Ben Howard has been called England’s answer to Jack Johnson. The acoustic folk music artist was born in Devonshire, England. He spends his time making music, surfing and drinking tea. At current he is touring around Europe promoting his album: Every Kingdom.

written by Suzanne van Heerde & Jesse Evers

S&J:If you hadn’t become a music artist or a surfer, what would your current profession have been?

B:I would have liked to be a carpenter because I like to work with my hands. My dad used to get me to work on things in the shed when I was younger. Unfortunately, all I managed to create was a piece of wood with loads of nails in it.

S&J: You’ve been making music since you were 11 years old, how did that develop?

B:It all began when I started playing around with my mom’s old guitar. I was just curious but ended up really enjoying it and therefore my parents allowed me to follow guitar lessons. I did rebel for a while at the age of 13, which made me quit playing for over a year. The electric guitar sparked my interest again and that’s how I got back on track. My parents had a great taste in music (Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan for example) that influenced me a lot by setting the tone of my song writing. I tried to evolve a little bit with my phases that included punk and a tiny bit of hip-hop. Obviously that didn’t contribute to what I’m doing now.

S&J: When did you decide that you needed to add India Bourne (cello) and Chris Bond (drums) to your new formation as a band?

B: I enjoyed playing and performing on my own for a long time. However there came a point when I felt that there was room for a bit of variety. Things evolved naturally and India and Chris joined me. The sound has changed a bit due to that but it has a heavier substance to it now, which I really like.

S&J: Do you feel that your concerts have changed now that you play with your band?

B: Musically, the concerts are a bit more interesting because of the various instruments. I also feel more at ease whilst performing nowadays because you have two more people up there with you. At times we are more serious but just one look at each other can crack us up and take the edge of which works really well. You feed of each other’s energy and that keeps it fun. It hasn’t lost its intensity at all as we get into a certain soundscape all together.

S&J: “I will become what I deserve” is a part of the lyrics from the song ‘The Fear’. What do you mean by that?

B: My dad always said “Do as you will be done by”. It’s about treating others the way you would like to be treated, that’s what it’s all about. The idea for me is that you make your own fate. When you’re conscious about the way you are in life, good or bad will come as you yourself have acted before. Since I’m on the road a lot, I have a lot of time to think about stuff like that which is why some of my songs reflect that aspect of my life.

S&J: Coming from a background of journalism, you know what it’s like to interview a person and you are aware of the tricks behind it. What was your worst and best interview yet?

B: Haha, yes I do notice the journalistic aspect when I’m being interviewed. The most frustrating one was when someone rang me, my friend picked up and the person barked: “Is this Ben?” He replied by saying that he was not me and that I would be back in a second. I took the phone from him and the person started off by asking me all sorts of questions about Mumford and Sons and other artists. The person was completely detached which didn’t make sense to me. It felt as if the person was just calling me to get information about others. The best interviews are when you have a nice conversation with the interviewer as you would with someone you know.