Meet Cheyenne Benton | Singer/Songwriter, Producer, Audio Engineer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cheyenne Benton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cheyenne, what principle do you value most?
I think over the relatively short period of time I’ve spent working in the music industry so far, I would have to say the value or principle that matters to me most is integrity – both professionally and personally. I think it’s pretty easy to take shortcuts, say all of the ‘right’ things, do whatever it takes to get ‘in’ with the crowds of people who hold power and prestige – but it really goes against just about everything I believe in, and I tend to lose any and all respect I had for anyone I see taking that route. For me, it’s really about cultivating authentic connections with people I genuinely believe in, and people that genuinely believe in me. I take dishonesty personally, and tend to have more respect for people who are forthright – even if that means not seeing eye-to-eye creatively.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
What I’m most excited to share artistically is my self written, self produced debut album – Beautiful Chaos. I began working on this album back in 2019, when I knew absolutely nothing about the production and engineering side of the music industry. When the world shut down due to COVID, I decided to go to school for audio engineering. I spent my time in the program experimenting on this project, putting my skills to the test, re-recording, editing, and mixing this album well after graduating until I was completely happy with it. This album was one of the most challenging and ambitious projects I have taken on. There were two major points in this process I sincerely believed I would be unable to complete it – and I am really proud I was able to hold out, despite the many unforeseen pitfalls I faced during it’s conception.
The major lesson I learned along the way was you never really know who you’re in the room with – for better, or for worse. It’s important as a creative that we are discerning about who we allow into our world. It takes time to find colleagues you can trust with your vision – but when you do, I believe it has the ability to transform your record beyond what we are able to conceptualize. I feel really blessed to be working with the team I am working with currently, and immensely grateful they have been respectful of me and my craft, which holds a great deal of meaning to me.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One of my favorite spots I recommend for music lovers (and cocktail lovers) would have to be Part Time Lover in North Park! It’s an incredible bar that doubles as a record shop, the interior is based off of a 1920’s Japanese speakeasy, and the cocktails are fabulous. Such a fun spot – if I’m not at the stu, you’ll find me there.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shoutout the community at Studio West and The Recording Arts Center – the instructors, engineers, colleagues and mentors there have truly changed my life in more ways than I can verbalize. I owe all of my knowledge to their incredible team who are passionate about audio and making a difference in the San Diego music community. What I’ve learned over the past 3 years as both a student and staff member have allowed me to make advances in my career and as an artist that I didn’t know were possible.

Website: www.cheyennebenton.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cheyenne.benton/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cosmiccheyenne

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cheyennebentonmusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/cheyennetheginger

Other: https://linktr.ee/b.eautiful.chaos

Image Credits
Chris Casey, Jessie DeVoe