Benjamin Ivan Jelen (born 8 July 1979) is a
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
-born American former singer-songwriter who plays the piano, violin, and guitar. He has lived in Scotland, England,
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
and New York. His career has been characterized by near-stardom, with his debut album,
Give It All Away peaking at No. 113 on the
Billboard 200 list. As of 2011, he is on indefinite hiatus from his solo career and is working with a new band, along with former Deuce Project member Josh McMillan known as ''
Under The Elephant''.
Early life
Jelen attended high school in
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...
briefly, as a freshman at
Northside Health Careers High School. He completed high school at
Princeton High School in
Princeton, New Jersey
The Municipality of Princeton is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, Borough of Princeton and Pri ...
and graduated from
Rutgers University
Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
with a degree in
biology
Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...
. After that, he moved to New York City to work as a producer and sound engineer at a local recording studio.
Music career
2004: ''Give It All Away''
Jelen was discovered by Joseph Janus of
Fearless Management
Fearless Management is a New York City–based music management (talent management) company founded in 2003 by Joseph Janus, the acting President and chief executive officer.
Overview
After working in fashion and model management, Joseph Janus c ...
, who originally wanted to sign him as a model. Instead, Jelen handed him a demo, and shortly thereafter, he was signed to a label and released his debut album ''Give It All Away'' in May 2004, promoted by appearances on TRL, AOL Breakers and Rock the Vote. The album also debuted at No. 13 on the
Top Internet Albums
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...
chart, No. 120 on the Billboard Comprehensive Albums chart and No. 113 on the
''Billboard'' 200 albums chart in the United States, making it eligible for the
Top Heatseekers
The Heatseekers charts were "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales b ...
chart, a chart of artists who have never entered the top 100 of the Billboard 200. The album debuted at No. 1 on the
Top Heatseekers
The Heatseekers charts were "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales b ...
chart.
Debut single "Come On" was a hit, reaching the MTV top 20. It also debuted at No. 58 on the
Hot Singles Sales
The Hot Singles Sales, also known as the Hot 100 Singles Sales and the POS chart, was a music chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine listing each week's best-selling physical singles in the United States, such as CD singles, vinyl single ...
chart. Apart from "Give It All Away" being included as a B-side to the "Come On" single, no other track from the album was released as a single.
2005–2006: Independent period
Following his debut album, Jelen left Maverick Records and independently released the
EP ''
Rejected
''Rejected'' is an animated surrealist short comedy film directed by Don Hertzfeldt that was released in 2000. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film the following year at the 73rd Academy Awards, and received 27 a ...
'' through
Fearless Management
Fearless Management is a New York City–based music management (talent management) company founded in 2003 by Joseph Janus, the acting President and chief executive officer.
Overview
After working in fashion and model management, Joseph Janus c ...
Records in 2005. He wrote and recorded a song for a compilation album for
Tori Amos
Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...
'
RAINN
The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) is an American nonprofit anti-sexual assault organization, the largest in the United States. RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline, as well as the Department of Defense Safe Helpline ...
organization
and joined the
Natural Resources Defense Council
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a United States–based 501(c)(3) non-profit international environmental advocacy group, with its headquarters in New York City and offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicag ...
(NRDC) and Wildlife Works. Jelen also appeared on the compilation album ''Breaking for the Holidays'' in 2006 with his self-produced cover of Joni Mitchell's "River" through Breaking Records.
2007: Custard Records deal and ''Ex-Sensitive''
Jelen performed at the 2007
South by Southwest
South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
(SXSW) conference and music festival in Austin, Texas, in a lineup that also included
Taylor Hicks
Taylor Reuben Hicks (born October 7, 1976) is an American singer who won the American Idol (season 5), fifth season of ''American Idol'' in May 2006. Hicks got his start as a professional musician in his late teens and performed around the Sout ...
,
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer, songwriter, musician, and businesswoman. With over 30 million records sold worldwide, she was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix ...
,
Tom Morello
Thomas Baptist Morello (born May 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He is known for his tenure with the rock bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. Between 2016 and 2019, Morello was a membe ...
