We had the good fortune of connecting with Benjamin Neumann and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Benjamin, why did you pursue a creative career?
Being creative has always helped me get my mind off of everything. Getting so lost in making a song or a video that I stay up all night and accidentally see the sunrise has been my favorite thing to do for over half of my life now. I’ve yet to make multimedia creation my primary source of income, but to be honest, when I was younger and messing around on the family computer, I didn’t have an income in mind. I’ve done photography for money, and I’ve recorded songs for people for money, but if I won the lottery tomorrow, I would still be taking pictures and making music.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve been in more bands than I could even count at this point, and I’ve learned a lot of lessons. I really like most of the bands I’ve been in, but I’ve learned that I most enjoy just doing my own thing. Specifically, I do rock covers of pop songs. Sure, it’s been done a lot, but usually the songs feel personal to me, because most of the time they apply to some period of my life. I’m happy with how far the quality of my recordings has come, as well as the quality of my videos. I do most of it myself, and then get help finishing things up. It’s taken me a long time to learn everything I know, and I still have much to learn. I made my first EP with some friends when I was 18, and I haven’t released any originals since then, so I’m really excited at the prospect of doing another EP and maybe even an album someday! I’m sure I’m not alone in this, but one of the biggest obstacles for me has been this pandemic. No live shows happening took a huge toll on my mental state, and I straight up just stopped making music for almost a year. My last release, “traitor” by Olivia Rodrigo, was the first thing I had recorded in months. Usually I only release one cover a year anyway, but I tend to make a lot more music that no one ever hears in-between releases. This time, I had to just take a minute to collect myself. Music has always been an outlet for my depression, but it got to the point where trying to make anything just depressed me more, which was crazy. I had to just force myself to keep going. I’m glad that period of my life is done with, and making music actually makes me really happy again.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m gonna answer this for Dallas because I honestly can’t imagine trying to entertain someone for a week in Denton, TX. We’re gonna hit the Perot Museum, cause who doesn’t love seeing dinosaurs? And then we’re gonna stop by the Dallas Museum of Art; learning about history through art is one of my favorite things to do. I’m taking them to a concert at the House of Blues, and we’re gonna go eat at Dick’s Last Resort because I love getting roasted by my servers. We definitely have to go see Deep Ellum, although it makes me a little sad now because half the venues I used to play shows at are just gone, r.i.p. The Door and The Curtain Club. I could probably visit Dallas every day for weeks and still see something cool I haven’t before, I love that city to be honest.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Both of my parents have always been really supportive of my creative efforts. My mom has been my biggest fan my whole life! She’s why I make videos for the cover songs I do, because she’ll get upset with me when I don’t. “What am I gonna show my friends?? I love watching you play and sing”. My dad has also always encouraged me to never stop being creative, and they both chipped in to help me buy one of my favorite guitars. I’m really glad I have their support.

Instagram: @iambneu and @bneuphoto

Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/BneuMusic

Other: https://spoti.fi/3INX2Ja https://apple.co/3pZPfkj

Image Credits
The first picture where I’m wearing a Deadpool suit was taken by @rod001 on Instagram. The third picture / Live Photo was taken by @jarrettadlof The rest were taken by me.

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