Benjamin Francis Leftwich | |
|---|---|
 Performing atJersey Live in 2011. | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1989-09-04)4 September 1989 (age 35) |
| Origin | York, England |
| Genres | Indie folk,acoustic |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, piano |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Dirty Hit |
| Website | benjaminfrancisleftwich |
Benjamin Francis Leftwich (born 4 September 1989) is an English singer-songwriter fromHeworth,York.
His father wasAdrian Leftwich. He attendedHempland Primary School andBootham School in York.
Leftwich released his first albumLast Smoke Before the Snowstorm in 2011 which peaked at #35 on the UK charts. He has released four further albums since, the most recent in February 2024. Leftwich has also co-written with other artists, includingThe 1975,Holly Humberstone andCMAT.
Leftwich began playing at the age of ten and grew up listening tothe Rolling Stones andNina Simone; later discoveringNick Drake,Bob Dylan, andElliott Smith. He citesCher,[1]Arcade Fire,Ryan Adams, andBruce Springsteen as inspirations.[2]
Leftwich was educated atHempland Primary School, and then atBootham School.
Leftwich's debut album, theIan Grimble-producedLast Smoke Before The Snowstorm, was released in July 2011.The Fly called it "a majestic debut"[3]The Skinny,[4] while theSunday Express called it "lovely".[5] Hazel Sheffield, writing inThe Guardian, gave it a 3/5 rating,[6] as did David Pollock, writing forThe Scotsman, who drew comparisons toDamien Rice andJosé González.[7] Leftwich's "Shine" was namedSpotify's most addictive track of 2014,[8] the most repeat-played song of the year. Leftwich sold more than 100,000 copies ofLast Smoke and received over 150 million global Spotify plays.[9] "Atlas Hands" was featured in Zillow's TV Commercial 'Lake House' in 2015[10] In this same year, Benjamin Francis Leftwich co-wrote "Grow" with British artist Frances which featured in the Amazon UK TV advert.[11]
His second albumAfter the Rain was released in August 2016. Performing songs off this album and his former, he toured extensively from April 2016 to August 2017, covering the UK, Canada, USA, China, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and throughout Asia (e.g., Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia).[12]
AlbumsGratitude, To Carry A Whale andSome Things Break followed in 2019, 2021 and 2024 respectively. As of 2024, Leftwich has more than 749,000 monthly listeners and more than 312,000 followers on Spotify.[13]
As well as writing and recording his own music, Leftwich co-writes with other artists and has collaborated withThe 1975,Holly Humberstone andCMAT amongst others.[14]
Leftwich has admitted to previous problems with alcohol and drug addiction but has been sober since 2019.[14]
| Title | Details | Chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK | ||
| Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm |
| 35 |
| After the Rain |
| 53 |
| Gratitude |
| - |
| To Carry a Whale |
| - |
| Some Things Break |
| - |
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| A Million Miles Out |
|
| Pictures |
|
| In the Open |
|
| Elephant |
|
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK [15] | |||
| 2011 | "Box of Stones" | 195 | Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm |
| "Atlas Hands" | — | ||
| 2012 | "Pictures" | — | |
| 2014 | "Shine" | — | |
| 2016 | "Tilikum" | — | After the Rain |
| "Mayflies" | — | ||
| "Summer" | — | ||
| "Groves" | — | ||
| 2017 | "Pure Morning" cover | — | |
| "Rebellion (Lies)" cover | — | ||
| "When You Were Young" cover | — | ||
| "Because of Toledo" cover | — |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
