Benjamin Kheng Wen Ming (born 15 August 1990) is a Singaporean singer-songwriter, and former national swimmer. Kheng made his music debut with the Singaporean band The Sam Willows, which debuted in 2012.

Early life and education

Kheng was a former national youth swimmer, having trained since he was 6. He attended

Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) This is a list of primary schools in Singapore. Children typically start their primary education in the year they turn seven. Primary education lasts six years, and is compulsory for all Singapore citizens. Primary schools in Singapore are eithe ...

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) (ACS(I)) is an independent Methodism, Methodist secondary school in Dover, Singapore. Founded in 1886 by Reverend William Fitzjames Oldham, it was recognised as an International Baccalaureate World School in 20 ...

Singapore Sports School Singapore Sports School (SSP) is a specialised Independent school, independent boarding school under the purview of Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth of the Government of Singapore that offers an integrated sports and academic programme to ...

and has a diploma in Arts and Theatre Management from

Republic Polytechnic Republic Polytechnic (RP) is a post-secondary education institution and statutory board under the purview of the Ministry of Education in Singapore. Established in 2002, RP is renowned for its sports science programs. It is also the first and ...

Career

Kheng is the

keyboardist A keyboardist or keyboard player is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instru ...

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a guitar technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse (music), pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., d ...

ist and

vocalist Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

for The Sam Willows. After announcing their hiatus in May 2019, he has since pursued his solo career. Besides music, Kheng co-created “The BenZi Project,” an online comedy sketch series on YouTube with Singaporean YouTuber Hirzi Zulkiflie. Kheng is an advocate for youth and social causes, Benjamin has also been invited to speak at

TEDx TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "Ideas Change Everything" (previously "Ideas Worth Sprea ...

Youth to share his experience in overcoming depression and

anxiety disorder Anxiety disorders are a group of mental disorders characterized by significant and uncontrollable feelings of anxiety and fear such that a person's social, occupational, and personal functions are significantly impaired. Anxiety may cause phys ...

with

synesthesia Synesthesia (American English) or synaesthesia (British English) is a perceptual phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. People with sy ...

. In August 2021, Kheng collaborated with a virtual influencer, Rae; writing the song they sang together, ''Worlds''. In 2024, Kheng was chosen to sing the theme song for Singapore's National Day Parade, "Not Alone," which he also wrote the lyrics for. He was joined by members of the Music and Drama Company.

Personal life

Kheng has a younger sister,

Narelle Kheng Narelle Kheng Song Yi (born 24 September 1993) is a Singaporean singer, actress, and former national swimmer. She made her debut in the Singaporean band The Sam Willows in 2012. Personal life Kheng was a national youth swimmer, having trained ...

, who is also part of The Sam Willows. He is married to Singaporean model and

987FM 987 is an English-language radio station in Singapore. Owned by the state-owned broadcaster Mediacorp, it broadcasts a contemporary hit radio format. The station launched on 1 January 1989 as Perfect 10 98.7 FM. History Perfect 10 (1989–2005) T ...

host, Naomi Yeo.

Filmography

Movies

Television

Variety

Theater

Discography

Extended plays

*''A Sea That Never Stops'' (2020)

Singles

References

External links

* at The Sam Willows Band * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kheng, Benjamin 1990 births Living people Singaporean male actors Singaporean jazz musicians 21st-century Singaporean male singers Singaporean pop singers Singaporean singer-songwriters Singaporean male singer-songwriters Singaporean Hokkien pop singers Singaporean jazz guitarists Singaporean jazz pianists Jazz fusion musicians Singaporean jazz bandleaders Male jazz pianists 21st-century pianists 21st-century Singaporean guitarists 21st-century Singaporean male actors Male jazz musicians The Sam Willows members