Ben Abraham (musician)
Australian singer and songwriter (born 1985)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ben Abraham (born 12 May 1985) is an Australian folk singer and songwriter from Melbourne. Ben collaborated with artists including Kesha and Sara Bareilles. He co-wrote "Praying" by Kesha.[1]
Ben Abraham | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 12, 1985 |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Labels | Inertia Recordings, Atlantic Records, Secretly Canadian |
| Website | benabrahammusic |
Career
Abraham's parents were both musicians who played together in the Indonesian pop group Pahama.[2] His sister is Michaela Jayde, who appeared in 2023 on the twelfth season of The Voice and received a four-chair-turn in her audition.[3] Abraham initially sought to become a screenwriter, and concurrently began songwriting while working in a hospital.
In 2014, he released his debut album, Sirens in Australia, which he described as "basically a roadmap of my awkward naïve insecure 20s".[4] In March 2016, the album was reissued by Secretly Canadian.[5] The album includes the track "This Is On Me", which features American vocalist Sara Bareilles,[6] as well as appearances by fellow Australian Gotye.[7]
In 2016 and 2017, Abraham also co-wrote with artists Wafia, Ta-ku and Wrabel on their respective singles "Heartburn", "Meet in the Middle", and "Bloodstain." Abraham's voice has been compared to Guy Garvey and Peter Gabriel.[8] CMJ's Eric Davidson calls Abraham's voice "delicate yet booming" and Sirens a "strong, electro-soul" record.[9]
At the APRA Music Awards of 2018, he won the Overseas Recognition Award and was nominated for Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year.[10][11][12]
In September 2021, Abraham announced the release of his forthcoming second studio album. On 1 October, the album's fifth single "I Am Here" was released, which is set to appear in the season premiere of ABC's Grey's Anatomy.[13]
He came out as queer in 2022.[14]
In 2023, Abraham was dropped by Atlantic Records.[15] This led to Abraham embracing the freedoms that come with being Independent.
Discography
Albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Sirens |
|
| Friendly Fire |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | |||
| "Speak"[17] | 2014 | - | Sirens |
| "Home"[18] | 2015 | - | |
| "In My Head" (Sak Pase featuring Ben Abraham)[19] |
2017 | - | N/a |
| "dear insecurity" (gnash featuring Ben Abraham)[20] |
2018 | - | We |
| "Satellite"[21] | 2019 | - | N/a |
| "Nobody Wants To Hear Songs Anymore"[22] | - | ||
| "In Your Eyes"[23] | 2020 | - | |
| "Like a Circle"[24] | 2021 | - | Friendly Fire |
| "War in Your Arms"[25] | - | ||
| "Requiem"[26] | - | ||
| "Runaway"[27] | - | ||
| "I Am Here"[13] | - | ||
| "If I Didn't Love You"[28] | 2022 | - | |
| "Another Falling Star"[29] | - | ||
| "Never Been Better" | 2023 | - | TBA |
| “Kidung” | 2024 | - | - |
| “I Don’t Want To Wait” | |||
| “Never Been Better Remix” | |||
| “War In Your Arms (Indonesian Version)” | |||
Other appearances
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Wasn't It Good" (Ainslie Wills and Ben Abraham) |
2017 | Greatest Hits & Interpretations |
| "Run So Fast" (Missy Higgins featuring Ben Abraham) |
2018 | The Special Ones |
| "Eat Your Food" | 2020 | At Home with the Kids |
| “Sometimes (with Ben Abraham) (Trousdale featuring Ben Abraham) | 2024 | Out of My Mind (Deluxe) |
Awards and nominations
APRA Awards
The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually.
Berlin Music Video Awards
The Berlin Music Video Awards is an international festival that promoted the art of music videos.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | If I Didn t Love You | Best Narrative | Nominated |