“Hyacinth” by Benevolent & Divine is a bittersweet, enthralling ode to a lost love who came at a not-so-great time. It has a steady build from a whisper to an intense drum-throbbing shout. We had the pleasure of interviewing Benevolent & Divine, and here’s what he had to say:
Q: What’s the story behind “Hyacinth”?
BENEVOLENT & DIVINE: “Hyacinth” is the story of a messy breakup. I met and dated a great girl when I was younger, but unfortunately, we met during what would be the hardest time in my life. I was going through such an insane amount of stress and a mountain of problems in my family, personal life, and health that I felt the best thing for this girl was for her to be with someone else. Like in the song, I questioned what was the right thing to do, and I decided to make a selfish decision to break her heart so that she would move on to find happiness. Deep stuff, I know; I was 21 and incredibly stupid.
Q: What effect were you going for while creating “Hyacinth”?
BENEVOLENT & DIVINE: I knew from the start that I wanted this song to be loud, powerful, and emotionally present. Everyone’s been through breakups, and so I wanted this song to be relatable but also catchy enough that my listeners would be belting the chorus out in their cars.
Q: At what point did you decide on the instrumentation and how did you go about this?
BENEVOLENT & DIVINE: Funny enough, this song all started out on a piano! It was somewhere around 2 a.m. when the verse chords found their way into my head, and I just got on my piano and fiddled around until I had a verse, a chorus, and a piano melody. Once those chords came along, I picked up my acoustic and played around with it all. It never sounded right, and then all of a sudden I could hear this thunder-like drum part in my head, and I knew this song needed to be this loud, emo-rock-type song. From that point, I turned my piano chords into the rhythm guitar part and my melody into the lead guitar part, fixed together the drums, and made this strong beating bass line. Once it was all together, the lyrics just flowed out of me, and the vocals came together in less than a day!
Q: How would you describe the type of music that you typically create?
BENEVOLENT & DIVINE: For me, I love music that is thematic and contains strong storytelling elements. These types of songs build so much connection between the audience and an artist that it’s almost as if you get a real glimpse into their lives through your headphones. Growing up, artists like Death Cab for Cutie, City and Colour, and The Dear Hunter had me hooked on their ability to connect their listeners to their music about their lives but make it so relatable that it becomes your own personal song. Like, I can’t listen to “Passenger Seat” by Death Cab For Cutie without instantly thinking about certain people and being brought back to certain moments. That’s the kind of music I strive to make and is the basis of my upcoming album.
Q: What drives you to make music?
BENEVOLENT & DIVINE: Honestly, making music has been so incredible thus far! My songs have truly been instrumental in helping me connect with myself, my emotions, and my loved ones. Since starting this musical journey, I have learned so much about myself, and I get this euphoric sense when I wonder about the people my music could reach and whose stories will relate to my songs. The more I write, the more excited I become for the future!
Q: If you could be an instrument, what would you choose to be? Why? Which do you play?
BENEVOLENT & DIVINE: Oh, boy. I can honestly say I’ve thought about this before. I feel like I would definitely be drum set, like a full-on Neil Peart 360-degree drum setup. I just love how drums can be loud, exotic, cool, calming, and sometimes all at the same time. I think the drums just have so much control over the feel of a song, like imagine if Phil Collins played the entire intro of “In the Air Tonight” on the cymbals—a totally different song. While I do play the drums, I am also the one-man band as I play guitar, keys, bass, and of course, I’m the singer! Going back to my teaching days, I also played many of the school band instruments and the violin.
Interviewed by Zoey King
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