Living Life Present in the Moment with Ben September
A storyteller and an unraveller of the complex thread of human relationships through music, sound, and songwriting, Ben September is one of the country’s exciting voices in the alternative R&B scene. With the wheels in motion for the release of his yet-to-be-named album through the unleashing of his single, “Samba”, September has continued building steady anticipation for future works while keeping himself grounded enough not to rush the process.
The muso spoke about where his mind was, taking things one step at a time by practising mindfulness when tackling everyday tasks.
“I won’t lie, my headspace is everywhere when it comes to my life and the music. My mind is never fixed on one point—wherever I am needed, it will be there. Right now, the immediate thing at hand is picking clothes I need to use for the shoot I’m having tomorrow, so when the shoot comes, my mind will be fully immersed in that activity. In essence, I’m all about getting things done and doing them the right way. You could say I’m problem-solving-oriented, and what’s on my mind is doing things right with this project so that when the time comes for it to drop, everything will be straight and we will be able to drop it in a way we desire to release it also,” he said.
Ben September | SUPPLIED
September spoke about his biggest achievements, speaking about the payoffs borne of risk-taking as well as becoming a man to take the load off his mother’s back.
“My proudest moment isn’t one thing—it’s taking chances. Taking risks every time I felt like I shouldn’t have; those will forever be my proudest moments because it’s doing that consistently that has brought me to this moment, to this place where I currently am.
“Another thing I’m proud of is having mom no longer worry about me becoming something, me fulfilling what I’m in this world for. I see the worry lessen more and more on her face, so that’s something that means a lot to me when I look at this journey,” he said.
September listed his interests outside of music.
“If I’m not making music, you’ll probably find me at the restaurant or at a shisanyama or the movies. I also frequent places that sell vintage goods. You’ll find me at home, in the yard or out with my friends. I like painting and drawing as well. If I had the money, I’d also be travelling. So when I’m not in the studio, I’m just doing ordinary things—things any other person would be doing with their time,” he said.
Ben September | SUPPLIED
Ben talked about his aspirations for the future, from where he wanted to go as a man to the milestones he wished to achieve musically.
“It’s hard to see past the present for me because I’m so fully into today. But as a man, I’d like to finish my life accomplished, to be a family man and a loving husband and father.
“Musically, I’d like to do more than what I’m doing now and to execute those things at a higher level. I want to become more creative, travel the world, and see more people. I want my music to help people remember me as a human. I’d like to be remembered as Thabiso—I’d like to be remembered as I am, you know. I’d like to be in the hall of fame of South African musicians and to travel the world and collaborate with artists—not just within the music space but in art in general,” he said.