Arrow Benjamin Delivers Powerful Message With New Single, “Sirens!”

The man that co-wrote Beyonce’s “Freedom,” London’s Arrow Benjamin has begun his mission to lead the way through his music in support of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement as well as other social injustices throughout the world. This commitment is illustrated in an animated video for his new single, “Sirens” which depicts justice seeking citizens in protest. A powerful parody that was motivated when Arrow researched the shooting death of Walter Scott, who was shot in the back by a police officer in 2015. “Sirens” is the first of several thought provoking tracks we can expect from Arrow Benjamin on his forthcoming EP.

During my recent conversation with, Arrow Benjamin, he opens up about using his music as the voice for victims, talks about the different variables that would have to take place for him to make a permanent move to the States and much more!

How is everything over there in London?

Arrow Benjamin: London… things seem a little less pressurized right now. I’m a little bit of an anomaly. I just can’t wait to get out. I think I just need to be somewhere where it’s a little bit greener and a little bit more off the grid. That’s how I’m feeling right now. But the vibe is good. People are definitely coming out more and appreciating life a little bit more right now. And the weather has been good, which is something that we can’t always boast.

Are you seeking greener pastures for creative purposes or personal?

Arrow Benjamin: It’s greener for life. I feel like in a digital world… when everything about your life is very digital, it’s like you need some separation. What we call natural living. We just need something that feels a little bit more natural, and not caught up in the rat race.

Before Covid, were you coming to the States often?

Arrow Benjamin: I used to come all the time. I think I was there up until just before lockdown. I used to be New York-New York everyday all day. And then I spent some time in L.A. It took me time to warm to L.A. and then, I think with a lot of things. It’s not the place, it’s finding your tribe. Once you find your tribe, then everything else is great. But if you don’t find your people, for somebody else it’s like, “This is the perfect place,” and for you it’s like, “Nah, I’m not really feeling it.” But I found beautiful people in both regions. My manager and business partner is based in New York. We have been working together forever, so I’m always in America.

You have amazing music, brother.

Arrow Benjamin: Thank you!

Absolutely! “Sirens” is no exception. What a powerful piece. How important is it for you to create conscience music that delivers a message?

Arrow Benjamin: So, I’m going to say, my thing used to be about, make sure I create… first off, I look at myself as a vessel. I don’t try to put another idol into the marketplace. Be a vessel. The next thing is basically, I want to write songs that reminds the world of a love that purer than romance, Hollywood and romance. I’m talking about a divine love. That’s what my angle has always been. To raise the vibrations in that respect. Then I realized that, I’m affected every other day by brutality, by discrimination and prejudice. Every other day I would see something or hear something and that would trouble my spirit. I wasn’t hearing that in my music. I felt like I was playing politics. You have people that hear music and it moves their soul, but it doesn’t call them to action. So, when you say how important, it’s extremely important to me personally to be all of me. Not to break myself up into compartments just to stay in anybody’s good books. It’s important that if you see something and it’s not right, one man or woman basically grabs a protest banner, and someone uses whatever their platform allows them to do. And I make music, so my music has to reflect, one, how I feel, how I feel the people are feeling being the voice of the people and two, the times. No matter what you make right now, your art and your state of being is being impacted globally by the things that are happening. Whether it’s injustice or the pandemic. Everybody has been affected and you can’t pretend that you haven’t been affected.

It seems to be a situation to where, once you have committed to expressing yourself through what’s going on in the world, there is no turning back. Fans will always expect you to deliver the message.

Arrow Benjamin: I think for me, you never want to become one dimensional. It should be a full circle of truth. So, no matter which angle or way that you spin your style to deliver your art, it still has to be the truth. I can do, EDM, I can jump on rock, jump on R&B, trap… whatever it is, I still have to represent who I am and be able to go to bed at night and still be able to have peace and not try and be what I’m not.

You are an amazing songwriter; you did a lot of great things behind the scenes for a minute. What made now the perfect time to put yourself out there and display your voice to the world?

Arrow Benjamin: You’re right. I’ve been writing for quite a while. Some people know me more as a writer. I’ve been blessed to write for some major artists in the world. No, beautiful people. Forget that major-minor stuff. I can’t believe I even said that. I have written for and collaborated for some amazing souls. But in reference to right now, what I can tell you is that I feel like this season is almost like a baptism to me. I feel like… it’s almost like the more fear that comes, the more fearless I’m becoming. I feel like I’m just being called to dive in and use everything. Use everything that’s in your hands and basically share a, we shall overcome, but we shall overcome through action and not just through singing songs or just being hopeful. We have something we need to do now.

