BEN SCHARLIN DROPS SINGLE "GRAVITATE"
"I wanna soak beyond the bottom of mediocre forces and pull this above the stone
In order to become the king of my own way"
- Ben Scharlin in Gravitate
Living in a world full of forces and ever-dynamic polarities, sometimes you find yourself orbiting in too many directions to keep up with the hustle and bustle of society and you eventually lose track within yourself. It is common to lose our sense of direction or path and sometimes overlook ourselves but what’s great is that this newly-dropped single of Ben Scharlin called “Gravitate”, released just September 8th this year under Warner Music Philippines, is a personal song-reminder for you of the importance of gravitating towards yourself and staying true to your core.
This California-born, Bacolod City and Baguio based artist has been writing for 30 years now but his relationship with the music scene now is very young after being scouted under Warner Music Philippines last year where he started releasing his music and working with producer Shad in Baguio.
Playing around the notes of diverse musical genres such as Rock, Indie, Folk, Country, Alternative, and Electronic, and Reggae, Ben is most known for his introspective songwriting, with the ability to make you feel his stories and emotion all while charting the trajectories of his becoming in a most authentic way.
As someone who has been writing songs since 15 years old, the artist draws inspiration from a pantheon of luminaries shaping his artistic styles including The Beatles, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Bob Dylan, Tracy Chapman, Al Green, Bon Iver etc.
The song Gravitate was actually written 10 years ago in his apartment in LA and was originally a slow song inspired by sparse songs with a slow pace, lots of echo, and reverbs, of which he took inspiration from one of his all-time favorite artists, Bon Iver.
When he moved to the Philippines back in 2017, he had the chance to re-record the song once again, working together with producer Shad by the time he started releasing music with Warner Philippines.
And we are now hearing the newly arranged and fresh tunes of the genre of the song.
The song starts off with powerful strums of both acoustic and lead guitar with a line: “Everyday is just another day. You can play your games and still never awake.” This line conveys a sense of ennui or a monotony of routine, where life feels repetitive and unfulfilling, and people may be missing out on deeper experiences or self-discovery.
The song then goes “So don’t get far from the sun away and gravitate” which evokes a message of moving inwards to yourself.
Honored to be nominated for New Best Male Recording Artist at AWIT Award 2023 last August with this previous single called “Lines”, Ben Scharlin is starting his way towards the greater music scene bringing the audience an authentic-driven life experiences and perspectives that resonate in his indie-electronic songs.
With a budding listenership of more than 90 Spotify monthly listeners, over a hundred followers, and 13 YouTube subscribers, Ben is a true indie sensation.
With head-banging and foot-tapping drum beats and guitar tunes, it’s only a matter of time before the audience will turn their heads to his songs.
Ben's soulful anthem extends a gentle tap on the shoulder to all those who've ever wrestled with self-doubt. Just like in the song, the planets don't lose themselves while orbiting the sun; likewise, we shouldn't lose our identity while navigating the world in order to reach our potential– so “Gravitate” within yourself.
Ben was featured on the list of our Episode 75 of The Chosen Dozen, listen and stream below!
