The character arc of Benjamin Kheng
Born 15 August 1990 in Singapore. Between then and now sit a pop band formed with his sister and two friends, a debut album recorded in Stockholm, a run of regional touring, the band stepping back so each member could go their own way, a solo career built single by single, and a song written for the whole country to sing. He acts and he hosts too, but the line below is drawn around the music first, in order.
Tap the line to pluck it. Hover or tap any mark for its card. Drawn from the public record of his life; the sources are at the foot of the page.
Who is Benjamin Kheng?
The band frontman who found his own voice.
He grew up in Singapore and came to notice young, forming the pop band The Sam Willows around 2012 with his sister Narelle and their friends Sandra Riley Tang and Jonathan Chua. The four of them built a folk-pop sound with boy and girl voices traded back and forth, and in 2015 released their debut album Take Heart, recorded in Stockholm with Swedish producers. Its first singles went to the top of the local charts, and the band carried that sound across the region for the next few years.
In 2019 the band stepped back so each member could pursue their own work, and the solo line that followed is the heart of his arc. He released his debut EP A Sea That Never Stops in 2020, then found a wider audience with The Caifan Song in 2021, a warm, playful piece he co-wrote that reached far beyond his usual listeners. He kept writing and releasing through the album Gloomy Boogie, working often with other artists because, as he has said, music is better made with other people.
In 2024 he wrote and performed Not Alone, the theme for that year's National Day Parade, and a whole country sang it. Alongside the music he acts on stage and screen and hosts, a second craft he has carried since the band years. His line is worth reading because the frontman who could have stayed one voice in a group chose to find out what his own voice could do, and then handed the country a song to sing together.
The moments
Benjamin Kheng's timeline.
The 1990s
Born in Singapore
Milestone, and it changed his direction. Born in Singapore in 1990, the son and brother of a musical family.
The 2010s
Formed The Sam Willows
Milestone, and it changed his direction. He formed the pop band The Sam Willows with his sister Narelle and their friends Sandra Riley Tang and Jonathan Chua.
Debut album Take Heart
Milestone. The band's debut album, recorded in Stockholm with Swedish producers, with its first singles reaching the top of the local charts.
Across the region
Milestone. The band carried its sound across the region, playing festivals and stages well beyond home.
Acting, comedy and hosting
Everyday. Alongside the music he built a second craft, acting on stage and screen, co-creating comedy sketches, and hosting.
The second album
Milestone. The band released its second album, I Know, But Where, a fuller and more open record than the first.
The band steps back
Everyday, and it changed his direction. The band stepped back on good terms so each member could pursue their own work, with no plan to break up.
Stay a band, or go solo
Crossroads, decided.
The paths laid out: build a solo line, taken, or hold the band together. The solo turn led from a first EP to The Caifan Song and, in 2024, to a National Day anthem a whole country sang.
The 2020s
A debut solo EP
Milestone, and it changed his direction. His first solo release, a six-track EP that turned heartbreak, grief and celebration into his own songs.
The Caifan Song
Milestone. A warm, playful song he co-wrote and released with Annette Lee, which reached far beyond his usual listeners.
The Gloomy Boogie album
Milestone. A solo album released in two parts across the year, his most sustained body of writing yet.
Not Alone, a nation sings
Milestone, and it changed everything. He wrote and performed the theme for that year's National Day Parade, and a whole country sang it.
New songs, new voices
Everyday. He kept releasing and collaborating with other artists, at home and across the region.
The line reaches today still releasing, which is why it is drawn now rather than at the end. What it has set moving is already out in the world: the band that started it, the solo songs that followed, and a National Day anthem a whole country now knows by heart.
In his words
Quotes by Benjamin Kheng
Music to me is always way better with other people. From writing to performing, music is meant to be shared.
Your turn
Every story draws a unique line.
His is three decades in and still being written. Yours is already further along than you think, and drawing it takes about three minutes.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Benjamin Kheng, verified 15 September 2026.
- Wikipedia, The Sam Willows, and The Sam Willows discography.
- Wikipedia, Take Heart (The Sam Willows album), 2015.
- Benjamin Kheng, official site, benjaminkheng.net.
- Benjamin Kheng, artist page on Apple Music.
- Benjamin Kheng, interview with Inquirer Entertainment, 2024.