Ben Lee

Ben Lee is one of those rare examples of someone who got their start in the music business at a young age, and has been able grow and mature with his music, while building a career and sustaining a level of success along the way. Ben came on the scene in his early teens in Sydney, as a member of the punk band Noise Addict. Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore became a champion for the band, and released the group’s demo tape as an EP in the US on his Ecstatic Peace label. The first single, “I Wish I Was Him,” caught the attention of the Beastie Boy’s Mike Diamond. That single followed by the Young And Jaded EP were released via the Beastie Boys’ label, Grand Royal. At 16, Ben Lee recorded his first solo album Grandpa Would in both Sydney and Chicago, with producer and long-time collaborator Brad Wood. Ben continued to split time (and success) between the United States and Australia, as he released his next two albums, Breathing Tornadoes and Hey You. Yes You.

In 2005 Ben released Awake Is The New Sleep on New West Records. That album contained the smash hit “Catch My Disease,” which was a hit at radio and to this day still gets TV and advertising placements, including Grey’s Anatomy and a massive Dell Computer ad campaign. Ben released his follow up on New West, Ripe, in September 2007. The album garnered much of the same success in film and TV placement, including a world-wide advertising campaign by Coca-Cola. Ben has currently finished recording his next album, again with Brad Wood, which is slated to come out in February 2009.

In a music culture dominated by bands, Ben Lee turned heads by being one of the youngest singer/songwriters to make an impression on Australian music. Even before the launch of his solo career, Lee came to attention in his early teens as a member of the Sydney band Noise Addict. Following the band's demise in the mid-'90s, he began issuing a string of acclaimed solo albums while taking part in several side projects, including the Bens.

In 1993, on the strength of a homemade four-track demo recorded in Lee's bedroom, Noise Addict managed to convince Fallaheen Records executive Steve Pavlovic (who, as a promoter, brought Nirvana to Australia) to watch their debut performance at a library book sale. A record deal followed, and Pavlovic's connections immediately won the band several high-profile supporting tours, as well as a number of famous fans. Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore became an early champion for Noise Addict and released the group's demo tape (now packaged as an EP and titled DEF) on his own Ecstatic Peace label. The members of Noise Addict were 14 years old at the time.

The band's first single was "I Wish I Was Him," a satirical tribute to the Lemonheads' Evan Dando that inspired Dando to record his own cover version. The Beastie Boys' Mike Diamond also became a fan, and Noise Addict began issuing material on the Beastie Boys' own label, Grand Royal. The Young and Jaded EP, comprising six acoustic songs again recorded in Lee's bedroom, was released via that label partnership, yet touring was limited because of the group's commitments to school. Even so, Lee continued pursuing music by recording his first solo album, Grandpaw Would, in both Sydney and Chicago. Now 16 years old, he toured in support of the album with an American backing band. A full-length album by Noise Addict followed, and the bandmates (now high-school graduates) packed their bags for an American tour. Unfortunately, the group broke up soon after, and the 18 year-old Lee went back to his acoustic guitar for another solo album, Something to Remember Me By.

Lee soon found himself in the unusual situation of selling more records in America than his homeland, both in total quantity and per capita. That changed with the release of 1998's Breathing Tornadoes, dreamed up in his Los Angeles apartment and polished in the studio using mostly synthesized sounds. The single "Cigarettes Will Kill You" became a pervasive Australian hit, and Lee enjoyed the newfound benefits of his celebrity lifestyle, including a relationship with actress Claire Danes.

Hey You. Yes You. was released on the Modular label in 2002, pairing Lee's pop/rock songcraft with the beat-heavy production of Dan the Automator. Two years later, Lee left Modular and launched his own label, Ten Fingers, which released Awake Is the New Sleep in 2005. The album went double-platinum in Australia, propelled in part by the single "Catch My Disease." Lee wasted little time after the album's completion, however, delving immediately into a three-year creation period for his follow-up effort. Ripe ultimately arrived in September 2007, celebrating the songwriter's 15-year anniversary in the music business with another batch of cheery pop songs, while 2009's Rebirth of Venus paid sonic tribute to the Roman goddess of love. ~ Ed Nimmervoll, All Music Guide