You actually co-wrote Beyonce’s “Freedom.” Another powerful scripture. Was it difficult for you to pen these amazing songs while sitting on one of your gifts which is your voice, or did you know this time would eventually come for you?

Arrow Benjamin: If I’m being honest, I’ve always done both things. I wouldn’t say I have always been good at both things. That’s not me. But I have always done both things, whether it was celebrated or not. I did it because I love it. It took some time for me to get to a place where I felt like this was my calling. I’m born to do this. But even after feeling like this was my calling, I still for the longest time felt like I was being riddled with that feeling of self-doubt. Flipping back to that statement where I feel like this time there is so much fear, there is so much of it, I’m going to counter it. It’s only natural. I’m not going to get washed away in the waves. I feel like I wanted to share what I have now because time is speeding up. Some people can say the days are shorter right now as time is moving. So, whatever you were sent on this earth to do, there is no time like now to do it. All of the excuses are out the window, just go. Don’t worry about who is going to judge you or who ain’t going to judge you. Everybody is going to get judged at some point, so just get on with it.

Do you feel like to fully reach your potential musically that at some point you may have to move to the States?

Arrow Benjamin: I thought about that a billion times. My birthday is actually the 4^th of July, so some would say it’s written that I would spend a substantial amount of time in the States. I don’t know. It’s funny. I was ready to go and live. I was ready to pack my bags and go to L.A. and take my family. We were good. And then we went to South Africa from Christmas going into the New Year, and I fell in love with South Africa. Now it’s like, ah man, I’m confused. I don’t know what to do now. But what I can say is that, because I’m a family man, I also have to look at some of the politics that are having in different regions of the world when I make decisions about where I’m going to move to. I can go to places and be blessed and be a blessing to many regions of the world, but when I think about living, I’m not going to lie, I’m a little nervous right now. I need some time for the dust to settle a little bit for me to honestly say, “Yeah, it’s destiny for me to be in New York, for me to be in Atlanta.” I need the dusk to settle a little.

The visuals for, “Sirens” were powerful as I stated, but you could see that you gave that video a lot of thought. Talk me through what you were thinking and did the visual come out the way you envisioned it?

Arrow Benjamin: I’ll tell you, “Sirens” itself, what was inspiring… this is the second time this has happened to me. I’ve used the word inspire and that’s the wrong word concerning this song. This piece, it’s like my heart basically was led to look for information on Walter Scott. The brother who was shot in the back. I was in the studio and I was making records and the records I was making. The records I was making was on a high vibration and a higher love. And suddenly I just felt convicted to go and find the image of this man. It was as if I felt like something was telling me that his voice was not being heard. I felt like I had to be a vessel. I always say I’m a vessel and not an idol. I felt like I had to be a vessel for that trauma. When I think of the word, inspiration, it’s like, what inspired you about it? It feels like a positive thing. Looking at the trauma of someone that looks just like me, having their life taken out for nothing, like a slab of meat, was not positive. That wasn’t about inspiration, that was conviction. I felt like because of the way it happened, I tapped into something and was led to something. Like if he could speak to the perpetrators of such a wicked crime, if he could speak face to face in that moment when it happened, this is what it would be. It would be a haunting set of words. A haunting melody that says, “No matter how much you think you reign over me, no matter how much you think you stand over me and you have rendered me powerless, you will never have power because you stand for nothing.”

You served as his voice and that’s awesome.

Arrow Benjamin: That was the aim.

With an amazing single like, “Sirens,” I’m sure something is in the works. What can we expect from you in the near future?

Arrow Benjamin: I’m actually working overtime right now. I’m basically going to be releasing an EP. I feel like this is my Marvin Gaye, “What’s Going On,” moment. The whole world is in that, what’s going on moment. But I feel like for me in my artistry, it’s like, you know what, forget about streams, forget about charts and accolades. Just say what’s going on. Rate the times. I have a powerful EP that will be dropping within the next 4-6 weeks. This EP will be a body of work and a piece of art that reflects the times. I’m all in to making great music that makes people’s head move and make people feel something, but this body of work just had to be about marking the time. When you’re in battle, you don’t need songs that make you do the, running man and whatever dance craze is out. You need music that’s going to cover the wounds and also keep you standing when you feel like you’ve been knocked down so many times.

You are an amazing talent, I cannot wait to hear your EP. It’s been a pleasure, brother. Is there anything else you want to add?

Arrow Benjamin: I appreciate you. I feel like to anybody who is an artist and a creator, I feel like, nobody can block you from speaking the truth. And if you allow your art to be gagged from speaking the truth, then that renders your art and what you have to say a lie. So, just speak your truth.

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