,
Mika
Mika is a given name, a nickname, and a surname. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include:
People known just as Mika
* Mika (singer) (born 1983), Lebanese-born British singer-songwriter Michael Penniman, Jr.
* Mika (footba ...
,
Martina Topley Bird
Martina Gillian Topley-Bird (''née'' Topley; born 7 May 1975) is an English singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who first gained fame as the featured female vocalist on trip hop pioneer Tricky (musician), Tricky's debut album, ''Maxi ...
,
The Fratellis
The Fratellis ( ) are a Scottish rock band from Glasgow, formed in 2005. The band consists of three unrelated members, who perform under pseudonyms: lead vocalist and guitarist Jon Fratelli, bassist Barry Fratelli, and drummer Mince Fratelli ...
,
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are an English Rock music, rock band that was formed in London, England, London in 1999 by co-founders Kele Okereke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano, sampler) and Russell Lissack (lead guitar). Their first four albums all featur ...
,
Paolo Nutini
Paolo Giovanni Nutini (born 9 January 1987) is a Scottish singer-songwriter from Paisley, Renfrewshire, Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. Nutini's debut album, ''These Streets'' (2006), peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. Its follow-u ...
,
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Rodrigo y Gabriela (, "Rodrigo and Gabriela") are a Mexican acoustic guitar duo featuring musicians Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero. Residing in Mexico City, they began their career in Dublin, Ireland, where they played for the first eigh ...
,
Mogwai
Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mogwa ...
and
Spoon
A spoon (, ) is a utensil consisting of a shallow bowl (also known as a head), oval or round, at the end of a handle. A type of cutlery (sometimes called flatware in the United States), especially as part of a table setting, place setting, it ...
.
Jelen's second full-length album, ''
Ex-Sensitive'', was released on 17 July 2007. The album, formerly titled ''East'' and ''Pulse'', was produced by
Linda Perry
Linda Perry (born April 15, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. She is the lead singer and primary songwriter of 4 Non Blondes, including their 1993 hit " What's Up?". She has since founded two record label ...
and mixed by
Bill Bottrell
William Allen Bottrell (born October 27, 1952) is an American record producer and songwriter. He is perhaps best known for his production and uncredited guest appearance on Michael Jackson's 1991 single "Black or White", which peaked the ''Bill ...
.
2009 – Under The Elephant
Jelen has placed his solo career on hold to focus on a new group Under The Elephant. The band consists of Jelen, Josh McMillan, Lisa McMillan, Tina Mathieu and James Darwin "Jimmy" Stull. The group is, as of 1 March 2010, unsigned.
Personal life
Jelen met model Fern Palmer in a New York City night club on 6 January 2004. The couple married on 28 June 2009 in a private garden wedding in Palmer's hometown of
Cleveland, Georgia
Cleveland is a city in White County, Georgia, located northeast of Atlanta and southeast of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Its population was 3,514 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of White County.
Cleveland is home to the North Georgia Zo ...
. Jelen and Palmer have one child together, a daughter named Tallulah Rose Jelen born in 2013. As of April 23, 2019, the couple is separated.
In November 2018, Jelen completed a Ph.D program in Environmental Science at Rutgers University, successfully defending his dissertation titled
"The Evolution of Microbial Electron Transfer on Earth."
Television and film
Jelen's music has been featured on the TV shows
''One Tree Hill'',
''Smallville'' and
''Las Vegas'', and was used to promote the
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
-nominated ''
Finding Neverland'' starring
Johnny Depp
John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Johnny Depp, multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for ...
and
Kate Winslet
Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Primarily known for her roles as headstrong and complicated women in independent films, particularly period dramas, she has received numerous accolades, including an Ac ...
. "Come On" also features in the film ''
Love Wrecked
''Love Wrecked'' (also known as ''Temptation Island'' internationally) is a 2005 American adventure romantic comedy film directed by Randal Kleiser. Starring Amanda Bynes, it is a romantic comedy about a girl getting stranded with a rock star on a ...
'' with
Amanda Bynes
Amanda Laura Bynes (born April 3, 1986) is an American actress. Bynes began her career as a child actor, appearing on the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series '' All That'' (1996–2000) and its spin-off series '' The Amanda Show'' (1999–2002). ...
and in 2007, the instrumental version of "Come On" was featured trailers for ''
The Bucket List
''The Bucket List'' is a 2007 American buddy comedy-drama film directed and produced by Rob Reiner, written by Justin Zackham, and starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. The main plot follows two terminally ill men on their road tri ...
