IN CONVERSATION WITH BEN PLATT
Tony, Grammy and Emmy-award winner, Ben Platt, recently released his third album ‘Honeymind’. Besides music, Ben is also an actor. Some of his most notable roles include the ‘Pitch Perfect’ film series and ‘Theater Camp’.
interview by MAREK BARTEK
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shirt WILLY CHAVARRIA
shoes MANOLO BLAHNIK
Your new album 'Honeymind' has such an interesting name. Can you share more about the inspiration behind the name and how it reflects the themes of the album?
One day I ate some mushroom chocolate and went on a hike with the love of my life. As we walked and took in our surroundings, he could see how happy I was and asked me to describe the feeling. I thought about how to describe to him that I was just so happy to be in love with him, that my love for him somehow softens things and slows it all down. Like all the jagged thoughts and fears and anxieties always jutting out in my brain are slowly smoothed out, until my whole mind is thickly coated and dripping with pervading warmth and sweetness. I landed on Honeymind as a way to describe that sensation, then wrote a song inspired by the phrase, and eventually felt like it encapsulated the loving, smooth and settled energy of the whole record.
You worked with artists like Dave Cobb, Hillary Lindsey, and Natalie Hemby on this album. What was the collaborative process like, and how did these partnerships influence the sound and storytelling of ‘Honeymind’?
I had the opportunity to work with some of the greatest songwriters in the game on this record, the ones you mentioned along with Brandy Clark, Jimmy Robbins, Alex Hope, Laura Veltz and more. I think writing most of the record in Nashville, somewhere I always wanted to work, really informed the plaintive, unadorned storytelling-forward nature of the songs. There is a real focus on authenticity and holistic songwriting in that community, which I found really jived with my own songwriting process and the things I was trying to communicate on this album. And then to top it all off, once I had written and narrowed down all the songs, Dave Cobb executively produced the shit out of the entire thing. He brought so much organic musicianship and quality to the album.
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Many of your songs, like 'Andrew' or 'Cherry On Top,' seem to go deep into personal emotions and experiences. How do you approach writing songs that are both deeply personal and universally relatable?
I'm not sure where it originated but my fiancé and I always say that specificity begets universality. The only way I know how to write a song that feels truthful is to be as transparent and no holds barred as possible. I try to approach every song that way, regardless of how personal the initial concept is, because I think when you start to generalise or smooth out the details to try and appeal to more people, that's when no one can actually connect to the music or see themselves in it.
One of the most heart-felt tracks on the album is 'Before I Knew You’.Can you tell us more about the significance of this song?
This is my favourite song on the album, and just really tries to express how it feels to have found my partner in life. Most of the album is about Noah, but I think this song in particular really encapsulates what it feels like to be with him. I've known him for a decade, and yet I feel on some level that I had always known him, and that in some intangible way we'd been watching over each other until our paths finally crossed, like he'd already been my guardian angel or something. The song is about feeling like in some way we were always destined for each other.
This is your third album. How do you feel your music has evolved from your debut album to ‘Honeymind’?
I think it's just a little more settled and laid back in a sense, because that's how I feel as a person. As I've gotten more comfortable in my own skin and clearer about who I am, I think it's reflected in the energy and sound of the music. I also think I've just grown as a songwriter over the course of these 6 years of making my own music, and I think I approach writing with less pressure to create vocal showcases and more focus on the storytelling and song craft itself.
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shirt WILLY CHAVARRIA
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robe CDLP
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Besides the album, you established a residency at the Palace Theatre with a show that included a variety of special guests. How have these collaborations and the setting of a historic Broadway theatre shaped your live performances?
The Palace was a convergence of so many things I love — the broadway community and musical theatre, my own songwriting, live vocals and vocal collaboration, storytelling, comedy, etc. It felt like an amazing culmination of my career thus far, and was a reinvigoration and refocusing for me on the things I love most, live performance and singing and audience connection. Doing it in the storied Palace Theater was a heavy weight but also such a meaningful validation and confidence-booster. And the fact that so many of my friends and heroes came through to sing meant the absolute world to me, it reminded me why I love doing all this in the first place.
You’ve also followed the release of the album with a tour. What did you enjoy the most about this tour, and what generally excites you the most about touring?
I loved the variety and range of incredible bucket list venues on this tour. It was a combo of many different types of spaces like the Fox in Atlanta, the Ryman in Nashville, Ravinia in Chicago and The Greek in LA. I loved getting to morph the energy of the show for each different place, it kept it feeling fresh and exciting all the way through. Generally I love touring mostly because it allows me to share my story and myself with people I don't usually have the opportunity to connect with in person, particularly young queer fans who I know find a lot of meaning in my transparency about my relationship and identity.
You've been incredibly busy lately, not just with ‘Honeymind’, tour and your Palace Theatre residency, but also with your acting gigs. How do you balance your passion for both music and film, and what challenges do you face juggling these careers?
I try to let the individual project or character lead the way in deciding what to do, as opposed to trying to fill a particular column just to keep the mediums balanced. If I have a period where I've spent a couple years onstage doing live performance without film, or vice versa, I try not to think too globally or finitely about it, and just allow my genuine passion to be the main picker. I think the challenge definitely comes from spinning multiple plates at once, inevitably you have to make sacrifices in certain areas to devote time to others. I try not harp too much on what I could accomplish if I just shut down all the extra lanes and chose one main focus, because I feel so grateful to be able to make art in so many different arenas and wouldn't trade that for anything.
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top & pants CDLP
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full look MICHAEL KORS
When not juggling different careers, what do you like to do in your free time?
I am very much an introvert so I love to spend time at home. I also love to run, hike, go thrift shopping, see theatre, eat at restaurants with my friends, watch Noah cook and clean up after him, cuddle with my dog George, and see more theatre.
With 'Honeymind' out, what other projects or goals are you looking forward to pursuing in the future? Are there any new artistic challenges you’re eager to take on and can share with us?
I am eager to write a musical, so I'm always thinking about that. I am working on the film adaptation of ‘Merrily We Roll Along’. I have a few other film/TV projects in development that I'm excited about, some as a producer, some as an actor, and some both. At some point I'd love to play George in ‘Sunday in the Park with George’. Other than that I am wide open to the universe!
TEAM CREDITS
talent BEN PLATT
photographer BEN ABARBANEL
stylist BAILEY MOON
photography assistant JOSE MARTOM
groomer TAKASHI ASHIZAWA
editor TIMI LETONJA
editorial director JANA LETONJA
cover design ARTHUR ROELOFFZEN
