BIO

BENJII is the multi-textural alias of Vancouver Canada-based singer/songwriter, and guitarist Benji Klassen. With an enigmatic means to see color in sound alongside a taste for moody atmospheres, Klassen wades within the boundaries of neon-drenched alt/pop and brooding R&B soul while drawing influences from the likes of The Neighbourhood, The Weeknd, and The 1975.

A prairie boy at heart, Klassen was raised in the small town of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Without much else to do, he engulfed himself in guitar at a young age learning the styles of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and John Mayer. It wasn’t until moving to Vancouver where he discovered his new-found passion for alternative music.

His first indie band Hawking (2013-2016), had toured North America tirelessly earning the reputation as one of Vancouver’s hardest working acts. However, on the last leg of their Oceans // Carolina tour, the group experienced a near fatal bus accident in the mountains. The accident which left him, and his bandmates hospitalized in critical condition would be the life changing event that gave him a new perspective on life and the push to go solo. After his decision to leave the band, he laid low with his girlfriend, their 3 pet wolves, and work tirelessly for the next 3 years crafting his new sound.

Under the name BENJII, his first wave of singles were produced and mixed by Vancouver’s award winning Ryan Worsley (Dear Rouge, Nuele Charles, Monowhales), and independently released. Not only would this soon capture the attention of large publications like EARMILK, Indie88 Toronto, and Buzz Music LA being dubbed “a masterful consequence of juxtaposed themes, imbedded with passion and woefully flawless in execution” (EARMILK), but ‘allmine’ would also go onto be featured in Netflix’s S4 premiere of ‘Love is Blind’.