Ben Platt shares his creative process behind his new album ‘HONEYMIND,’ how he’s inspired from Taylor Swift & Beyoncé’s performances, how his transition career wise & personally influenced the album and more!
Category
🎵
MusicTranscript
00:00 "We started writing the album in the spring of 2022 in Nashville and sort of wrote this first series of songs that kind of became the kind of like nest egg of the whole thing.
00:11 And at that stage I was very much in a kind of point of transition personally and career wise where I was re-investigating kind of my reasons for being an artist."
00:25 Nick Blad has conquered Broadway, TV and film with his character work, but with his third album Honeymind out Friday, he's showing more of himself than ever.
00:34 "On top of that it was also settling into my now, you know, soon to be marriage with my partner Noah.
00:40 And so the album started to take shape as this kind of crossroads between what it feels like to arrive in your kind of real relationship and to have a partner that you feel like really understands you holistically.
00:50 And then also how do you as a person need to continue to work to understand and care for yourself to really be like ready for a relationship like that."
00:58 And his relationship with Beyonce Noah Galvin takes center stage in Ben's music video for Cherry on Top.
01:04 "Love is a cherry on top."
01:08 "It feels like a home movie. How did you two like go through that day or days it took to do that?"
01:13 "To keep some things like sacred and private and you know, but at the same time, you know, the song particularly Cherry on Top is all about, you know, the joy of discovering that this is your person.
01:22 And it was written obviously very specifically about my experience with Noah.
01:25 And, you know, I think I had all these other ideas and concepts and other stories or narratives for like a visual piece.
01:32 And I think nothing just felt as true and as the actual relationship itself that brings that joy about.
01:39 And so I tried to focus the shoot and the experience of it on just the enjoyment of the day itself and not necessarily go in with like,
01:48 this is how I want it to be edited and I want us to have this, you know, strict choreography and I want, you know, conceptually all these ideas.
01:55 I think it was just like, let's plan ourselves a really fun day, bring a couple of, you know, our collaborators who are fun and great with a camera
02:01 and get this cool vintage car and like go to the pier and play some games and just make it feel like an experience that we could actually enjoy
02:08 so that maybe it would feel that way on camera as opposed to us sort of playing at enjoying something.
02:12 And with Noah, it is very easy to enjoy.
02:16 Last night, Ben embarked on his Honeymine tour which kicked off at the iconic Palace Theatre, which seats an intimate 1,600 people.
02:24 Two years ago, he was playing the Hollywood Bowl in Madison Square Garden, proving he can handle any size venue.
02:30 What's that been like for you to like hold stages that huge?
02:34 It's kooky, kooky bananas. Wonderful. I mean, I think ultimately I'm a, you know, I was born and raised in the theatre
02:42 and I do love the feeling of being able to really visualize and feel everybody that's there.
02:50 And so I, on this next tour, the opportunity to be in more theatres and there are some outdoor amphitheatres and some larger spaces,
02:57 but to kind of do something a little warmer and closer is kind of my more home base, like bread and butter.
03:02 But to have the experience of trying to recreate that intimacy and closeness in like such a vast place like Madison Square Garden
03:08 or the, you know, the Hollywood Bowl where I had my first job when I was a kid to like bring it back around.
03:12 These are like amazing bucket list, like life moments, but I am excited to reel it in a little bit.
03:17 As for what inspires Ben as a performer, seeing Beyonce and Taylor Swift last year was a masterclass in being an entertainer.
03:25 Like, are there things that you as an artist can take away to, you know, a very different kind of show, but kind of apply to like what you do as a performer?
03:32 Definitely. I think different things from those two artists, for sure.
03:35 I think with Taylor, she does a really good job of sharing her own experiences and making us feel like we're in her living room.
03:43 And like we're buddies and like just like regaling us with tales of her life in a way that can feel very off the cuff,
03:49 but is very clearly planned and thought out and well crafted.
03:54 So I think that's always very inspirational.
03:56 And then with Beyonce, it's always just, A, just as a vocalist and a lover of singing first and foremost.
04:01 She just is an unbelievable live singer and there's so much technique and ability and just like,
04:07 I just am in awe of her when I watch her sing.
04:10 And then on top of that, just the level to which she exerts and gives of herself,
04:14 no matter what show she's doing or what international destination she's performing in,
04:19 you've never seen her half-assed performance in your life.
04:21 None of us have. So like that to me is the most inspirational thing when I see her.
04:25 It's like if I'm doing like a matinee of Parade or a show of mine somewhere where I don't have any friends or family in the crowd
04:31 or somewhere where I'm having trouble really engaging and getting in there,
04:34 I think, I just think about like, Beyonce's been doing this for like, you know, 30 years or something.
04:39 And she's just, she's still throwing herself on the stage every time.
04:42 So she's very inspirational.
04:44 Well, congrats on this album. It really is beautiful and really excited to see you performing it soon.
04:50 Thank you. See you at the Palace.
04:52 Yeah, see you at the Palace. I love the sound of that.
04:54 I'm a big fan of that.
04:56 (upbeat music)