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A lot of brilliant artists are waking up within view of the CN Tower, with the Canadian version of the Sky Needle serving as the backdrop of many an album cover, video set, and skyline still. Count Benita as another who is making Toronto a hotbed for sultry, sexy R&B. In her latest single "The Worst" she leads us down a song about the people in our lives who just do it to us, almost to the point where we can’t stand it. Needing to know more, we asked Benita about late-night drives, travels, and dropping more singles.

OnesToWatch: Who is Benita?

Benita: I am an artist, singer-songwriter, and creative from the city of Toronto, Canada. An only child that grew up immersed in different musical genres and has developed a career in music built off passion and authenticity. I’ve always been the goofy friend with a wild imagination. I used to write a lot of movie and story concepts as a child and I think it has translated into how I create today. My journey in music has always been surrounded by self-discovery, I am still learning more and more about who I am, what I love, and where I want to be every single day and I try to have that all be reflected in my evolving sound. 

What is "The Worst" all about? Or even better, who is the worst? 

“The Worst” is about being in a constant debacle about being so in awe of a person that you just can’t seem to shake them off even while you’re trying to focus on yourself. The other person knows just what to do and what to say to have you snap right back into a love daze with them. I’m not the best at communicating how I feel to someone I like, but my version of telling them “i love you” in this song is kind of the same energy as a high school crush teasing you by saying “ugh, you’re the worst I hate you” in a cheeky way haha. 

We love the vibes on the single, how’d you craft the sound?  

I will usually get together with my friends Adrian and Thabs who are amazing producers from this city. They started with the guitar and sampled a voice note of me humming to the song which you can hear behind the verses. We started the beat in 2022 and I had it sitting around for a while. Sometimes beats are so intimidating because you have to do it justice and this was one of those for me but I knew immediately it was going to be one from the first session we had. I just wanted to create a good vibe for people to enjoy, something less dark than what I usually have going on. I was recovering from a cold and ended up rewriting and re-recording the song in January and decided this was going to be my first drop of 2024. 

Any collaborations or features? Who produced the track? 

This track was just written by me, and produced by Thabs and Adrian Bellaire whom I have multiple tracks with and more to come. I would love to post an open verse challenge online for people to have fun with, it’d be cool to turn the tables since that’s something I've always been doing with other people’s songs. 

How do you feel your sound has evolved or changed since your first album? 

The first EP I released was in 2022, it still feels fresh to me. I feel like I’ve been challenging myself to be more creative lyrically, I really want people to be able to shout memorable lyrics back at me at shows that are embedded into their brains because of how unique it is haha. Other than that I am always trying to evolve my sound sonically, I’m always inspired by rap as well so a lot of the new stuff I’ve been making has been on the chill side vocally. 

Can we expect more of this style in the future? Or are you constantly evolving?

I’d definitely love to put out more vibes like The Worst, I could definitely dedicate a short EP to a style like this in the future. I just wanted to lightly give this one to the world now since it’s perfect for the Springtime while I lead up to what’s coming for the rest of the year. 

Besides this excellent track, what else should we be on the lookout for? 

 More singles , can’t wait for you to hear more <3 

What's inspiring you right now outside of music?

I’d love to travel more, I love creating but I want to be inspired by new locations and what the world and nature have to offer.

Best place to listen to your tunes in Toronto?

My favourite place to listen to music is on a late-night drive, if we’re talking about a specific place maybe the gardener heading to Downtown Toronto (in a vehicle of course lol.) Second best place would be anywhere near water with a cool breeze.

Who are your OnesToWatch?

I’ve been loving Tyla recently, she has a sweet voice and I love the fusion of sounds. Aqyila, who is from the same city as me, is also an amazing singer that you guys should check out.