# Benny Sings

Tim van Berkestijn (born 28 April 1977), better known by his stage name Benny Sings, is a Dutch pop musician, songwriter, and producer from the Netherlands. Since 2003, he has released ten studio albums, including his most recent album, 2023's Young Hearts on Stones Throw Records. He has since collaborated with many artists worldwide, like Mac DeMarco, Mocky, and Rex Orange County.

## Biography

Tim van Berkestijn was born in 1977 and raised in Dordrecht, a city in the Western Netherlands. He formed his first band, the Loveboat, in high school. He attended the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, where he studied sonology. He made beats under the name Benny V Kreamtits before changing his name to Benny Sings.
In 1999, Berkestijn adopted the stage name Benny Sings when he joined the Dutch hip hop group Abstract Dialect as a bassist. During this period, he also worked with hip hop collective De Toffen and the soul group Heavenly Social.
In 2003, Sings released his first solo album, Champagne People, which did well in the Netherlands and Europe. During the 2010s, Sings gained more attention in the United States. In 2017, he helped pen the Rex Orange County single "Loving Is Easy".
Beyond his solo career, Sings has collaborated with, written for, and produced many notable artists, including Mayer Hawthorne, Free Nationals, GoldLink, Mac DeMarco and Tom Misch. He also composed songs for the anime Carole & Tuesday. In 2022, Sings co-produced Rex Orange County's album Who Cares?, which debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200.
Sings released the single "The Only One" on 26 October 2022. His album Young Hearts was released on Stones Throw Records on 24 March 2023. Sings recorded a cover of "Time After Time" for the 2025 tribute album Chet Baker Re:imagined.

## Discography
### Studio albums

| Title | Details |
| Champagne People | Released: 22 August 2003 Label: Sonar Kollektiv Formats: LP, CD, digital |
| EUH (with Rednose Distrikt) | Released: 1 May 2007 Label: Dox Records Formats: LP, CD, digital |
| Benny... At Home | Released: 14 May 2007 Label: Sonar Kollektiv Formats: LP, CD, digital |
| Art | Released: 27 May 2011 Label: Dox Formats: LP, CD, digital |
| Studio | Released: 27 November 2015 Label: Dox Formats: LP, CD, digital |
| Beat Tape | Released: 29 June 2018 Label: Stones Throw Formats: LP, CD, digital |
| City Pop | Released: 22 February 2019 Label: Stones Throw Formats: LP, CD, digital Earlier version released in 2018 in Japan. |
| Music | Released: 9 April 2021 Label: Stones Throw Formats: LP, CD, digital |
| Beat Tape II | Released: 10 December 2021 Label: Stones Throw Formats: LP, Cassette, digital |
| Young Hearts | Released: 24 March 2023 Label: Stones Throw Formats: LP, CD, digital |

### EPs

| Title | Details |
| Santa Barbara | Released: 20 May 2022 Label: Stones Throw Records Formats: Digital |

### Live albums

| Title | Details |
| I Love You (Live at the Bimhuis) | Released: 14 February 2005 Label: Sonar Kollektiv Formats: LP, CD, Digital |

### Compilations

| Title | Details |
| The Best Of Benny Sings | Released: 2 October 2012 Label: Dox Records Formats: CD, Digital |

### As featured artist

* C-Mon – "Beggars for Sun" (Cereal, 2008)
* Che Grand – "Soraya's Jam" (Everything's Good Ugly, 2009)
* Knobsticker – "Hypothetical_Theoretical" (Forest Fruit, 2009)
* Scallymatic Orchestra – "All I Can Give" (Annie Get Your Gun, 2009)
* Kan Sano – "Go Nowhere" (2.0.1.1, 2014)
* Data – "Don't Sing" (Don't Sing, 2015)
* Koffie – "Hard Times" (Huntu, 2017)
* Instupendo – "Homme" (Friend of a Friend, 2017)
* Rex Orange County – "Loving is Easy" (2017)
* Onelight – "Aldehyde" (Vanderlay, 2018)
* Tuxedo – "Toast 2 Us" (Tuxedo III, 2019)
* Shuko & The Breed – "Life in Los Angeles" (Dippin', 2019)
* Blackwave. – "The Antidote" (Are We Still Dreaming?, 2019)
* Free Nationals – "Apartment" (Free Nationals, 2019)
* Les Cooles de Ville – "Starr People" (L.C.D.V., 2019)
* Intellextual – "Popstar" (Intellextual, 2019)
* Gosto – "The Other Way" (2019)
* Aaron Taylor – "Shooting Star" (Icarus, 2020)
* M.I.L.K. – "Prisoner" (Always Summer Somewhere, 2020)
* Yaffle – "The Child Inside" (Lost, Never Gone, 2020)
* Darius – "RISE" (Utopia, 2021)