went back to school. I applied to Harvard, got in, about to start my graduate program there--actually, I did start--and 3 months into it I got news that my mother had been diagnosed with cancer. So I left and basically became her caretaker for about a period of 18 months.
Tavis: What was that experience like for you?
Rhian: Pretty traumatic. I have to say that I--you know, I speak to so many people who've been through the same sort of situation where they've had to take care of an ailing parent, and it's one of the most profound things that can happen to you as an individual. Because it makes you kind of reexamine yourself, your relationship with the parent. My mother and I became very close after that.
Tavis: How old were you at this time, if I can ask?
Rhian: I was 22.
Tavis: I ask that because you were a caretaker at a very young age, and I wonder how that has developed you into the person that you are now, having had that kind of experience at such a very young age.
Rhian: I think it made me a lot stronger. It made me grow up pretty quickly, too.
Tavis: So you can handle this music business. You've been through that--you can handle anything now.
Rhian: Hey, you hang around in some hospitals and see some pretty sick people, it'll make you open your eyes and realize how lucky you are to have your health, 'cause that really is the most important thing. So it was really during that time that I realized, you know what? I've kind of been coasting all this time. What am I doing with my life? And I realized my true passion had always been music. I'd always written. And I decided to start performing, open-mike style, old-fashioned.
Tavis: So all along you've been writing music, but had never really performed it.
Rhian: No.
Tavis: What was that moment that pushed you to say, "I'm gonna try this"?
Rhian: I had frequented some open-mike spots to check out singers, you know, who I was in awe of, you know, just the courage it takes to get up there and you don't have a lot of experience. So I knew where to go...
Tavis: Courage, or you're drunk out of your mind.
Rhian: Exactly. Dutch courage. So I got me some Dutch courage one night and got up on stage.
Tavis: Ha ha ha ha ha! My friend calls it liquid courage.
Rhian: Ha ha ha! Whatever you need to do.
Tavis: So you got up on stage and did you kill, did you tank? What happened?
Rhian: It was a bit of a tanker, actually, the first time. I was so nervous, you know. I was just petrified. I could barely breathe, let along sing, you know? But I got up on stage and I just had that adrenaline rush. I felt, you know, I can do this again, better, you know, because there's just something spectacular about being able to use your voice and have the power to move people and have them listen to what you're saying and connect with you for those 3 minutes or however long it is. So I kept doing it, and through doing that for a period of a few months, I met people who put me in touch with my label, DKG Music, and I got very lucky, got signed, and moved out here.
Tavis: What does it mean for you that you perform stuff that you write as opposed to stuff that somebody else wrote that you just happened to perform that you don't know the story, there's no connection to it? I mean, you try to interpret it for us through your wonderful vocals, but what's it mean for you to perform the stuff that you actually write?
Rhian: Well, I think first and foremost, it allows me to have a deeper connection, a deeper relationship with the audience, with my fans, and they kind of really know where I'm coming from because each song on the album is a story about parts of my life, things that I've lived through, things that we've all collectively lived through. 'Stealing My Peace of Mind' is about 9/11. It was written a couple of days after that as were, I'm sure, many songs. And, um, you know, it's--it's--it's my way of saying, "Here. We went through this. This is my take on it. Did you feel that way? Do you agree?" You know. It's a personal perspective.
Tavis: Speaking of 9/11, and my time is running out here--you gotta come back and do this again sometime--you have a brother in Iraq right now in the military?
Rhian: Yes, I do, yeah.
Tavis: What's that experience like for you? You had to deal with your mother and her health challenge. You've got a brother who, one could argue, is facing a health challenge right now--trying to survive in Iraq. What's that experience like?
Rhian: I'm so proud of him for doing what he's doing. I totally relate to the families who have sons and daughters, brothers and sisters out there. It's really hard. It's just a dangerous situation and even if they're careful, accidents are happening all the time. So I do worry. But I'm very proud of him and all the troops who are out there.
Tavis: I'm very proud of you, as are all your fans with this wonderful CD that's being met with such acclaim. How are you handling all this acclaim?
Rhian: Ha ha ha! This is a dream come true.
Tavis: As she blushes.
Rhian: Ha ha ha. I'm having a ball. I'm having an amazing time. I'm doing so much traveling. I actually went back to London and did my first show since I got signed about a month ago. Back in London, we did a show for MTV and it was incredible. We're gonna release the album there this summer, so I'll be spending more time over the pond. And it's just an exciting time.
Tavis: It is an exciting time. Nice to see you. Thanks for coming on.
Rhian: Thank you, Tavis.
Tavis: My pleasure. Remember that name. It's spelled R-h-i-a-n but pronounced Ree-ann, so get it right. That's our show for tonight. As always, you can catch me on the radio on NPR. I'll see you back here next time on PBS. Until then, good night from Los Angeles. Thanks for watching and keep the faith.
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