Benjamin Kheng Savors A Parting Of The Ways In New Track With Singer-Songwriter Bea Lorenzo

Homegrown artist Benjamin Kheng returns on the scene with a brand-new song, Good For A Time — an acoustic pop-R&B number that features Filipino artist Bea Lorenzo on vocals.

The radio-friendly pop ballad is a culmination of collaborations on multiple fronts. For the writing, Kheng teamed up with fellow Singaporean singer-songwriter, Linying, best known for penning and performing the theme song for 2021’s National Day Parade, ‘The Road Ahead’.

“Writing Good For A Time was as much fun as it was bittersweet. Linying was the perfect co-writer for this — breaking down heartbreak and joy is what she does best and it felt like we left little pieces of ourselves in this tune.”

Benjamin Kheng

Together, they penned lyrics that captured the desire to stretch time for as long as possible to savour the last moments before the unavoidable end of a meaningful relationship.

Good For A Time is more than just a breakup song, it’s about a couple presently breaking up and going through the painful process of untethering while looking back fondly and appreciating the love that was.”

Kheng leaned on the expertise of Snakeweed Studios’ Josh Wei (CL, Gentlebones) to oversee production on the track. 

“Josh was a godsend. Not one stone was left unturned. We experimented with many arrangements on different instruments, and I’m glad we landed on this one.”

Filipino singer-songwriter Bea Lorenzo, best known for her prowess with the Kalimba, was brought on as a feature to turn the song into a duet, highlighting the shared experience of heartbreak. Lorenzo describes the song as the seconds of silence between two people facing the realization of no longer being good for each other. 

Good For A Time takes that brief moment and stretches it into a bittersweet 2-and-a-half minutes, painting a picture of young love and the peace that can come with letting go.” On working with Kheng she says, “Working with an artist like Ben, who was so open-minded and caring throughout the process, I was reminded of the joys of honest songwriting and the power it holds in a storytelling space.”

“It was serendipitous having Bea Lorenzo as a duet partner,” says Kheng, “She gave the piece a stunning voice and made the story all the more poignant. Being separated by miles due to the pandemic gave an added depth to the reality of the song.”

This was especially true when producing the music video for Good For A Time. Set in the empty late-night cityscape of Singapore and Manila, the music video depicts Kheng and Lorenzo as ex-lovers reuniting for the first time since their separation. 

Singaporean Photographer and Director Lenne Chai took the helm. Inspired by her own experiences as a young teen, Chai wanted to capture the feeling of young love and longing. We follow Kheng and Lorenzo as they mull over their memories of being in love and exploring the city to extend their time together. 

Given that Kheng and Lorenzo were in different countries at the time, filming was done concurrently with a remote team in Manila led by director Simon Te and cinematographer Renz Gonzalez.

“The experience was wonderful, and I’m so glad we pulled it off,” says Chai. “This would not have been possible without our hotel partners, Conrad Centennial and Conrad Manila, who supported our production in both cities.”

ABOUT BENJAMIN KHENG

Benjamin Kheng is a Singaporean musician, actor and writer, and lead singer of former pop outfit The Sam Willows, who landed a coveted spot on Forbes’ annual 30 Under 30 Asia. 

In November 2019, he officially returned to music after a year-long break following the hiatus of The Sam Willows. His first solo single, ‘Wicked’, and subsequent singles ‘Find Me’ and ‘Lovers Forever’ were released to critical acclaim, showcasing Benjamin’s versatility as a singer and lending promise to the potential of his artistry and growing repertoire.

Benjamin released his highly anticipated debut EP ‘A Sea That Never Stops’ in June 2020. In this highly personal EP, Benjamin explored life and love under the lens of both sincerity and cynicism. With upbeat tempos and sparkling melodies, ‘A Sea That Never Stops’ is simultaneously a cry and a celebration for the experiences that make us human. To date, the EP has garnered over 3 million streams from over 800,000 listeners. Benjamin’s success earned him a nomination for Best Southeast Asia Act at the 2020 MTV Europe Music Awards.

In 2021, Benjamin returned with a new single, ‘Fresh Feelings’, featuring R&B artist J.Sheon. Building on his work in ‘A Sea That Never Stops’, the production for ‘Fresh Feelings’ is daring and wildly theatrical, drawing from Benjamin’s love for gospel choir and musical theater with glossy piano chords and layered harmonies. Love is clearly the higher power that straddles charming and clumsy with delicate and devastating. Benjamin ended the year with the song, ‘Baby Mama’. His single with Gentle Bones, Better With You, was awarded Single Of The Year at the Youth Music Awards 2021.

Benjamin’s body of work extends beyond music and into acting. The breadth of his acting talent shows in the roles he has played — from the leading role of Romeo in Toy Factory’s staging of Romeo & Juliet to his nomination for best actor in The Breakup List at the Raindance Film Festival. He is also one half of the acclaimed comedy sketch series, The BenZi Project, which has garnered over 2.2 million views on YouTube in less than a year since its inception, and the The Ann & Ben Show, a music comedy sketch series with Annette Lee.

An advocate for youth and social causes, Benjamin has also been invited to speak at TEDxYouth@Singapore to share his experience in overcoming depression and anxiety disorder with synesthesia.

ABOUT BEA LORENZO

Bea Lorenzo is a Manila-based Filipina performing artist whose love for storytelling, stage theatrics, and minimalist arrangements in recorded music inspires and fuels her songwriting. Her journey as a no-genre recording artist began with debut single ‘Ili (Hush)’ which earned her recognition as an award finalist at the 2019 Awit Awards. In the same year, her act was featured on the music television program Coke Studio Philippines. Following her 2020 single releases ‘Imaginary Love’, ‘With A Smile’, and ‘Kapalaran’, ‘Good For A Time’ is Bea’s first international feature on a song with Singaporean artist Benjamin Kheng.