We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ben Heffernan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ben below.

Hi Ben, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I learned my craft through experience – from a young age, I joined a church choir, took guitar lessons, joined band programs at local music schools, watched YouTube guitar tutorials, and perhaps most importantly, was exposed to lots of music through my parents! Since then, I’ve made efforts to open myself up to as many different types of opportunities as possible, from gigs, to teaching, to producing, to session playing. While I wish I had developed certain skills earlier (e.g. producing, engineering), I don’t necessarily think I could have done anything to speed up the process of learning these skills as they were developed quite organically over a period of years as opposed to me deciding one day that I wanted to learn everything possible about production and engineering. I am lucky to have grown up in an environment that was always very supportive of my artistic endeavours, which meant that I was able to learn and work at my own pace and develop new skills as I became interested expanding my craft into new areas.

Ben, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Ben Heffernan – I’m a songwriter, producer, and recording artist. I’ve been performing since I was 14 (I’m now 22), and I’ve played over 350 solo shows since. From 2017 to 2021, I self-released three EPs, which were nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award and multiple Forest City London Music Awards. In 2021, I started writing and producing with other artists, which has led to me producing releases for Sarina Haggarty, Ariana Fig, and upcoming releases for Emma Campbell and John Muirhead. I’ve also recently launched a new artist project called OH, BERLIN, which will see my music delve into more indie-rock influenced territory compared to the more folk pop-oriented nature of my previous work. I’m probably most proud of the full-length album I’m currently finishing up for the OH, BERLIN project, as I feel it is the best reflection of my musical interests, personal experiences, and the best songwriting and production work I’ve done to date. I’m also very proud of my production work and the relationships and collaborations I’ve developed with the artists/friends I’ve worked with!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I’ve had to unlearn is my inclination to allow what other artists and creatives are doing, the type of work they’re doing, the promotional choices they make, etc to inform my own work and choices. While I do think there is value in this (particularly from a marketing/promotional sense), I also feel that it hindered my originality and reduced the amount of personality on display in my work. I’ve since learned the value of centring your own interests, instincts, influences, and ideas in your creative work and that the more personal and honest your work is, the more it tends to connect with others.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I find the most rewarding aspect of being an artist to be that brief moment during the creative process where a song begins to click. The moment in question sometimes only lasts for maybe 3-5 minutes, and while it often comes as a result of an element being introduced to the process (e.g. a lyric, a melody, a sound, an instrument), it is not possible to predict what will make something click. While it is the most rewarding aspect of being an artist, it also creates the most challenging part of the process, which is finding a way to stretch that excitement out for as long as possible.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://benheffernan.ca and https://ohberlinmusic.com
• Instagram: @benheffernanmusic and @ohberlinmusic

Image Credits
Chloe Kendel (working on music shots) Rachel Long (studio shots)