Ben Lee

Ben Lee is the youngest singer songwriter to make an impression on Australian music. Even before his solo career, in his early teena, Ben came to attention as a member of Sydney band Noise Addict.

In 1993, on the strength of a self-produced and distributed four-track demo recorded in Ben's bedroom which four Sydney schoolfriends sent out, the head of independent Fallaheen Records Steve Pavlovic (as a promoter he brought Nirvana to Australia) went to watch the band make their debut performance in 1993 at a library book sale. He signed them to a record deal and Pavlovic's connections immediately won the band high profile support spots and some famous fans.

Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore became a champion for Noise Addict and released the group's demo tape as an EP entitled 'DEF' in the US on his Ecstatic Peace label. Things were happening quickly and kept happening quickly. At the time Noise Addict's average age was 14. The first Fallaheen Records single was 'I Wish I Was Him', a satirical tribute to the Lemonheads' Evan Dando. Dando himself heard it and recorded a cover version. The Beastie Boys' Mike Diamond heard it and asked to be allowed to issue the song as one of the first releases on the Beastie Boys' own label, Grand Royal, followed by the 'Young And Jaded' EP, six acoustic songs again recorded Ben Lee's bedroom.

Touring was limited because of the group's schooling commitments. Instead Ben followed interest in his music by recording his first solo album, 'Grandpaw Would' in Sydney and Chicago with US producer Brad Wood and toured the US on his own with an American backing band. Ben was now 16. When school was finally out Noise Addict recorded and released an album and packed their bags for a US tour at last. They broke up soon after, and Ben now 18, went back to his acoustic guitar for his next solo album, 'Something To Remember Me By', again produced by Brad Wood.

His 'boy genius' reputation was starting to affect Ben. Rightly of wrongly he thought that America celebrated his youthfulness, while it was held against him in Australia. Truth was, Australians saw themselves in his songs. When he was being playful and sardonic about himself, they saw themselves in the reflection. That shy awkward adolescence Ben was writing about in his songs was more universally Australian than he probably cared to admit.

Ben Lee had been in the unusual situation where he sold more records in America than at home, in numbers and per capita. That changed with the release of 1998's 'Breathing Tornadoes', dreamed up in his Los Angeles apartment and polished into shape in the studio entirely on computers using mostly synthesized sounds. The single 'Cigarettes Will Kill You' almost became a national hit in Australia when it was finally released on single after months of airplay as an album track by Triple J.

Ben was also finding himself achieving celebrity status by osmosis, thanks to his relationship with actress Claire Danes. He continues his unfolding career embraced and cheered on by America, knowing that there's a lot of unfinished business back home in Australia.

In 2005 Ben borrowed money from his mother in order to finance a new album on his own label, Ten Fingers. Finally he had decided to let his music do the talking by concentrating on his songwriting. He was rewarded with double platinum sales for 'Awake Is The New Sleep' in Australia and ARIA awards with 'Best Male Artist', 'Best Independent Release', and 'Single Of The Year' for 'Catch My Disease'.

'Awake Is The New Sleep' was a "break-up" album of sorts, looking at lost romance from different points of view, even that of his rival. The follow-up continued on the same pop path, taking the love themes back to the point where love and sex first come into conflict. He called this album 'Ripe" In 2008 Ben provided the soundtrack score for the movie "The Square' directed by longtime friend film Nash Edgerton. The single, which appears in the closing credits of the film was written about five years ealier with Angie Hart.

In December 2008 Ben Lee married actress Ione Skye in a traditional Hindu ceremony in India in the city of Chennai. The couple was married by Lee's guru Sakthi Narayani Amma, who has given Lee spiritual advice since 2003, the year the singer split with actress Claire Danes. It is the first marriage for Lee, while Skye, daughter of 1960s pop star Donovan, was previously married to Beastie Boy Adam Horowitz.