A Chat with Ben Heyworth (23.05.25)
Older, wiser, more acoustic, but as soulful as ever, singer-songwriter Ben Heyworth returns to release music as a solo artist. Describing his music as having an “urban folk” influence, his tunes bring a new brand of traditional English folk with contemporary twists. We speak with the UK-based musician about his new EP Creatures, supergroups, and much more.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Heyworth: Life, energy, spirit, joy
OSR: Do you feel Creatures EP is a true representation of your sound and you as a person at this moment?
Heyworth: The degree of introspection in my songs varies like with most artists. With this EP, I’m present as myself in some of the lyrics but I’m also inhabiting characters, so the perspective in ‘Narrowboat’, for example, is the old guy sat on his barge contemplating life, love and death. Whilst I can see these guys in the Ancoats marina from my apartment, I can’t say I’ve ever lived on a boat and I’m certainly not old enough – and I absolutely don’t smoke a pipe!
OSR: Which track on the EP are you most excited for listeners to hear, and what makes it special to you?
Heyworth: I think they sit nicely together as a trio of songs, and I’m excited for people to hear all of it. But I do think ‘Image of Roads’ is a grower and I really like how it came out, so that’s probably my favourite. I remember we were buzzing about it in the studio.
OSR: What do you hope people take from your music, and what do you take from it?
Heyworth: Curiosity, joy and delight
OSR: If you could create a supergroup with any three musicians, who would they be and why?
Heyworth: Tough question because there’s so many musicians I love – but I’d love to see a proper collaboration between Radiohead and Bjork. I’ll run with that for now. Wouldn’t that be something!
OSR: What can we expect from you in the future?
Heyworth: I have two more EPs written and ready to record – very exciting! Acoustic based but there will be some fuller productions and different song writing styles, but still true to this notion of urban folk, I hope. Also, raising the bar with the lyrics – dare I say it, some comedic lyrics have crept in so it will be interesting to see how that goes down. I expect they will be released at six monthly intervals. Between all that we have my band Minorplanet looking to release a few tunes as well – now this is a completely different kettle of fish and will appeal to people who like loud guitars, banging drums and huge melodies.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Heyworth: Please keep supporting independent artists – there’s so much great stuff, in every genre, and you’ll never get bored. Also, please seek out their live shows – it’s often the only way we are getting paid!
Many thanks to Ben Heyworth for speaking with us. Find out more about Ben Heyworth on his official website, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
