Live Review: Benji Lewis explores pain and loss in heartfelt new single, 'Never Mine'

Heartbreak is the most devastating of life’s experiences, second only to loss. It is the process of going through the whole spectrum of human emotion all at once: profound sadness and sorrow coupled with joy at having known this person, love and searing anger that they’re no longer in your life. The weight of this precise feeling sent BENJI LEWIS on an overseas trip to California, where he wrote his soft and beautiful new single ‘Never Mine’ with vocal and writing assistance from LA artist, TRACE.

On ‘Never Mine’, the softness of their voices blends in perfectly into the spare, ambient productions courtesy of Mike Derenzo. The chemistry Lewis shares with TRACE is palpable as they sing back and forth, “I can’t be yours...like before," over light, ambient chords.

“When I went into this session with TRACE and Michael Derenzo, I was in a pretty fragile state," says Lewis. "It’s a song about realising the facts of a situation; that this person and this love isn’t what they lead you to believe. It’s about dealing with the relationship coming to end and all of the emotions that come with it,” he said.

And dealt with them he has, having turned his grief into something beautiful and raw. He has translated his heartbreak into an honest and emotional single, into which he unloads all his pent up thoughts and feelings, as he says: “It will be hard to move on, but that doesn’t mean you should stay in an unhealthy situation. We deserve to feel safe and to feel loved; we deserve better. We deserve someone who chooses us and puts us first. When it comes to love, I am still a believer, but it has to be right."

This is the kind of openness and honesty which shines through in 'Never Mine'. It shows someone who has grown up enough to step past hopeless wallowing and sadness but who is still in touch with their own needs and wants. The character Lewis plays in ‘Never Mind’ has the self-respect and self-understanding we wish we all had in our darkest moments.

2018 is already looking very good for Lewis, as he recently announced that he would be making his SXSW debut alongside some top-tier artists. If you’re heading along, be sure to add him to your “must-see” list.

Photo: Supplied

Words by CAMILLA PATINI

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