Benjamin Ian Kowalewicz (; born December 16, 1975) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist of rock band Billy Talent.

Early life

Kowalewicz, of Polish descent, was born December 16, 1975, in Pierrefonds, Quebec, and raised in

Streetsville, Ontario Streetsville (pop. 47,327) is a neighbourhood located in the northwestern corner of the city of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, on the Credit River. Although Streetsville occupies the west and east banks of the river, the majority is located on the ...

. He attended Our Lady of Mount Carmel Secondary School, where he was a drummer in a band named To Each His Own.

Career

In To Each His Own, Kowalewicz met

Jonathan Gallant Billy Talent is a Canadian rock band from Mississauga, Ontario. They formed in 1993 with lead vocalist Benjamin Kowalewicz, guitarist Ian D'Sa, bassist Jonathan Gallant, and drummer Aaron Solowoniuk. There have been no lineup changes, although ...

. Kowalewicz moved from drummer to vocals and rhythm guitar, and

Aaron Solowoniuk Aaron Solowoniuk ( ) is the drummer for the Canadian band Billy Talent. Background Solowoniuk was born and raised in Streetsville, a neighbourhood of Mississauga, Ontario, and began drumming at a young age, his first set being a gift from ...

was recruited to play drums. The three would then meet

Ian D'Sa Ian D'Sa is a Canadian guitarist and producer best known as a member of the rock band Billy Talent. Early life and career Ian was born in the suburb of Southall, London. He is of Goan background. His family moved to Canada when he was three ...

to form a band called Pezz. Pezz released their first album, '' Watoosh!'', in 1998.The Ongoing History of New Music
. "Before They Were Famous" ''Original Broadcast date: 13-11-05 on

CFNY CFNY-FM (''102.1 the Edge'') is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 102.1 MHz in the Greater Toronto Area, licensed to the suburb of Brampton. CFNY plays an alternative rock format. Owned by Corus Entertainment, its studios are in Downtown ...

.'' After being threatened with a lawsuit by an American band who was also using the name Pezz, Kowalewicz suggested the name Billy Talent, taken from a character from Michael Turner's '' Hard Core Logo''. Kowalewicz focused his work on vocals only, and Billy Talent was born. In this time, Kowalewicz worked in a number of positions at Toronto radio station 102.1 the Edge, as an assistant for

The Ongoing History of New Music ''The Ongoing History of New Music'' is a radio program produced in Canada by Corus Entertainment and hosted by Alan Cross.Alan Cross Alan Cross is a Canadian radio broadcaster and a writer on music.

, to contribute funds towards Billy Talent's first album. Kowalewicz is featured in the song "Smiling Politely" by

Cancer Bats Cancer Bats is a Canadian hardcore punk band from Toronto, Ontario. To date, they have released seven studio albums and six extended plays; with their most recent LP, ''Psychic Jailbreak'', having been released on 15 April 2022. The band is curr ...

from their album '' Hail Destroyer''. He was featured in the song "Wake Up the Town" by Anti-Flag, which was a bonus track on their 2008 album '' The Bright Lights of America''. His home in the Parkdale neighbourhood of Toronto was featured on the Canadian home decorating show

Designer Guys ''Designer Guys'' was a Canadian design show on HGTV, created by Mary Darling and produced by WestWind Pictures. Debuting in 2001, the first seasons were hosted by Chris Hyndman and Steven Sabados. They hosted until 2004, when they were offered ...

. The episode is entitled "Punk Meets Traditional". Kowalewicz can also play guitar and drums. He wrote drums for "The Ex" which appears on Billy Talent's self-titled album. Kowalewicz provided guest vocals for

Rammstein Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, ...

guitarist Richard Kruspe's side project

Emigrate Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

. He provided co-lead vocals for the song "1234" on Emigrate's album '' A Million Degrees'', as well as performing in the song's music video with a cameo appearance from Billy Talent bandmate

Discography

Billy Talent

* '' Billy Talent'' (2003) * ''

Billy Talent II ''Billy Talent II'' is the second studio album by Canadian rock band Billy Talent, released on June 27, 2006. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 48,000 copies in its first week. The album also reached No. 1 on the G ...

'' (2006) * ''

Billy Talent III ''Billy Talent III'' is the third studio album by Canadian rock band Billy Talent. It was released on July 10, 2009, in Europe, July 13 in the United Kingdom, July 14 in Canada, and September 22 in the US. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Canad ...

'' (2009) * ''

Dead Silence ''Dead Silence'' is a 2007 American supernatural horror film directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell. The film stars Ryan Kwanten as Jamie Ashen, a young widower returning to his hometown to search for answers to his wife's death. I ...

'' (2012) * '' Afraid of Heights'' (2016) * '' Crisis of Faith'' (2022)

Guest appearances

* Anti-Flag – "Wake Up the Town" on '' The Bright Lights of America'' (2008) *

– "Smiling Politely" on '' Hail Destroyer'' (2008) * K-OS - " Say It Ain't So (originally by Weezer)" on ''Much Music Presents: k-os Live'' (2011) *

– "1234" on '' A Million Degrees'' (2018)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kowalewicz, Benjamin 1975 births Living people Anglophone Quebec people Canadian people of Polish descent Musicians from Montreal Canadian male singers Canadian rock singers Canadian punk rock singers Canadian rock drummers Canadian male drummers Billy Talent members 21st-century Canadian drummers