A Leeds student is releasing a single next month

The record label was established by a Leeds second year


Ben Brown, a current student at the University of Leeds, will be releasing his first single ‘Walked Away’ on the 2nd of June. Influenced by a number of artists like Ed Sheeran and Newton Faulkner, Ben’s single will tell “the story of a one night stand at university and the days that follow when things turn sour.”

When asked about the inspiration for the song, Ben said: “I wrote the song as a way of getting something off my chest. If something happens to me, good or bad, I like to put it in song form as it is a lot easier for me to express my feelings in this way. This is therapeutic for me if something bad has happened. So in that sense I didn’t write the song thinking about the listeners, I wrote the song thinking about me. I think doing this brings out much better music and lyrics especially.”

He continued: “The song didn’t take that long to write, maybe a couple of hours spread over 2 or 3 days. Songs that are written about actual events that have happened to me are much quicker to write as the lyrics come much easier- because I am just telling a story.”

The record label, Stride Records, was also created by geography second year Josh Brickman in 2015. The label said: “Ben has a genuine knack for storytelling and through his vivid, descriptive verses he maintains honesty and vulnerability which everyone can relate to. Ben’s style of music and pacey lyrics have been compared to Ed Sheeran and Newton Faulkner, both of whom have had a major influence on his chord progression and vocal riffs.”

The single will be released on iTunes on the 2nd June.