Benjamin Francis Leftwich

Benjamin Francis Leftwich is an English singer-songwriter from York, England. His work sits in acoustic folk pop, folk, indie folk and indie, with a style shaped by both classic songwriters and more contemporary indie artists.

Background and influences

Leftwich grows up listening to The Rolling Stones and Nina Simone, and later discovers Nick Drake, Bob Dylan and Elliott Smith. He also draws inspiration from Cher, Arcade Fire, Ryan Adams and Bruce Springsteen. These influences place his writing within a broad singer-songwriter tradition, alongside elements of folk and indie music.

Albums and recognition

His debut album, Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm, is produced by Ian Grimble and appears in 2011. It reaches number 35 on the UK albums chart and sells more than 100,000 copies. The record receives strong critical attention, with praise from publications including The Fly, The Skinny and the Sunday Express.

His second album, After the Rain, appears in August 2016. He also tours extensively after its release, performing material from both albums across the UK, Canada, the USA, China, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and several Asian countries including Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia.

Notable songs and later work

Leftwich is associated with several widely heard recordings. Shine becomes Spotify’s most addictive track of 2014 and passes 150 million global Spotify plays. Atlas Hands features in the 2015 Zillow television commercial Lake House. In the same year, he co-writes Grow with Frances for an Amazon UK television advert.

He also releases cover versions of songs by Placebo, Arcade Fire, The Killers and The Blue Nile, including Pure Morning, Rebellion (Lies), When You Were Young and Because of Toledo. These recordings show his interest in reinterpreting songs from outside his own catalogue.

Career profile

Across his career, Leftwich develops a reputation for introspective songwriting and a folk-pop sound. His music appears on streaming platforms at scale, and his debut album remains the best-known early release in his catalogue.