We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ben Parks a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ben, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
Hey! Thanks for having me.
I really like this question because I think as artists we’re taking risks all the time. Saying things that are brutally honest, audacious, challenging think music is an opportunity to be as unfiltered as you want but you have to choose if you’re willing for others to hear your honest thoughts. That’s risky.
For me, a big risk (or what was a big risk at the time) as an artist was coming out. I come from a conservative Christian family. My dad has been a pastor my whole life, I grew up in the south in the 90s and 2000s, and my entrance into music was through the church. This might not be a surprising story. It’s one that’s fairly common for queer individuals. But, when I wasn’t out yet, I initially started releasing music in the vein of Gospel/Christian singer-songwriter. I’m very proud of this body of work and for it starting my career. But, as I grew, moved to California, and started confronting more of my own beliefs and traumas and stuff, the songs and styles I wrote in changed. Since my original fan base was based in Gospel music, I knew that coming out would be a risk for my career. However, It was really important to me to be honest about my experience and to own being a gay person of faith. My faith is still really important to me, it’s just grown and changed a lot. I’m hoping my choice to be true to myself and my experience can translate to others who listen.
Ben, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
For sure. Hey there, my name is Ben Parks. I’m a singer-songwriter from San Diego, CA. Like I mentioned earlier, I grew up as a pastor’s kid in Birmingham, AL. I started taking piano lessons when I was 5 years old. I was also a drama kid growing up, so I was always dancing around the house and singing and being very dramatic. My childhood claim to fame was having a solo as Pinocchio and doing a backflip across the stage when I was 10 years old. I just remember having to have duct tape all around my body to keep the microphone from falling off me. My intro into the music world was gospel music. Keith Green and Chris Rice were some of my dad’s favorites to listen to in our car rides to school. Hearing this kind of music at such an early age I think really leaned itself for me to write in ways that hone in on intimate piano melodies and inspirational vocals.
I initially started putting out music as a Gospel singer-songwriter in 2018. Then (go figure) in 2020 a lot shifted. A big part of that time for me internally was coming out. The more that was happening, the more it was being reflected in the music I was writing. And so, from 2020-2023 I just spent a ton of time writing a lot of new stuff. I put out Pt. I of my debut studio album, Ecotone, this past year that kind of documents stories of what my life has looked like over the past 5 years. I’m so proud of it, and I’ve never been more excited than now to make music.
For those who are just now listening, I’ve had a lot of fun exploring an alt. pop/rock sound bordering the likes of Phil Collins, The Killers, The 1975, and Maggie Rogers. “Sad Gay Pop” is the genre I have found most fitting haha.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
The music industry has changed so much over the past 5 years. It can feel like roulette for so many new artists out there, amongst growing pressures to keep up with the exhausting pace of social media. I think we’re currently living in an age where “direct to consumer” relationships are crucial for smaller independent artists. Artists really trying to have more direct contact with their fans and listeners in creative ways. In addition, I think it’ll take neighborhoods and local businesses really doing the work of highlighting and supporting their local artists. I think in order for society to really support local artists, they will have to shift from just being passive consumers of music, to being active investors in the the local artists around them, and actually taking time to find and support smaller artists they like, not just the big wigs.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Books: The Artist Way by Julia Cameron; How to Make It In the New Music Business by Ari Herstand; The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin – I found these books a little later in my career, but they have been so so helpful for me. The Artist Way is basically a recovery book for artists in the best way. It really helped me dig deep into the “why” of why I create.
I don’t know how to describe this resource fully, but I wish I was surrounded by a community of other artists sooner in life. Growing up in Alabama, I feel like I wasn’t around an environment that knew fully how to support and champion the arts compared to somewhere like California. I think being immersed in a creative city like San Diego has really given me the permission and courage to be more creative.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benparksandrec
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/benparksmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@itsbenparks
- Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1FGaukEQPzVJgDKCDLcSct?si=xfFt-Zt5SF2LfNceknVOhw Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/artist/ben-parks/1396697752
Image Credits
Photography by Samuel Greenhill and Gabriel Conover