''. His song, "Where Do We Go" also appeared in the film
Fired Up. In 2013, Jelen's single "Come On" was used in promotions for the film ''
Monsters University
''Monsters University'' is a 2013 American animated Coming-of-age film, coming-of-age comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. A prequel to ''Monsters, Inc.'' (2001), it was directed by Dan Scanlon (in his fea ...
''.
Jelen, a graduate of
Princeton High School, also guest starred on the Princeton-set television show
''House'' as a doctor applying for a fellowship in the episode
"Kids".
Discography
Albums
* ''
Give It All Away'' (2004) No. 113 US
* ''
Rejected
''Rejected'' is an animated surrealist short comedy film directed by Don Hertzfeldt that was released in 2000. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film the following year at the 73rd Academy Awards, and received 27 a ...
'' (2005)
* ''
Ex-Sensitive'' (2007)
* ''
Wreckage (EP)'' (2008)
Digital-only albums
* ''
Sessions@AOL
AOL (formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City, and a brand marketed by Yahoo! Inc.
The service traces its history to an online ...
'' (2004)
Singles
* "Come On/Give It All Away" (2004) (#58 U.S.
Hot Singles Sales
The Hot Singles Sales, also known as the Hot 100 Singles Sales and the POS chart, was a music chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine listing each week's best-selling physical singles in the United States, such as CD singles, vinyl single ...
)
* "Where Do We Go" (2007)
* "Wreckage" (2008)
Other contributions
# "Come On" on the compilation "CG Vibes: Music That Gives Back", available for five months in 2004 and supplied free with
The Corrs
The Corrs are an Irish family band consisting of siblings Andrea (lead vocals, tin whistle, mandolin, ukulele), Sharon (violin, keyboards, vocals), Caroline (drums, percussion, piano, bodhrán, vocals) and Jim (guitar, piano, keyboards, v ...
' ''
Borrowed Heaven
''Borrowed Heaven'' is the fourth studio album by Irish rock band The Corrs, released through Atlantic Records on 31 May 2004. The album was produced by Olle Romo.
The band released three singles from this album: "Summer Sunshine", "Angel", an ...
'',
Toby Lightman
Toby Lightman is an American singer-songwriter. Her first album, '' Little Things'', was released in 2004 on Lava/Atlantic. Her second album, '' Bird on a Wire'' was released in 2006.
Biography
Raised in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Lightman beg ...
's ''
Little Things'',
Brandy
Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...
's ''
Afrodisiac'' and his own ''
Give It All Away''
# "Truth" on the compilation "For the Next X: A Benefit CD for RAINN" (2004)
# "
Talking About A Revolution" (cover of
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, widely known for her hit singles " Fast Car" (1988) and " Give Me One Reason" (1995).
She was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987. The following year she rel ...
's song of the same name) on the
Russell Simmons
Russell Wendell Simmons (born October 4, 1957) is an American entrepreneur, writer and record executive. He co-founded the hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings, and created the clothing fashion lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and Tantris. He has p ...
/
Babyface
Babyface or Baby Face can refer to:
Nicknames
* Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber
* Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician
* "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...
compilation ''Wake Up Everybody'' (2004)
# "Forever in Our Hearts" (playing keyboards and violin), a single for tsunami relief (2005)
# "
River
A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
" (cover of the
Joni Mitchell
Roberta Joan Mitchell (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitch ...
song of the same name) on the compilation ''Breaking for the Holidays'' (2006)
# "
Woman
A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or Adolescence, adolescent is referred to as a girl.
Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functi ...
" (cover of
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
's song of the same name) on ''
Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur'' (2007)
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jelen, Ben
1979 births
Custard Records artists
Maverick Records artists
Living people
Scottish male television actors
21st-century Scottish male singers
Scottish pop singers
Scottish male songwriters
Rutgers University alumni
Musicians from New Jersey
Princeton High School (New Jersey) alumni
British male songwriters