Don’t Disturb BNZA’s Peace
In a new interview, the R&B singer reflects on his “hectic” year and a fresh single about taking time for yourself. "It’s a song about keeping your inner peace,” he says.
When I finally catch BNZA, an entrepreneur/ singer-songwriter based in Toronto, he’s relaxing on his first day off from work in weeks.
“You know being busy is good,” he tells me over the phone. “Being busy keeps me alive. As long as I'm creating and pushing art out there, whether it be in the form of music videos or just content, like drinks or food, as long as I'm creating, then I'm content.”
It’s been a hectic year for the artist. This year, BNZA and a few friends founded mellowroom, a small, vibey bar that has been packed since the weekend it opened. There, BNZA has been mixing specialty cocktails and hosting parties with some of Toronto’s best musicians and DJs. (On December 20, the friends will host mellownight, where proceeds will benefit CAMH to raise mental health awareness)
But BNZA’s first gig, and perhaps his most prolific one, is his music. In May, he debuted ben seasons, an indie rock project that followed in the vein of sex after cigarettes. The first single “timeless” quickly wracked up over 13,000 streams with no promotion and no support from streaming. Then in November, BNZA joined K-R&B singer JUNNY on tour for two Canadian dates and won over a large portion of the singer’s fans.
Today, he returns to his first music project as BNZA, the soulful R&B persona where he stands as one of the greatest undiscovered talents in indie music. “DND”, his new single, is also a return to form for BNZA after the searing ballad “HISTORY”.
Underlying all of BNZA’s music is a quiet confidence. You can’t compete with him because as an artist, he is the bar; the MVP who is undisputed in his wins. And like BNZA’s best music, “DND” takes shots at anyone who tries to fuck with his vibe. “Got a lot of people trynna bet against me/ Ima keep on winning till the day I can’t breathe,” he warns on “Soul Tree”.
“DND” builds off that swagger: “Me, myself and I/ I got this shit,” he sings on the bridge. “Me, myself and I/ Fuck you!”
“It's a song about keeping your inner peace and sometimes saying no. You know there's times like on the weekend when your friends invite you and you just don't wanna go out just wanna chill at home stay by yourself and just vibe by yourself, right?” he explains. “So I just wanted to make a song that you can jam to and vibe alone.”
“It's a little bit more up-tempo and a little bit more funky and groovy,” he continues. “I kinda wanted to contradict the whole theme of like keeping your inner peace.”
At his most compelling, BNZA is often fighting against forces who doubt him or who don’t respect his space. On “SELFISH”, his brilliant single from 2023, he takes a shot at his enemies: “Fuck all that drama/ Karma’s coming for you.” But this music is often lithe and vibrant, as if BNZA delivers his blows with a cocky grin.
“DND” shares that same playful, combative DNA. “It's a song that you play in your room when you're alone or when you're showering,” he says. “Like, you can just grab a fake mic and sing to it.”
BNZA has more music ready to go in the new year. “I’ve been sacrificing music,” he says as he thinks about the work he’s done to get here. Being a small business owner and a working musician presents time restraints, something that BNZA has to contend with. But he’s resolute to do more in 2025.
“I'm just addicted to creating art honestly,” he says. “I'm pretty hard on myself but now that I am really reflecting and looking back on it, it's been a long year.”
What he’s proven is to never count BNZA out. Whether he’s organizing basketball camps for MK6, releasing music under one of his projects, or mixing cocktails at mellowroom, the artist will always create.
“I did a lot of things and accomplished a lot of my goals this year,” he says as he thinks about what’s to come, “and I’m gonna keep going hard.”
