Eddie Benjamin Confronts His ‘Most Extreme Anxiety’ on Single ‘Weatherman’

Eddie Benjamin is tired of not feeling in control of his emotions. On Friday, the Australian singer dropped the piano-backed, personal single “Weatherman,” in which he lyrically faces his emotions and attempts to manifest happy, sun-kissed days.

“When I was writing the song, I felt out of control and didn’t know what to do,” Benjamin tells Rolling Stone. “I couldn’t help how I felt, and it summed up all these extremities in a really vulnerable way. You’re talking to yourself, asking for a sunny day.”

The music video directed by Tyler Yee follows Benjamin as he sings to his emotions and the “Weatherman” in charge of controlling them. “Go tell the Weatherman I said, ‘I want it sunny outside.’ No darkness into my emotions. So tired of living in yesterday.”

Benjamin says the idea for the song, which is co-produced by Kid Culture, came as he was playing notes on his piano while he was dealing with “some of the most extreme anxiety and pain.” The track, he says, introduces the real-life stories behind his upcoming album. “All of the songs deal with pretty life-shifting experiences that I’ve gone through,” Benjamin says. “I wanted to tap into actual meaning within my art. It was painful. It was exciting. It felt like I’d grown up. It was definitely an interesting and beautiful process.”

Benjamin, who is hitting the road as an opener for Justin Bieber starting Friday, is set to release his debut album later this spring. The single follows his 2021 EP Emotional, on which he welcomed Sia on track “Diamond Eyes.”

From Rolling Stone US